Sound Essay: Exercise 3

As we work towards the Project 1 final, each student will compose a Sound Essay to explore a theme or a point of view. To generate our creative direction, you will choose 1 from the noun list and 2 from the verb list:

Nouns
environment, history, time, age, culture, space, information, activism, art, language, weather, interface, geography, people, media, money, networks, nature, work, city, transit, shelter, future; or propose a noun with approval from your instructor.

Verbs
bloom, break, burst, combine, crash, crease, cut, drop, condense, dissolve, elevate, emerge, escape, exchange, fracture, flow, float, grab, grow, join, lift, melt, merge, mix, open, peel, perforate, decay, destroy, pierce, push, plunge, prevent, reveal, raise, rotate, repulse, scrape, splinter, tear, trap, unite, wrap; or propose a verb with approval from your instructor.

These transformative verbs describe what the sound will be doing

The Sound Essay will be exactly 1 minute long and be constructed from found sounds; either your own recordings or those found in the Free Sound Project.

Just as we did in the listening exercise, try bringing everyday sounds out of their normalized context (where they are often ignored/not heard). Our objective is for the Sound Essay to echo the sensibilites of your chosen words. By framing familiar sounds in a new way, we will evoke memories, ideas, and imagination of our audience that articulate your POV.

For next class (Sept 25) have your Sound Essay posted to your blog and exported as .mov file ready for in class critique. Also describe your words and how the Sound Essay captures the ideas embodied in the chosen noun and verbs.

Everyday Sounds: Exercise 3

For the next exercise leading up to Project 1, we will be focusing on sound as a compositional element in time-based media.

Between now and next class, we will mindfully listen to the sounds in our everyday environment. In doing so, we will document the individual sounds and composite soundscapes that occur naturally in our daily lives.

As a preliminary for this exercise, you will find two places; one inside and the other outside. In each of these places you will sit quietly for ten minutes with your eyes closed and listen deeply to all the sounds in this place. Bring a notebook/paper and a pencil/pen to jot down a list of all sounds you notice. Record any insights/thoughts you have in regard to these sounds and their effect on you. Think about the following:

• Describe your setting, time and any important particulars
• What sounds did you notice?
• Any interesting or notable patterns?
• Did you become aware of previously missed sounds?
• Were some sounds more prominent than others? Why do think so?
• What did you notice about the quality of the sounds?
• Reflect on your overall experience and understanding of everyday sounds

You will then post this documentation in your blog for next class (Sept 18). In this class we will use sound to construct a timeline in relation with our images for Project 1. Please bring headphones, earbuds for next class

Vimeo Post

In order to post your video to your blog after you have uploaded to Vimeo, use the editor and write this code:

• Be sure to include the square brackets with no spaces
• Paste in the number at the end of the url on your Vimeo video page

Light/Form: Exercise 2

This in-class exercise is designed to provide you with an introduction to editing techniques. Graphic, rhythmic, temporal and spatial relations within shots will be explored, as well as the fundamental compositional elements of light, frame and duration.

Procedure

1. Ideally, work with your partner from the previous exercise
2. Using a digital still camera locate and capture a minimum of 30 circles or circular forms. You have 1 hour and 15 minutes.
3. You may work with any units of composition you like (close ups, wide shots, etc…) however, the centre-point of the circular form must be in the same position within your frame. You may capture as many images as you like as long as you have at least 30.
4. Return to class and download your images to a folder on your computer.
5. Using Final Cut, create a new project, name the sequence and import your images to a new bin.
6. Edit your sequence. You should be looking towards this phase even as you are gathering your images by defining an idea you are interested in exploring. The idea can be formal (ie. scale, colour) or conceptual (ie. alienation) and preferably both. Use different transitions (dissolves, cuts etc…) to separate your images, keeping your idea present as you articulate how one shot moves to another.
7. Title your video at the beginning, and provide an end credit with your names, course section and the date. The total length of this sequence is 30 seconds.
8. Render your sequence and export to Quicktime .mp4 format and upload to David’s dropbox.  Also post in your blog using our Vimeo group.
9. Be prepared to present and discuss your video at the beginning of class 3, September 19 at 12:30pm.