Films/ TV

ASoundEffect Competition 2023 Entry

(Feb 2023)

I designed the sound for this clip as my entry for the 2023 iteration of the sound design competition on the website ASoundEffect.com. This is a short, animated clip. A collection of sound recordings was provided, and the brief required entrants to use these sounds and manipulate them to fit our chosen aesthetic. Using my own recordings was also permitted. My intention for the clip was to suggest a surreal scene with unsettling undertones. The dissonance of the ambience was used to create anxiety. The grapes were created with a hard, icy, marble-like resonant exterior with the idea of toying with the audience’s expectations. I designed the liquid sounds to be aggressive and to have a hint of gore. For this piece, I selected sounds from the sounds provided and recorded my own sounds, then edited them, and processed them in various ways. I also mixed all audio. The audio was prepared in Pro Tools.

Episode 2: Fear and the Power of Association (Eliciting Fear in Horror Films Using Sound Design Audio Lecture Series)

(Feb 2021)

Fear and the Power of Association is the second episode of my Eliciting Fear in Horror Films Using Sound Design audio lecture series. This episode explains the role association plays in our fear system. I concocted this series to expand on the work in my honours project. Making a series based on my literature review gave me the opportunity to go deeper into the topics I used for the major deliverable, and to add those topics that I did not have space for in the major deliverable. For this piece, I recorded hard sound effects, background sound effects, performed and recorded the voiceover and made design sound effects. I also edited, processed, and mixed all audio. I created the title screens and logo animation. In addition, I edited the video. The audio was prepared in Pro Tools, the title screens and logo in GIMP, and the video was edited in Shotcut.

Episode 1: Fear, Anxiety, and the Horror Genre (Eliciting Fear in Horror Films Using Sound Design Audio Lecture Series)

(Sep 2020)

Fear, Anxiety, and the Horror Genre is the first episode of my Eliciting Fear in Horror Films Using Sound Design audio lecture series. This episode is an introduction to the rest of the series. In this episode, I introduce the horror genre, then explain how fear and anxiety work, and finally, look at how filmmakers, in a broader sense, elicit fear in horror films. I concocted this series to expand on the work in my honours project. Making a series based on my literature review gave me the opportunity to go deeper into the topics I used for the major deliverable, and to add those topics that I did not have space for in the major deliverable. For this piece, I recorded hard sound effects, background sound effects, performed and recorded the voiceover and made design sound effects. I also edited, processed, and mixed all audio. I created the title screens and logo animation. In addition, I edited the video. The audio was prepared in Pro Tools, the title screens and logo in GIMP, and the video was edited in Shotcut.

ASoundEffect.com 2020 Competition Entry Clip

(Aug 2020)

I designed the sound for this clip as my entry for the 2020 iteration of a competition on the website ASoundEffect.com. This is a short animated clip. A collection of sound recordings was provided, and the brief required entrants to use only these sounds and manipulate them to fit our chosen aesthetic. As the brief allowed the entrants to use sound design to affect the meaning of the story, I decided to make the sound paint a much darker picture to the one shown on screen, to produce a contrasting effect. For this piece, I selected sounds from the sounds provided, edited them, and processed them in various ways. I also mixed all audio. The audio was prepared in Pro Tools.

Eliciting Fear in Horror Films Using Sound Design Tutorial (Parts 1, 2 and 3) (Honours Project)

(Sep 2018- Dec 2019)

The Eliciting Fear in Horror Films Using Sound Design tutorial was the major deliverable for my honours project in my 4th year at university. The tutorial features explanations of sound design principles for eliciting fear in horror films. Next, four clips from different horror films are shown, with each of them featuring reworked soundtracks. In between each clip, I show how I made the new soundtracks. I wanted to investigate how sound designers elicit fear in audiences as I am interested in the psychology behind human reactions to different properties of sounds. I choose to make a tutorial, as I had, throughout university, found a lack of materials with in-depth explanations of how sound designers make sounds or why they make certain choices in their work. I found, in general, of the little information out there, it was mostly just vague explanations of their processes. For this piece, I performed and recorded Foley, held field recordings, recorded spot effects, used library sounds, created sounds using synthesis, and performed and recorded vocals. I also edited, processed, and mixed all audio. In addition, I edited the video. The audio was prepared in Pro Tools, and the video was edited in Shotcut.

Experiment Clip Showreel (Honours)

(Sep 2018- Sep 2019)

For my honours project, I carried out an experiment testing 6 different sound design principles that can be used to elicit fear in horror films. I used clips from a variety of films and reworked the sound for each. I chose this topic as I am interested in the psychological impact of different qualities of sounds that could be achieved using sound design. I performed and recorded Foley, other sound effects, vocalisations, performed field recordings, created sounds using synthesis and edited and processed these sounds to produce the new soundtracks for the clips. I then mixed all audio. The audio was prepared in Pro Tools, and the video was edited in Shotcut.

Experiment Clip Showreel (Listeners)

(Sep 2018- Jul 2019)

This is a showreel of some of the clips from my experiment for the Listeners module in trimester 1 of my 4th year at university. This project was an investigation into the effectiveness of Foley in bringing a sense of believability to film. I used clips from a variety of films from different genres and reworked the sound for each. My aim with this project was to learn more about Foley, and how to use it more effectively in my work. I performed and recorded Foley, recorded other sound effects, used library sounds, and edited and processed all audio. I then mixed the audio sessions. The audio was prepared in Ardour, and the video was edited in Shotcut.

The Man in the Houseboat (Group Project)

(Jan 2018- May 2018)

The Man in the Houseboat is an animatic I worked on for the Group Project module in trimester 2 of my 3rd year at university. This project had five members (three sound design students, a project manager, and the scriptwriter/ animator). My primary role in the project was to perform and record all Foley and some other sound effects, then to edit and process these sounds. I also recorded four voice actors and edited and processed these vocal tracks. This is one of the clips from this project. The audio was recorded and processed in Pro Tools and Ardour.