Image Processing Reference
In-Depth Information
the sound track become more interpretive and less connected directly to
the images. Both approaches have strengths and different effects on the
audience. When the music is synchronized directly to the picture, the music
drives the picture. If the sound track is interpretative, then the visuals tend
to lead the meaning and effect of the film. This is also reflected in the way
these two approaches are produced. With synchronized music, the music
is created first and broken down in length to the frame. The animator takes
those sounds and accounts for them on a log sheet or “dope sheet” so every
single frame has an associated sound. This is also the way lip-sync dialog is
created. The pictures or mouth shapes follow what the sound dictates. In an
interpretive approach, a composer or sound designer is given the moving
image, even if it is not completely finished, and starts to create a track
based on the general movement and mood of the pictures. Sound effects
are usually created this way but require very specific placement on the
timeline, so they are synced up to a specific image. Occasionally, original
sound effects can be created first and the picture actions follow the broken
down analysis of that sound on a log sheet.
William Kentridge, the South African artist and animator, describes his
approach to sound tracks:
“Work with the composer starts after about the first two weeks of
filming. We look at the rushes, listen to different kinds of music played
alongside the images. From here, the film and music go back and
forth between the composer's studio and mine, in an ever-tightening
observation.”
The great majority of films are produced in this fashion; and a lot of
interpretation, spontaneity, and creative flow comes with this production
protocol. It is important to work with a composer or sound designer who has
experience with moving image sound tracks and understands the rhythm and
flow of a narrative or experimental production. Working with a pre-existing
sound track and following that track to the frame is a lot more work but
the results can be very potent. Here is an exercise to give you a taste of this
exacting marriage of sound and picture.
This exercise starts with a music track. I recommend creating an original
music track from a program like GarageBand. You certainly can use a
composer or make a music track in any other fashion that is easy and
effective. The key to this music track is that it needs to be simple, short (10
to 30 seconds long), rhythmic, and feature only one or two instruments
(preferably no lyrics). Get that music track into digital form, like an AIFF
file or a WAV file. Investing in a program like Quicktime Pro can make a
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