Have a go at making my recording CINEMATIC

[James Roper-Kum]

I have a cracker for all you budding post production-ists.

I'm new to this game so please bare with me as I try to maintain some sort of standard with my terminology.

OK...Let me set the stage as it were.....

I was asked to "record sound" for a short film called "The Revenge of the Jazz Hoody" in which there are various battles between old/new school jazzers. Its a comedy by the way.

The majority of the sound during the film will be narration and music which I have no hand in.

On the day of the shoot I was drafted in I discovered that the main scene I would be recording was one which involved the death of a Banjo (in the film it is one of the main rules of the old school jazz club....NO BANJO's!) by way of explosion caused by a fire breather igniting a fuse that set of some fire works. I know....classic.

As I had taken time off work for this project I thought it would be a good idea.....here it comes....to record the event with as many mics I could get my hands on.

This included:

1. Senheiser 416 short gun boom mic about 6 foot over explosion
2. AT 4050 in omni on a stand for low/ambience frequencies abot 10-12 foot from the explosion
3. Two Senheiser omni Radio mics on either side of the fire breathing/explosion mounted on equidistant walls about 5 foot from the explosion

Excessive I know but hey...that’s all I had to do....and I really didn’t get in the way....there was plenty of time.....it was an indi film right!

I want to make this explosion CINEMATIC and I want to utilise the differing recordings to highlight the differing qualities of the 2 main sounds i.e. the Whoomp like sound of the fire breathing and the explosion itself.

I'll post up each element of the recording unaffected and if anyone fancies having a go at making this sound more like something you would hear on a cinema sound system then please be my guest.

This flick will be played back in a cinema so I thought this would be my ideal introduction into theatre sound production.

Any tips and advice would be awesome

I was wondering about bringing each element into line (time wise). Is this something that sound editors do when using multiple mics?

I'm really looking forward to what people on here have to say on the subject.

All the best and happy listening

P.S. Turn your monitors down now!

James

[ascottk]

I honestly would do foley and mix it in post production instead of using sounds recorded at the scene. The files you posted sound like something's falling -- as well as not sounding funny -- instead of an exploding banjo.

Foley ideas:

• FX for the fire breather - shaken up 2 liter bottle of soda (might not work too well) and someone blowing flluid in the air, any kind I suppose, near a mic (but not on the mic . . . )
• record some fire works - depending on the visuals though
• throw around various pieces of wood & smaller pieces of metal
• find a crappy banjo, snap the strings with a wire cutter, & record the result

It all depends on what the director wants too.

[James Roper-Kum]

Originally Posted by ascottk

I honestly would do foley and mix it in post production instead of using sounds recorded at the scene. The files you posted sound like something's falling -- as well as not sounding funny -- instead of an exploding banjo.

Foley ideas:

• FX for the fire breather - shaken up 2 liter bottle of soda (might not work too well) and someone blowing flluid in the air, any kind I suppose, near a mic (but not on the mic . . . )
• record some fire works - depending on the visuals though
• throw around various pieces of wood & smaller pieces of metal
• find a crappy banjo, snap the strings with a wire cutter, & record the result

It all depends on what the director wants too.

Point taken