Thursday, 30 January 2014

Soundscape: Audio Editing 01 - Roar Creation Attempt

Due to how central the interaction between the almost dog-like creature and the human are in the painting/keyframe, I feel it absolutely necessary that there be action - and as a result sounds - involving them in the animatic. For this reason I have experimented with a sound I recorded, cropped it in areas and added fx in Adobe Audition to gain a semi-successful roar sound. It is to be noted that the original sound may even be more suitable, in a cropped form without fx.

Keyframe: Isolated man and creature, with sketches.


Keyframe: Isolated man and creature, in the painting.

The Audio


The sounds in Adobe Audition.

Saturday, 25 January 2014

Soundscape: Latest Keyframe Response - Drums, Demons & Volcanoes

Since I saw within the painting people, demons and beasts I've had this image of a battle between man and monsters. The painting's colour scheme emanates such heat via its strong use of blood reds, oranges and yellows in contrast to the prominent blacks; it brings to mind the destructive force of nature that is a volcanic eruption. 


Influential image of a volcanic eruption.

It's as if the battle is is full of monsters composed of black volcanic rock with lava dripping from the seams like blood. 

There is a hellish appearance to all this and a feeling of hopelessness, as if the painting's one discernible human is fighting a losing battle against Satan's minions. 

He seems surrounded by monsters both sides of him; some rushing towards him from the left, flags and spears raised while others stalk their prey from behind. His raised arm appears as if it's been cut off above the elbow, mid-swing - the sound of metal slicing through flesh and bone amplified for a brief moment.

Unnatural roars ring out across a volcanic battlefield, pierced by the war cry of a man willing to fight to the death. All the while the sun burns overhead, sizzling the flesh of its victims with its immense heat.


Key Frame: The Funeral of the Anarchist Galli (1911)
There is nothing happy about this painting; it screams death, battle, darkness, pure evil and the apocalypse. Its as if even the sun is a source of punishment and death, its searing rays of light filling a daytime sky, leaving only small amounts of cool blues behind.

There is also a tribal feel to it, as if it is a battle of myth from a primitive culture, fighting the darkness not with guns and bombs but with spears, swords and fists. Throughout the beat of a drum matching that of a racing heart.

The action feels like it would be so fast that the use of slow motion at times would allow this epic battle to truly be watched, the drum beat slowing down with time itself and the beastly roars made terrifying at a slow speed. Maybe the soundscape could be both discomforting, dark and hypnotic.


Previous post: Soundscape - Seeing Imaginatively Via Cut Outs
Annotated cut-outs showing what I see in the painting.

Monday, 13 January 2014

Soundscape: Seeing Imaginatively Via Cut Outs

Here's my original animatic idea:
Tribal warfare VS modern warfare/technological warfare: 
Tribal warriors with spears, battling on desert sands, in the background an atomic bomb is dropped, the shockwave and heat incinerates the warriors. The keyframe to be used soon after the bomb has been dropped to illustrate the appearance of the mushroom cloud in the first few milliseconds after it has been dropped.

However looking at the painting again, my imagination has since seen more than something based in reality; not only seeing humans, but creatures too, among other things. I have cut from the painting the things I have seen so far and annotated them.



For reference, here is the original keyframe for my animatic, The Funeral of the Anarchist Galli (1911) by Carlo CarrĂ .


In the center of the frame it appears that a man is about to attack creature #2, I have focused the attention on this event below and added arrows indicating possible movement.


Seeing this creature as an important part of a future animatic I quickly produced a basic sketch of what it may look like without what I visualise as intense red and orange highlights and harsh black shadows such as from a powerful light source e.g. the sun.


Looking at my sketch I was reminded of a variety of things that could be used to inspire developed designs of creature #2, below is the Influence Map for any developed drawings.


With this new look at my keyframe, it will undoubtedly lead to new, more exciting ideas for both the animatic and the all important soundscape.

Tuesday, 7 January 2014

Soundscape: Keyframe and my first response

While I was unable to be present when our numbers were picked out of the 'Mysterious Blue Box', it was gladly done for me; I received Folder 13 which led to the painting shown in (Fig. 1). Within a short period of time, I responded quite strongly with various words or sentences related to both possible elements of the animatic and sounds that could make up its soundscape, also coming up with my first idea.

Fig. 1: 'The Funeral of the Anarchist Galli' (1911)
Words and Sentences
Drums, Wind, Flag, Shouts, Industry, Bashing of metal, Party, Africa, Native chants, Battle, Screams, Anger, Dragon, Fire, Booming, Deep pitch, Whooshing, Bass, Footsteps in sand, Clashing of steel on steel, Sun, Sizzling, Fire, Splatter, Atomic bomb explosion, Mushroom cloud, Hypnotic, Distorted, Dramatic, Thunder, Lightning.

First Animatic Idea
Tribal warfare VS modern warfare/technological warfare: 
Tribal warriors with spears, battling on desert sands, in the background an atomic bomb is dropped, the shockwave and heat incinerates the warriors. The keyframe to be used soon after the bomb has been dropped to illustrate the appearance of the mushroom cloud in the first few milliseconds after it has been dropped, as shown in (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2: 'Trinity' Atomic Bomb Test, mushroom cloud first stage. (1945)

Illustrations list
Fig.1: CarrĂ , Carlo. (1911) The Funeral of the Anarchist Galli [Painting] At: myUCA (Accessed 07.01.14)
Fig. 2: Renner, Eric. (1945) 'Trinity' Atomic Bomb Test, mushroom cloud first stage. [Pinhole photograph] At: http://blog.nuclearsecrecy.com/2012/03/30/trinitys-cloud-1945/ (Accessed 07.01.14)