Within this assignment, one of the most challenging aspects I have found was sound design. I’ve watched countless documentaries and never really found myself appreciating the sound design behind the creation. I believe I’m much more a visual watcher when it comes to documentary. In Broderick Fox’s reading of Documentary Media: History, Theory, Practice, he states that sound is often overlooked when watching documentaries because creators genuinely rely on what the microphone picks up. While I understand that is an issue for some, I found that I completely mute all my background sound and sometimes lack adding sound tracks to emphasise my film.
A lot of people in class classified royalty free music as “cringey”, so I attempted to stray away from that type of sound. Another challenge I faced was multiple voice overs and having my tone change small amounts. I made sure I considered the volume of my voice, and made sure it wasn’t too loud when I began finalising.
After watching Rivers by Catherine Gough-Brady, I began to appreciate the use of sound design. She effortlessly produced a sound track that presented her ethereal river visuals and the echoes of the rushing water and birds added such a beautiful effect. I gained inspiration for bird echoes from her film and utilised echo effects in my own film.
Adding sound tracks behind voice overs create a depth within the film and ensure the film isn’t as monotone. I believe I have a bit more research and work to contribute to my film in regards to sound design but am content with what I have included so far.
References:
Fox, Broderick, Documentary Media : History, Theory, Practice, Taylor & Francis Group, 2017. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/RMIT/detail.action?docID=5103711.
Rivers (2019) by Catherine Gough-Brady (https://vimeo.com/340337435)
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