Below you'll find what is essentially a foley scrap book documenting just a few of the many effects I have created where it was simply easier to record and build the sounds I was after rather than trying to piece things together from libraries. Look for the transport controls to listen to the examples.
A recent project required sound design for a leg amputation. The setting for this scene was gruesomely surreal and somewhat exaggerated - we're not talking 'ER' here. After searching through my libraries I discovered all of the sawing samples I had sounded as though they were cutting through wood, plastic, metal...everything but bone. As I've learned, sometimes there's no substitute for the real thing. A trip to the supermarket, some soup bones, and several types of saws later I had what I was looking for. Toss in the obligatory squelchy blood/guts, some horrific screaming (thank you Guthrie), the right music and voice work and we end up with a ghoulishly disturbing scene. Gauge for yourself.
Field recording footsteps in water. You'll notice my assistant Eric M. is smiling. How is it I ended up in the water while he worked the recording levels, warm and dry on shore? The running stream and background birds were all mixed in post to create the effect of someone crossing a running river. As you can tell, the water in these photos is virtually still. Perhaps not the most exciting example, but it sheds light on how even the most mundane effects must be carefully crafted. Today's viewers have grown understandably assumptive. They naturally expect to hear the proper sound when confronted by a visual, rarely giving it a second thought. Yet if something sounds off it is immediately noticeable by even novice ears. Most sound designers have come to terms with the fact theirs is somewhat of an underappreciated art. If no one notices your work, you've probably done a good job!
This example is hopefully a little less dull and shows a bit more creative 'out of the box' thinking, as a dinosaur forages through a forest. Hmmm, what would make for a good dinosaur sound....?
And here is your dinosaur sans editing. His name is Virgil. Yes, this little dude is the source of the sound on the left. Little known fact...dinosaurs pee on the carpet.
Moving to the opposite end of the spectrum and taking a break from the feigned violence...wildlife recording. I was determined to capture on tape the hauntingly beautiful sound of loons at dusk, along with the incredible natural reverberation of the lake basin. I found it necessary to immerse myself completely into the environment, to become one with nature. I quickly discovered this posed its own set of challenges, as described below.
The fundamental issue...there happened to be another species of less desirable loon within close vicinity of the birds I so desperately wanted to cleanly record. These loons consume large quantities of alcohol in the wild, and make their own strange noises. It took great skill and hours of fastidious editing to remove these offensive audio artifacts from my precious recordings.
Loons recorded at Forked Lake in Upstate NY, 2008.
More wild loons. Very dangerous.
Leg amputation scene.
Crossing river.
Note: Many of these examples happen to be quite morbid or generally dark in theme. Please don't assume my work focuses on only this. A number of recent projects I've been contracted for happened to contain a somewhat macabre edge, but I can produce sound for any style or genre. With that said...
The castle building sim 'Stronghold' is set in medieval England. A facet of the video game allows the player the use of torture devices either as a deterrent or to punish their population once they get out of line. The methods used are all based on real historical devices, one of which is the dunking stool. Here's a brief description of the device.
The Dunk Stool was a torture commonly used to make witches confess their witchery and heresy. It consisted of a simple chair tied to a tree or a stick.
The victim would be intermittently submerged in a river or pond. At the beginning, he or she would be submerged for less than a minute, but if the victim refused to reveal information or deny charges; the period of under water could increment dramatically; up to two minutes or more.
Eventually, the victim died. Nevertheless, death by the Dunk Stool was better than what would await a witch or sorcerer if proven guilty.
Because the animation of the dunk stool was quite small it was even more important to convey the nastiness of this device through audio. Tools needed:
A wonderfully gracious and willing participant...
...and a large vat of water.
Disclaimer! No humans were hurt physically, emotionally, or otherwise during the making of this effect. Despite what the photos imply I did not in fact really push her head under the water. We were just playing for the cameraman.
Need the sound of an old boat bumping against the dock but can't get to a marina?
A log in a cooler filled with water does the trick.
Final dunking stool.
Field
See, all smiles!
Sound Design
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