Concept
I chose the memory of myself staying up the whole night and couldn’t fall asleep for this project. I hope to convey the actual sound and feelings to the audience. When I couldn’t fall asleep at night, I heard multiple sounds, and my mind was in an unconscious state. I want to show how all the sounds combine together to create a blurry atmosphere. I also want to show the kind of exhaustion I feel.
Process
I chose many different kinds of sounds that one could hear at night. For example, the scraping of chairs， the sighs, and the sound of snoring, represents the inner noises in my mind. I also used the sound of chicken and alarm to show how long I stayed awake. I find using shotguns to record really helpful because it helps reduce the noise. The problem I encountered was the bad quality of the equipment borrowed. It’s hard to borrow a whole set of perfect equipment with no problems at all. However, I try to make the best use of the existing equipment. Meanwhile, it’s hard to decide which sound to record. I tried multiple options to find what I’m most satisfied with.
During my editing process, I found it hard to blend in all the sounds and make them sound like a whole piece. I kept adjusting the position, the volume and the effect to make the piece sound more like a whole. I tried to apply all the techniques we covered in class. It was hard to adjust the volume of each sound but I had to make a compromise with it.
Conclusion
According to others’ feedback, my current project is too concrete. The audience can get the scene I want to show directly. I could add more sound effects to perfect the soundscape. Also, I need to do a lot more hard work to master the music and adjust the volume. I agree with their suggestions. It’s better to create a little more abstract piece to show the state of mind instead of only using concrete sounds. Mastering music is also very important.