No One Trains Alone
Film Scoring Project
Emphasis on Sound Design & Tempo Manipulation

desc

You are provided a student film. You are asked to:

• Spot and insert markers for sound effect locations
• Insert sound effects and edit them to reflect action on the screen
• Create a tempo map that syncs to several "hit points" in the film
• Create a MIDI score using the tempo map
• Mix these elements into a final film mix

Your DAW needs to be able to do these things--

• Sync a sequence to a video (so the transport runs both in sync)
• Display transport location in both measures (MIDI) and frames (SMPTE time-code)
• Be able to provide different time-code frame rates (e.g. 30 fps, 29.97 fps, drop and non-drop frame)
• Lock markers and tracks to video (SMPTE) location
• Move forward or back frame by frame with key-stroke
• Alter tempo and meter within sequence as needed
• Provide a way to offset the time-code location of the video
• Bounce (or real-time record) to precise start and end points
• Renumber measures so measure 1 can appear later in the sequence
• Provide an audible click with separate volume control

You should budget your time to locate these features within your DAW as part of this project.

Important Note Regarding the Credits for this Project

The purpose of putting credits on your project is to identify your work to a prospective client screening your reel.

When the credits are put at the start of the video, we want audio (music) under the credits so the viewer knows their audio system is working and can set a level.

Because this project requires using an offset to sync up to visible code in the picture ( a "burn"), and also a 2-pop, we are asking you to put credits on the end.

Credits at the end of content on your reel doesn't need audio so we don't require it on this project.

Since this is project is a commercial, it requires very tight audio that matches the video duration precisely. So your music track does need to end at the last frame of the commercial.

If you decide to put credits on before you create your sound track (like we do with the rest of our projects this term), you can leave them silent. If you do score them, make sure there is a silent space immediately after the last frame of picture of the commercial.

You could also just score the commercial, mix it out, then put the result into iMovie and add silent credits there.

One other thought--there's no reason why you couldn't create an iMovie credit template and score it, then just replace title text for each project--basically a custom credits tag for yourself. You could incorporate a logo, and a characteristic musical or sound effects bed. This might look cool, and might also save you some time overall.

s1

•On your desktop, create a new folder named No One Trains Project.

•Using the links above, download both the film and audio files into your project folder.

•In your DAW of choice, create a new scoring project.

•In your DAW scoring project, import and sync the film NoOneTrainsAlone.

Notice that your film has a SMPTE code window burn. Extra credit: can you tell whether the time code window represent drop- or non-drop code?

•Play your movie and determine the "window burn" frame number of the first frame of picture.

•In your DAW, set your sequence start time to the frame number of the first frame of picture.

Sequence Start Time & Offset

Because of the "midnight problem," it is typical to start a scoring sequence at code number 1:00:00:00 (one hour).

Also, it is typical to start a production sequence a few measures in to allow empty measures for data.

As a result, for this project, set your sequence start time to 00:59:56:00, four seconds before one hour. Additionally, we set the tempo for the first two measures to quarter note = 120, which means that measure 3 starts exactly at one hour.

When we get video from a client, sometimes it will start right at its first frame--film 1 did this. But more likely is that you will get film with pre-roll--several seconds of black, often with a time-code burn. So we need to set up the video so that its first frame of picture coincides with our measure 3, and our code of one hour.

To do this, we need to "offset" the video--add or subtract code from its window burn to make its first frame match our sequence start.

A time code calculator and some experimentation will help you make this happen--it's tricky, but doable and necessary.

Two additional points--

•It is helpful to renumber the measures so that what was measure 3 becomes measure 1. This will make the first measure of potential sheet music match measure numbers of the sequence.

•We routinely put in a 2-pop at the start of measure 0, two seconds before the sequence start. Not all clients ask for that, but if they do, there it is.

This involves setting an offset on your video. You may find a time code calculator handy.

Drop a marker at the first frame of picture named START. Maker sure to lock the marker (see below).

•Navigate to the last frame of picture and drop a "locked" marker named END.

These markers will define the duration parameters of your final audio file.

s2

•Go through your film and make a list of places where sound effects would be appropriate.

Include a splash in your list at the spot where the diver enters the water in the pool.

•Now locate to the precise spot where the first sound effect should occur and drop a marker. Name it after the effect name.

You can use frame by frame advance to find precise locations of events.

