Now
that the dialog is recorded, the next step is to capture
sound effects. This is the fun! Sound effects can be as
obvious as gunshots, or as transparent as the sound a desk
drawer makes when it closes. How should the sound effects
be used? Should the desk drawer be loud or soft? When a
gunshot happens, will all other sound stop momentarily?
The way sound effects are used in the movie’s final
mix entirely depends on the sound design. While it’s
very important to have a good plan ahead of time, the final
decisions are best made in post-production
While
on set, keep a running list of sound effects that are needed.
Off the top of my head, some effects could be: chairs scooting,
glasses clanking, footsteps, traffic outside, water running,
and buttons being pushed. Listen to a take with your eyes
closed. What sounds do you hear? What sounds should be there
to make the scene more complete? Write all these down. Now,
after all the scenes have been shot and everything is pretty
much wrapped, record all the sound effects on the list individually.
Even if they won’t be loud in the final mix, record
them at a decent level (12-16dB). If logging footage is
a foreign concept, now is a great time to start because
many of the sound effects won’t immediately be obvious
when listening to them later. Try to be thorough, but this
is one area where it’s not detrimental if some sound
effects are missed.
The
next time to worry about sound effects is once the movie
has a first cut. As the movie gets cut, add the sound effects
already captured while shooting. At the start of an editing
session, gather everyone involved in post-production and
watch the first cut all the way through, with everyone making
notes on sound effects needed in different scenes. Combine
everyone’s list into one big sound effect list. Also,
have a discussion about what the background noise should
be for each scene. Make each location sound different from
each other. Now go out and gather those effects.
How
do you get a sound effect of say, a cigarette lighting?
You could light a cigarette. What if the sound of a real
cigarette lighting is boring? Time to get creative. Sound
effects in movies are rarely a recording of the real thing.
I heard the sound used in Hitchcock’s Psycho
for stabbing Janet Leigh was someone stabbing a cantaloupe.
Something completely unrelated can sound much better. Let
the audience believe what you give them. In the case of
a cigarette lighting, I found the crackle of dried leaves
being stepped on slowly combined with a cigarette lighter
lighting sounded much more interesting than the original
sound. Potato chips crumbling and newspaper being packed
into a ball were two other sounds we tried before settling
on dried leaves. Rewatch the movie again listening to the
sound effects from the original shooting days. Are they
good enough? Are they perfect? If the sound effects are
not good or just good enough, consider finding another sound
to replace it. While your audience may not notice how great
the sound of the cigarette lighting was, they will subconsciously
think your movie is better because of it. With sound effects,
small details and consistency are very important.
Now,
take a look at music and score.
