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.

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.

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