•Continue through the film and set markers for each sound effect on your spotting list.

About "Locking"

A sequencer typically orients itself according the musical meter. In other words, event are located according to where in the music meter (measure number, beat number, sub-beat) they occur.

This is good for events that occur within a piece of music like a melody line or a drum hit. If we change the tempo of the piece, these events will still occur in the proper spot musically.

However, when we sync a sequence to a film, some events need to orient themselves according to running time, the time that the SMPTE time code shows. For example, a sound effect (door slam) need to occur in the same time code location whether or not the tempo of the music changes.

To accommodate events that sync to running time, sequencers allow us to "lock" markers and tracks to the film location independent of tempo. Once events are placed in a time code location, they will not move even if the tempo changes.

Investigate how your DAW of choice allows this to happen.

Often, the process of inputting sound effects involves first placing a locked Marker in the desired spot, then placing the sound effect itself into the same spot in a locked audio track.

MIDI tracks can also be locked, and you could use MIDI notes to trigger sound for events in the picture.

•To start, add a mono audio track to your sequence.

•Repeat to add a second mono audio track.

•In like manner, add two stereo audio tracks to your sequence.

We usually create at least two tracks of each type (mono, stereo) for sound effects. This allow us to place adjoining sound effects even if they overlap.

•Rename the new tracks SFX1, SFX2, SFX3, and SFX4.

•Make sure to lock the new tracks to SMPTE code.

s3

•In your DAW, import the audio we provided: rock_splash.mp3.

•Place the sound effect near the Splash marker.

•Checking your movie, slide your effect into a location that makes it sync up with the events in your picture.

There are a couple of ways to "paste" a sound effect precisely to a marker location. However, the beginning of the audio file may begin somewhat before the sound actually occurs. You nearly always need to move it around and check visually.

After your effect is located properly, you might copy it and paste it multiple times into either of the two Mono audio tracks. You could then edit, stretch, reverse, or otherwise manipulate the soundbites to fit the scene.

•Now find and import sound effects that correspond to your sound effects spotting list.

Often, one can find free sound effects online using a search. You might also go to the link to free sound effects at the top of the page to get started.

It's a good idea to keep your effects organized on your hard drive in some manner. At this point, just keep them in the same folder location.

•Place the effects in the proper spot in your film using the markers as reference.

s4

•Read through the Scoring Description at the top of the page and make some general determination as to the musical direction the film might take.

•Go through your film and find 3-4 spots that might be significant musically. Set locked markers at each spot, and give each an evocative name.

•Include a marker at the exact from where the No One Trains Alone title jumps on at the end of the show.

•Using your DAW's tempo control, create a tempo map that corresponds to the scoring markers.

This is subjective and not everyone works this way. However, one nearly always needs to move tempos around to accommodate various scoring challenges. There's a chicken-and-egg as to which comes first, the music or the tempo track.

You could use the click track to localize the tempo. If your eventual music track will involve drums or other rhythmic elements, you might put in a rough percussive track to make clear the effect of tempo changes.

If you decide to have a section in the middle of the film where no music is playing, you can set a tempo in that section to "sync up" the second section of music. Effectively you are creating two music cues within one sequence.

s5

•Create some MIDI tracks and assign their output to the some set of virtual instruments.

•Choose some appropriate patches/sounds for your new tracks.

•Experiment with some musical ideas.

•Work back and forth with your conductor track to create tempos that will accommodate your hit points.

•Then, using just a few MIDI tracks, sketch some musical ideas into your sequence.

•For this project, you need to create a hard hit on a musical downbeat (the first beat of a measure) on the No One Trains Alone title card.

Bear in mind that you can also manipulate the meter of your sequence along with the tempo. So, for example, you could add a bar of 5/4 or 3/4 somewhere internally to allow the title card hit to occur on a downbeat.

•Once you have sketched your music into your sequence in a way that fits the film, flesh out your music with additional MIDI or audio tracks.

•Using your DAW's mixer, create a mix that balances sound effects and music in an appropriate way.

•Create a stereo mix of your track and create a video file of the spot itself.

•Add closing credits and create a finished video file of your project.

The credits do not need audio, see note at start of tutorial.

•Post your finished video file to your vimeo account, and paste the vimeo link to the screening spread sheet, then use a D2L discussion to review a colleague's work.