OUAN603 - Extended Practice: Sound Design

OUAN603 - Extended Practice:

Sound Design

With regards to sound, I spent a good few hours online simply listening to all kinds of varied music, hoping to find something that would set off a little lightbulb in my head or give me that feeling when something "just clicks" and works with thw project. First of all, a backing track should be established, and seeing as I wanted one consistent piece of music that would be faded in and out on each of my three animations, it was difficult to imagine the perfect track. I visited plenty of "free to use" sites hoping I would come across something that would suit the audience and the purpose.

Eventually, I fell in love with a piece of Jewish-style "Klezmer" music, a clarinet-based style usually featured in commercials/adverts, parties, and documentaries. Most pieces in this genre are happy and uplifting, despite being considered as jazz which can often feel a bit too deep.Something like this would be ideal and reflects the historical feel whilst staying creative and fun. The music definitely brought a smile to my face as it feels, not to be disrespectful, quite silly and daft as the sound of a clarinet is "trumpy", almost a musical equivalent of passing wind... This would certainly amuse anybody, let alone young adults with a sense of humour!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXySfsSX6pg - Heiser Bulgar, Naftule Brandwein
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmGDTSTd__4 - The Happy Nigun : Let's Be Happy

Despite my love of these few tracks, I would need to somehow find a brilliant Klezmer track that was free to use in my project and wouldn't drop me into copyright problems.

http://www.purple-planet.com/fun-backgrounds/4586388999 - This site had some pretty good music that was free to use, so long as credit was given to the site. I may have a nosey around on here to see if there's anything suitable.

After discussing background sound with peers and tutors, it was decided that maybe music would be too overpowering and distract the audience from the main feature - the voice acting. I already had a fantastic collection of sound effects to use alongside the dialogue, so music would be too much and would also be extra unnecessary work considering I'd have to find a suitable musician that specialised in clarinets/Klezmer (very niche and difficult to find).

I acted on all the feedback I received and went against the idea of using background music. I now have a strong set of voice actors to work with, and a good sound effects library at hand. This will give the animation the charisma and life they need to captivate the audience.