First Draft Complete

We have completed our first recording session and were successfully able to record many of the sounds listed previously, as well as a few additions. The full, unedited clips of sound that we recorded can be found in their entirety here.

One of the most important additions to the sound recordings was the heartbeat (ZOOM 31-33 on the link), created by rhythmically tapping on a pin board. We intended for the heartbeat to act as a metronome; something that would act as a template for the rhythm of the other sounds.

Above is a screenshot of part of the first draft of our project, arranged in Pro Tools. This draft is rather similar to our original idea, in that the sounds overlap and intertwine to form a rhythm (which is evident in the image through the placement of the tracks). The heartbeat plays at a constant rate throughout the piece; acting as the aforementioned metronome. The rhythm of this heartbeat acts as a template for the rhythm of the other sounds and therefore, reflects the repetitiveness of this morning routine. The full track can be found here.



 

Being a Producer

We were presented with a task that involved brainstorming some ideas about the responsibilities of a film producer. Our group, as well as some of the other groups scribed ideas onto whiteboards. The results can be seen in the images below.

This was our group's ideas.

Sounds and Strategy for Experimental Sound Project

Our idea for our experimental sound piece revolves around the idea of a person's repetitive morning routine. We intend for the piece to consist of several sounds associated with a person's morning (e.g. - getting up, eating breakfast. brushing teeth) which will all be played individually (and chronologically) initially, and will then proceed to overlap and intertwine with one another; breaking the chronological structure. Doing so will create a rhythm to the piece, not necessarily in the sense of a song, but some form of pattern and repetition within the sounds. The idea of a rhythm is that it is the same idea repeated several times, which would therefore be an ideal metaphor for a person's repetitive routine. Life's rhythm is found by living it.

The idea is somewhat inspired by the experimental short film Tango (Zbigniew Rybczynski, 1980). The film takes place entirely within a single room, with a huge plethora of characters within it; none of which ever seem to acknowledge one another, and seem to repeat the same actions over and over. The setting becomes so chaotic that it quickly becomes apparent that these people cannot all be occupying the room simultaneously. The characters more likely represent numerous stories that have occurred within the room throughout what is most likely several years. This manipulation of images, in that multiple events can be presented as though the were occurring simultaneously, creates a chaotic and deliberately repetitive tone; this being the idea that inspired this sound project. The sounds within our project will intertwine and collide as thought they were all happening simultaneously, even though realistically, this would be absurd (e.g. - brushing teeth coupled with eating breakfast).

Below is a few ideas of some sounds we may record. Note that this list may not comprehensively cover the sounds that we record; some extras may be added and some may be removed.

• Waking up/getting out of bed
• Yawning
• Brushing teeth
• Gargling
• Sound of a bowl being taken from a cupboard
• Cereal being poured into a bowl
• Fridge opening
• Milk being poured on cereal
• Sounds of cereal popping due to moisture of milk
• Chewing
• Washing up
• Showering
• Sound of a door slamming
• Possibly further some further sounds (e.g. - walking, getting on train, etc.)

We plan to record these sounds shortly. It has been arranged that we will record most of these sounds in James' room at the University accommodation at 11am on 26th October. Other sounds such as "getting on a train" will of course need to be recorded elsewhere. Ideally, the only piece of recording equipment that will be required will be an H5 Zoom Recorder, along with its windbreaks and pair of headphones. Many of the sounds we will be recording are rather subtle and so will require the level of recording detail that the H5 provides. Hopefully, we wont need to use any other pieces of equipment when recording. Each sound will be recorded at least 3 times in order to maximise the amount of usable sound. The windbreak will be equipped onto the H5 to make sure there is as little clipping as possible (for example, slamming a door could create a gust of air that could cause audio clipping). We will hopefully be able to record these sounds in a single session, although it is likely that further sounds may need to be recorded in the future, and thus we may have to arrange future sessions at some point.

