Sound Design for Low & No Budget Films

Don’t let your indie film be sabotaged by bad sound! One of the weakest technical aspects of a low or no budget short or feature film is usually the sound, and in Sound Design for Low and No Budget Films, author Patrick Winters explains what filmmakers need to do to fix that. Learn how to improve the sound quality of your low budget film with specific tools and practices for achieving a better sound track, including detailed, step-by-step explanations of how to edit your production track, create a sound design, record and edit ADR, Foley and sound effects, music, and much more. Focusing on the essential details indie filmmakers need to know, Winters teaches you how to turn a thin and distracting sound track into one that makes your film shine. This practical guide offers: • In-depth focus on hands-on, step-by-step instruction for achieving great sound in post-production, including recording and editing sound effects, ADR and Foley—even without expensive equipment and software. • Techniques specifically designed for low and no budget projects, perfect for both students and aspiring indie filmmakers. • A simple and direct style that any aspiring filmmaker or student can understand without already knowing the industry jargon.

Table of Contents:
Table of Contents Preface Acknowledgments 1. Introduction Purpose Sound Definition Sound's Abilities Sound Supervisor Contracts, Agreements and Licenses 2. Location Sound: How Was That for Sound? Common Mistakes Single System Double System Timecode Smart Slate Boom and Lavaliere Wired and Wireless Wide Shots and Close-Ups Two-plus Camera Set-Up Exercise Sample Sound Report Form 3. Sound Design Defined Introduction Movie Examples Recording Creating Editing and Processing Mixing Exercises 4. Dialogue Editing: It's Work, Not Magic Introduction Picture Lock Collecting Materials File Management The Process Cleaning Smoothing Editing Split Tracks Room Tone Fixing Issues Processing Exercise 5. ADR: What Did They Say? Introduction Spotting Microphones Working with Actors Production ADR Recording Post-Production ADR Recording Editing Exercise ADR Cue Sheet Form 6. Walla/Group /Loop Group/Group ADR/Rhubarb: Why Can't I Hear Them? Introduction Group Leaders Research and Scripting Walla Specifics Callouts Efforts Screams Performing Recording Editing Resources Exercise 7. Narration: It Isn’t Dialogue Introduction Purposes Pre-Production Recording Editing Processing Exercise 8. Sound Effects: Creating Reality Sound Effect Functions Types of Sound Effects The Grey Area (Foley and Sound Effects) Production Sound Effects Location Sound Effects Custom-Recorded Sound Effects Foley Sound Effects Library Sound Effects Spotting Creating Recording Editing Processing Exercise 9. Foley: Who or What is Foley? Foley History Overview Spotting and Cueing Synchronized Recording Microphones Performance Moves or Cloth Specifics or Props Pats and Grabs Footsteps Libraries Editing Sound Effect Resources Exercise 10. Backgrounds: What's an Ambience, Atmosphere or Background? Introduction Spotting Production Sound Room Tone Recording Library Editing Layering Processing Exercise 11. Musical Score: In The Mood? Introduction Making Notes Spotting Session Cues Hits or Hit Points Tempo Map Click Tracks and Guide Tracks Temp Scores Music Software Scoring Theme and Motif Titles, Montage and Credits Composing, Arranging, Orchestrating and Instrumentation Recording Performance (Tracking) Digital Music GarageBand Song Score, Pop Music and Source Music Cue Packages Bands Musicals Library Music: Hard Drives, CD's and Downloads Editing Stems Mixing Deliverables Exercise 12. Mixing Myself Preparation Introduction Preparing Your Mixing Room Reference Levels Room Monitor Calibration NLE or DAW Mixing In-The-Box By Myself Session Set-Up Stereo, LCR or Surround? 13. Pre-Mixing or Predubbing and DSP Introduction Mixing Preparation Track Layout Virtual Mixing Mix Tools Levels Gain Staging Fades Panning Constant Gain or Constant Power Equalization Compression Normalizing Noise Gate Expansion Exciter De-Esser Noise Reduction Reverberation and Delays De-Verberation Effects and Filters Limiter Premixing Buses, Auxes, Sends and Returns VCA Faders Master Fader Metering Two Pops and Tail Pops Dialogue and ADR PreMix Foley Premix Sound Effects Premix Design Effects Premix Backgrounds Premix Music Premix Temp Mix 14. Mixing Myself Introduction Set-Up Getting Started Dialogue First ADR Sound Effects Ambiences Foley Music DME Stems and M&E Master Output Quick and Dirty Mix 15. Studio Mix Introduction Mixer Interview Mix Preparation Premixes Stems Mixing Run Through Dialogue Mixing Sound Effects Mixing Foley Mixing Ambience Mixing Music Mixing 16. Deliverables Introduction Film DCP DVD/Blu-Ray Streaming Broadcast Television Marketing Archiving 17. Summary Clean Production Sound Creating Sound Design Mixing Conclusion Internet Resources Glossary Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Patrick Winters has been working in sound design for 30 years and teaching sound design for 12 years. He has personal experience working on major motion pictures as well as creating his own short films, stretching minimal budgets to get the best sound tracks possible.