For Pitstop Productions
a few relevant pieces of work from my portfolio
Game Sound Design - Doodle Galaxy Invaders
In this project I was given a 2D shooter space invaders type game where the initial code for the game had no programmed sound and a few performance glitches. Our task was to design all audio elements within context of the game suitable for a younger audience.
Skills used:
- Composition & Arrangement
- ADR & Voice Over
- Dubbing Mix & Post
- Music Production
- Sound Design
Sound Design and Programming Direction:
- Music: Intro music was written in a playful upbeat style
- Music: Intro Music Loops
- Music: Interactive In-game music loops and layers was written with adaptive energy and tension rising as the levels increased
- Event: SFX – Title screen has unique sounds attached to individual symbols and object are triggered by touch
- Event: SFX – Sampled page turn sound triggered when starting game.
- Event: SFX – Multiple Vocalised Level Up announcements programmed into an array to trigger in random order.
- Event: SFX – Extra life sound indication added.
- Event: SFX – Lasers: 7 unique laser sounds are sampled from a Korg Monotron and programmed into an array to trigger in random order and maintain interest.
- Event: SFX – Lasers: left and right panning of lasers follow the according position of the space ship on screen.
- Event: SFX – Enemy Explosion: Layered sounds of scrunched paper and popping noise upon frag.
- Event: SFX – Enemy Explosion: Volume of explosion increases when vertical position of frag is closer to the bottom of the screen.
- Event: SFX – Enemy Spawn: Alien-like wobble sound triggered with each spawn.
- Event: SFX – Enemy Spawn: Spawn sounds triggered are panned left or right to the relative position.
- Event: SFX – Enemy Spawn: 7 unique spawn sounds of different pitch, are programmed into an array to trigger in random order and maintain interest.
- Event: SFX – Warning hit / Life Lost: panned left or right according to position of the hit on screen.
Sound Design To Animation - Bus Stop
All sound design was created from 3x 30second samples that were recorded before we received the animation.
This challenge was to test our abilities in manipulating and co-ordinating sound to image.
No extra foley was allowed.
Sound Design - Loom Hate - The Vinyl Factory
Sound and ADR was produced with a super-quick turnaround. After double-&-triple-checking that I had recorded all necessary sound for the shoot, it turns out the 2nd line of Polish hadn’t been planned into the shot list. I had to sprint across London to run an ADR session in the actors living room.
Lessons of the day:
- Make sure the producers give you the script even if its in another language. You’ll probably be able to make out that there something missing.
Vital Tips:
- Super cool ambient sounds can be found in the most awkward holes and corners – this created the ambient David Lynch – Eraserhead style soundscape.
- Document your environment. Take notes of the reverb time and rough size of the space you’re recording in because you’ll never know when you will be tasked with making a living room sound like a 10 storey derelict building.
Skills used:
- Location Sound
- ADR
- Sound Design
- Audio Post Production
Mary Cowan - You See Everything
The Brief:
For this project, I was given the creative freedom to compose and arrange around the original song written for just piano and voice.
The Direction:
As the piano and vocals were closely interlinked with each other, creating much of their own combined character, i felt that altering either part would take away from the energy of song. My proposed direction was to add a layer of atmosphere through the use of romantically soaring yet simple string arrangement.
The Composition:
Given the animated nature of the piano, it made contextual sense to taken a Gershwin-esque yet modern approach the composition, avoiding the risk of sounding too “Walt-Disney” or pigeon-holed into the 1920’s.
Trills, long swells, broken chords, dissonant chords and cross rhythms set set the tone through out the composition. Much to the comedic delight of May Dolan and her Guildhall College of Music colleagues, a single unexpected pizzicato pays a small homage to Frank Joseph Haydns – “Surprise” (Symphony No. 94)… obviously just not as loud.
Skills used:
- Composition & Arrangement
- Recording Engineer
- Audio Post Production
Hitchcock Vertigo Recut
Westminster University MA Audio Production Coursework.
In this assignment I was required to cut up any film and create our own 5.1 surround sound for a trailer.
For lack of an available orchestra, I used reason and logic to recreate a filmscore orchestra.
This YouTube video is mixed down to stereo.
Skills used:
- ADR & Voice Over
- Dubbing Mix & Post Production
- Location Sound
- Music Composition & Production
- Sound Design
Voicing by Laurence Owen
Soul Flight Aspirations (Orchestral Score)
Unfortunately, I was unable to find the recordings I have of this orchestral piece wrote in 2007, so i’ve taken snapshots of the beginning of the 2nd movement.
Instrument parts include:
- Flutes
- Oboes
- Clarinets
- Bassoons
- French horns
- Trumpets
- Trombones
- Tuba
- Bass drum
- Glockenspiel
- Vibraphone
- Timpani
- Drumkit
- Bass guitar
- Tape Machine / SFX Recordings
- Violins
- Violas
- Cello
- Double bass
AV Producer - Mother Tongues
MOTHER TONGUES is a poetry, translation and 4 part film series celebrating acclaimed poets of colour alongside the cultures, languages and women that have nurtured them. After having their mothers translate their work into their mother’s native language, poets and mothers are filmed in intimate conversation before each reciting a version of the poem.
- Project Management
- Location Sound & Cinematography
- Audio & Video Editing
- Post Production & Dubbing Mix
Extensive dialogue cleanup was required to remove background noise and control variances in reverb due to the project being filmed in different studios.
