AA1 – Sem2, Wk4: Scene Sound

1/ Zazoo Condoms

Quite relaxed without the sound of the child screaming; but when the volume goes up it becomes very annoying, very quickly. Sound for image comes in the form of the catchy narration at the end and the vision of the condom packet. Though brief, you
remember the soothing voice. The unease and unpleasurable, edgy feel that has been set up with the child's emphasised vocal for the duration of the ad is relieved (so to speak) by the familiar condom, and the sweetened voice of the female narrator; soothing, hyper-real. A tension and release, question and answer ad, thanks to the sound design. Final message clear after the annoying and loud child; don't have children, wear a Zazoo Condom.

2/ Apple IPod Phone ('many uses' spoof)

Included 30 seconds only but original goes for 70.

A send-up of an IPhone ad and my validation for submitting this and not a 'mainstream' ad is that I feel this illustrates the interplay between sound design and psycho-acoustics via comedy. Main reason it is funny at all is the sound. Banal, non-attention grabbing, lulling music - only lyrics "a-yeah, a-yeah, a-yeah," classic American television advert VO track, keenly extolling the many uses of the phone as demonstrated on screen. Actors play it straight, the only synchronous sounds added post-production via Foley or post sync - there is a difference and here's some reasons why: http://www.sound-ideas.com/foleymavart.html; "What is Foley," - paragraph 3, "How is Foley Done." (*).

Sound design exactly what you'd expect of the classic advert; zippy, 'now'. The music, narration, cast and dialogue are not trying to be funny, kooky or weird – it is the expected diegetic, characteristic sounds that make it.

A friend watched Spinal Tap for 20 minutes before realising the joke … because the sound is just the way we expect it.

References:

Haines, Christian. "Scene Sound." Audio Arts 1 - Sem2, Wk4. August 14, 2007.

"Apple IPod Phone, Many Uses." Visit4Info. 2007. http://www.visit4info.com/details.cfm?adid=47869 (accessed August 15, 2007).

Arts, Electronic. ""Incidence of Catastrophe" - Gary Hill, 1988"." Electronic Arts Intermix. 2007. http://www.eai.org/eai/tape.jsp?itemID=3739 (accessed August 15, 2007).

"Zazoo Condom Tantrum." Visit4Info. http://www.visit4info.com/details.cfm?adid=22476 (accessed August 15, 2007).

pp10-11.Alkin, Glyn. 1994, Sound Techniques for Video and TV, Second edn, University Press, Cambridge.

"Chapter 8 - Television, Video Art, Music Video". Chion, Michel, Murch, Walter &

Gorbman, Claudia. 1994, [Audio-vision. English] Audio-vision : sound on screen, Columbia University Press, New York.

* Footnote: In fact, good (read fast and accurate) Foley artists are few and earn shirtloads. Time, as the saying goes, is money in the film industry, and if you can hit sync on the second or third attempt (or first) after your initial viewing, you could be very rich! There are Foley Walkers who specialise in footsteps. A professional Foley studio has a selection of walking 'boxes'; enclosures containing appropriate materials for recording dates - gravel, sand, slab of concrete ... whatever is required. Professional Foley Walkers also amass an extensive range of footwear to suit most post-production audio walking requirements. Foley recording and Foley logging are also independent areas of expertise.

My argument here is that any sound not performed 'live' by a Foley artist should not be termed Foley (as strictly speaking, it isn't). If it doesn't involve a Foley artist (or a Foley studio), it is probably from another area of post-sync sound or from another thread of the film's sound. I stand open for correction.