Foley Sound

What is Foley sound?

Foley is the reproduction of everyday sound effects that are added to film, video, and other media in post-production to enhance audio quality. These reproduced sounds can be anything from the swishing of clothing and footsteps to squeaky doors and breaking glass. It is commonly used to enhance the sounds of a film, and to take out any background noise. A good example for foley sound is in The Lord of the Rings, when the Fell beast's wings' sound were created by attaching a rock to a rope, and swinging it next to a microphone.

I imagine a good time to use foley sound in my film could be in scenes when:

•  A lighter sparking
• The car is started
• The protagonist eats/drinks
• Walking on leaves

In this clip, I attempt to create the sound of footsteps on rustling leaves by using two crunched up pieces of paper in different ways, such as creating friction between them and stepping on them (off camera) The use of friction between the two pieces of paper made a strange and not very realistic sound, however the stepping on the paper was far better and gave a realistic recreation of walking on dry leaves. I then proceeded to use a lighter for a scene where Gidon lights marijuana. This was useful as it created a loud and stable sound to use..

In this video, I attempt tho recreate the sound of eating at dinner time through using the sound of me chewing in paper, which at first was difficult as it felt unnatural, however as I began to get used to it, It became more realistic. The spoon and plate were to create the sound of the cutlery on plate, which was well created.. However in our media lab, I was not able to create a believable sound for a car.

Three Point Lighting

This photo labels each lights intensities well through making the ones needing less power more feint. Back lighting means that the Key and Fill lights shadow will be eliminated.
Key lighting is the Brightest lighting that is meant to be aimed at the focus of the shot.
Fill lighting is to make the other side of the focused person or item slightly lit, so it isn't completely dark.

The Key light should not be placed directly in front of the person in focus as then it gives a 'deer in the headlights' look which is not very flattering. It should be at an angle so that features of the person in focus are seen in more detail with more defined looks. It can also cover one side of the person in focus' face in shadow, which can be useful in scenes which require a character to hold some kind of hidden evil intent or to show they have a 'Dark side'.

The Fill light should be placed so that the other side of the persons face, however it shouldn't be as powerful as the Key light, as it is a light used to fill in the shadows. This can be done by moving the light further back or by using a lower voltage in the bulb. This is useful when attempting to make a character stand out, as their face is completely in view. It is sometimes also useful in horror movies, as it can be used to show a villains mangled or ugly face, alongside the darkness that lurks in the background of the shot.

The Back light should be placed above the focused person although not directly behind and it must not give the camera glare. this can be achieved by placing the light higher. It is used to give the person in focus an outline of light, which can be used to show a character falling in love with the character in shot, as it shows them in an almost angelic form.

Gidon Poster

Note to examiner

Dear Examiner

After finishing my Media studies blog, I believe that I have improved significantly. As seen in the early stages of the year, my work is weak and in comparison to the more recent activity, in which I was able to use my editing skills with far more precision. My organisation has also been forced to improve through numerous minor errors in my early filming tasks.

Thank you for marking
Kasim Khan

Evaluation 7

Evaluation 7

I believe I have drastically improved in general media skill since my preliminary task. The first and most notable improvement I made was adding a wide variety of shots to my opening. In my preliminary task, it is fairly blatant that I was an inexperienced filmmaker, as there were very few creative shots or scenes and the majority of the film consisted of two different angles shot from a tripod (Clip). In my opening sequence, I aimed to be more inventive and took more stylistic risks, which is clearly displayed in Gidon's bedroom, in which I shot from four separate angles (Clip). If i had the opportunity to start the year over, I would have attempted to experiment more so that I would have gained more experience for future filming.

Another improvement I made in my opening sequence was increasing the variation of locations. The entirety of my preliminary task was shot in a bar (Clip). This can make a film boring and monotonous for an audience therefore I filmed from five separate locations (Clip). I hope that this created a more exciting feel to the film and gave the audience more of an incentive to watch on.

The background noise was a huge issue throughout the filming of my preliminary task, as the floor above our set was where a meeting was being held. This meant that there were footsteps and muffled voices constantly in the background (Clip). Although the problem was solved on this occasion as the film was set in a bar, for my opening sequence I chose to use only voiceovers (Clip). This removed background noise effectively, but also damaged the realism in certain shots, as at times the voice did not match the character as well as I would have hoped. 

The final improvement I made from my preliminary task would be the continuity. One way it was improved was by adding another match on action shot, (Clip) A shot reverse shot, (Clip) and I was also able to abide by the 180% rule. After practicing these in my preliminary task, I was able to implement the techniques with more precision and skill than before.

Evaluation 6

Evaluation 6

In the process of making this film I have learnt a great deal about different technology. I have chosen to use a Canon EOS 700D. This camera is particularly effective because it shoots high quality footage and it’s small and portable. Its portability came in handy when carrying so much equipment, for shoots in hard to reach locations. In my preliminary task I did not experiment with any filters the way I did in the second film, as I felt underprepared. This is clearly seen as the lighting through the film does not change throughout. In Gidon I was slightly more experimental. This can be seen when my protagonist exits the house, where I used the settings to increase the contrast between the dimly lit indoors and the beaming sunlight outside.

The second piece of equipment was a shoulder mount. The shoulder mount came in extremely useful on one occasion in particular and that was when filming the tracking shot of Gidon leaving his home. When filming this scene, I was able to keep the camera completely stable while pacing to keep up with my actor. I also used it in the shot inside the car when Gidon speaks to Will. This was more difficult as I had limited space, however it turned out relatively well. I decided afterwards that it was also useful in stabilizing the camera in places where a tripod could not fit, therefore I used it from the inside of the car, to film Richmond park.

The next piece of equipment I decided to use was a tripod, being the most essential of the three. This is because the majority of my shots were still and a tripod was necessary. The particular tripod I used was really useful as I was able to choose the precise height and angle of each shot. At first I was unsure how to use it, as seen in my preliminary task where all of my shots were from the same position, but after learning how to utilise it properly it became my most important tool, giving me the ability to shoot from various angles, which I believe is my greatest improvement from my first piece.

My final piece of technology used to create Gidon was Adobe Premiere. The editing was the longest part of my filmmaking progress, as there was not as much footage as I would have liked in store. However, the editing was also what I felt most competent at. This may be due to my long hours figuring out how to work the different areas of Adobe premier, such as the exponential fade and the constant power.

Evaluatin 5