This project has been a whole new experience for myself in terms of audio production. Though i’ve dabbled in sound for film and experimented with Foley and creating sounds, I have never done it on such a scale.
As a whole I think this project went extremely well. Using the knowledge I knew prior to taking on this task and the knowledge I’d gained through researching various Animation and Sound articles and books, I was able to create a soundtrack that myself and group partner were proud of and hopefully, so was the animator.
There were times when things wouldn’t go right or just weren’t going to plan, particuarly when it came to making sounds ourselves, footsteps weren’t clear enough or we couldn’t get the right pitch out of a bang or slam, but with regular attempts and plenty of research and practice to better ourselves we eventually overcame the initial problems with Foley and FX and began to get some really good and full sounds together. Another thing I realised is that working with a partner like Simon was a complete joy. He was easy to work with, always stayed in communication whether it be online via skype/google drive or in person. I feel that if I was asked to work on an animation as part of a team again I could tackle it confidently and sucessfully and wouldn’t hesitate to take it on again in the future.
I think if theres one thing I could have changed or done differently it would have been the way the deadlines worked out between the two groups. Because our deadline was a few weeks before the Animation one, they sometimes weren’t in as much of a rush as we were to get things done becuse they had those extra weeks to spare. I feel that if I was attempting this project outside of university and we were all aiming for the same goals it would have ran a lot smoother and we would have been more clear on what needed to be done and where.
This experience has definitely bettered my knowledge of how important sound is, not just for animation but for films and other visual creations. I now understand the roles that sound can play in an animation, especially in regards to emotions and setting the scene in the correct way and would definitely consider these aspects if attempting a project like this one in the future.