Meat Factory Ear Worms

We listened to some examples of experimental sound pieces, one of which I found to be particularly interesting: Meat Factory Ear Worms. It can be heard in its entirety here. It concerns a young man with a dead-end and rather brutal job in a meat factory. His narration reveals that he is kept motivated by what he coins as "ear worms": songs that get stuck in his head. The piece frequently utilises contrapuntal music and juxtaposition of the brutal sounds of machinery and blades with that of soothing music; acting as a metaphor for the narrator's use of music as a coping mechanism.

The piece often uses the sounds of machinery and knives in order to set the rather sombre atmosphere of the meat factory. This is juxtaposed with the narrator's calm, rather cheery narration to create an almost humorous combination. This juxtaposition is intended to highlight the way in which music has livened the narrator's life; his rather casual description of his gruesome day-to-day job is as a result of the hope and motivation that said music provided. The music often plays in combination with the sounds of the factory; the former often dominating the latter, showing that the narrator's disgust of his job is numbed by the music stuck in his head.

Overall, I enjoyed this piece and the tone it creates. I find the concept of juxtaposing two opposing concepts to be an interesting idea; capable of evoking a variety of emotions and attitudes in the viewer, just as it does for the narrator. It works very well in symbolising the narrator's use of music as a a form of escapism.

Short Film Analysis

We were screened 5 short films in a recent lesson, each being between 4 and 15 minutes and totaling approximately 50 minutes. Each one employs a very stylistic approach to a certain subject matter. These styles help to reinforce each film's themes and messages. One of these films in particular I found rather interesting. I will now analyse it in further detail.

The film's title is very minimalist; reflecting the film's style.

Salaryman 6 (Dir. Jake Knight, 2002)

The theme and focus of Salaryman 6 is that of overwork and the feelings of repetitiveness and worthlessness that it can incur. It follows a Japanese salaryman (i.e. - a white-collar worker) named Shiode who begins to question his own life upon realising how repetitive and monotonous it has become. He comes to this conclusion after realising he has absolutely no recollection of the previous day. I suspect that Jake Knight (the director) would have undertaken research upon working conditions of white-collar workers in Japan, as well as how strenuous their jobs can become. Overwork is a serious issue in Japan due the culture largely being built on productivity and efficiency; a benefit that often comes at the expense of the well-being of its workforce. The film's co-writer, Ryoko Tanaka, is Japanese, and may therefore have experienced Japanese overwork first-hand.

Many close-up shots feature Shiode at one side of the screen.

Personally, I very much enjoyed the film and its stylistic approach towards presenting the issues at hand. I feel that it presents the subject matter very effectively. The film repeatedly uses very loosely framed and colourless environments, and aside from the narration from Shiode, no non-diegetic sound is ever heard. Certain shots are also used repeatedly. This, coupled with the intentionally dull setting and lack of sound, creates an unmistakable impression of repetitiveness, mundane, and fatigue; therefore an accurate reflection of the life of an overworked salaryman.

As I mentioned, I find the stylistic techniques used in this film to be rather interesting, particularly with regards to its cinematography. An interesting approach within the film is that Shiode is almost never observed directly, in that he almost never stands in the centre of the shot. In most cases, he is observed around a wall of through a doorway, or from a balcony above him. This makes the film seem like a voyeuristic journey; as though someone is observing Shiode's life, gaining insight on his repetitive daily routines. The settings themselves also play a crucial role. They seem very grey-scale and dull, this of course intending to reflect Shiode's life and routines. They also appear infinite and symmetrical, often covering the whole screen and not allowing room for sky or natural ground (which incidentally are almost never seen throughout the film).

An example of the colourless, symmetrical urban landscape. Shiode can be seen on the left.

This reinforces the idea of the 'urban jungle' that Shiode lives and goes about his routines in and its repetitive and monotonous nature. These techniques of loosely-framed colourless environments, coupled with the lack of sound and deliberately tiring visuals I believe, successfully present the fatigue and monotony in the life of a Japanese salaryman, as well as the psychological harm that such overwork can inflict on a person.