PROJECT 2 FINAL

PROJECT 2 FINAL: http://soundcloud.com/user7287671/sound-project-2

For my second project, I aimed to create an oral documentary that would communicate a very personal attitude towards anxiety by scripting an experience that was close to both the actress whom I used and to myself. I wanted the experience to be specific but still broad due the natural time restraint and I did not want it to be at all manipulative, as some works that utilize this subject matter can often become.

I did not use a great variety of sounds because I felt that the actress's voice, with some minor amplification, was plenty powerful and that any bold sounds would distract from her speech. I experimented with numerous ways of augmenting the overall feel of the piece, which was intended to be rather dark. The only sounds used are the ambient noise at a train station, the crinkling of a translucent trash bag and the low hum of wind, in addition to the actress's voice. The crinkling is meant to sound like plain static but at the same time resembling something tangible, introducing and concluding the piece somewhat ominously. I tried to create an uncomplicated environment that would simply accentuate the power of the actress's words.

Recording sounds personally for the project was a very rewarding experience and much easier, from a technical standpoint, than I had anticipated. I found that once I was comfortable with the recorder my mind opened up and I became more adventurous when it came to searching for sounds and not merely settling for those which were simply the easiest to record. While one could say that I did not fully take advantage of the technology as only a small handful of sounds comprise my piece, I felt that the experience, the most important part, was very positive and gives me a good deal of confidence heading into future projects.

The first project was extremely rewarding because it served as our first introduction to designing sound, though this was even more rewarding in that it truly challenged us to make more personal sounds while utilizing essential technology, engendering a unique feeling of accomplishment even if the piece might not be perceived to be of the highest quality. Using the Marantz as well as the built-in microphones and embarking on one's own into the world to find sounds was something altogether different. While my project is not particularly complex I hope that it can still stand on its own as a sonically interesting oral documentary defined by the actress's voice, but also the very carefully selected sounds that accentuated its intended impact.

SOUNDS

- The voice of an actress
- Crinkling of a trash bag
- Quiet at a train station
- Blowing wind