Artifact 1 analysis

Artifact one,
New technologies capability for creating effective sound design.

This artifact is a three minute film consisting of two long shots. The first is a close up of a character on a bus, and the second a medium shot of the character taking drugs on a sofa. These shots were made purposefully long and boring. This was to illustrate that the sound design I created using new technology could dramatically increase the dramatic and emotional content of the film. I wanted to demonstrate the capability of new technology as a tool for creating effective sound design.
The finished film is very effective, with a very tense and emotional feel throughout. I feel it successfully illustrated what I was trying to demonstrate. It is clear from watching it the powerful effect the sound design has had on the film.
The sound design was created using only the sequencer Reason with no other equipment besides a PC and Reason. Reason is a very recent piece of music production software first released in 2000. By demonstrating the capability of this new technology as a tool for creating sound design I think this artifact has illustrated some very interesting research ideas. Such as the capability new technology provides for an individual to create effective sound design in a cost effective way, using very little equipment, very quickly. This also raises a question of new technologies role in the sound design process and the creative outcomes it achieves. These are the research developments I wish to focus on in my next artifact were I will be doing a direct comparison of traditional and new methods of creating a reverb effect in film. Looking at how the different techniques affect such things as cost, time, and the design process and creative outcomes of sound design.

Artifact 1, Extra Edit

This is an edit of the film for my first artifact. The aims of the film as a research artifact are discussed in the posts below. The changes made in this version are that I have used lighting and transition effects to add to the emotional content of the film. However changing the way the film looked subtracted from the aim of the film as a research piece or test. The aim of my first artifact, put very simply, was to take a very boring piece of footage and make it extremely emotional using only sound. This film does not follow that premise as I have made an effort to enhance the visual aspects of the film also. I felt this visual element confused the test I was trying to perform in my research, and I have left it out of the two comparisons seen below.
However I do feel it works much better as a complete piece of work than either of the two versions used as a comparison in this research experiment. This has raised some questions to me about the role of a research artifact as a piece of art as apposed to a test, and the line between these two entities that all creative research artifacts must encounter. I am following a practice based research method as a solution to the problem of testing a creative premise. Am I creating pieces of artwork to test these premises or simply tests? I would say this is an example of the problems encountered in research into creative disciplines. The problem of justifying a creative premise in a logical way through the creation of work.

Artifact 1, Film with sound design

This is the same film as below but with the sound I created on a sequencer with the aim of increasing the films dramatic and emotional content. To test this idea you can watch both films and make your own analysis. The idea was that I would be able to take what is essentially quite a boring piece of footage and turn it into something extremely dramatic using only one piece of music software.

Artifact 1, Film without sound design

This film is my first piece of practice based research. It is made to be watched in conjunction with the same film but with the sound I created for it seen in the post above. The premise is that the sound I created using new technology has dramatically increased the emotional and dramatic content of the film. If you have time please watch this video and the one above and leave a comment on how effective you think the sound design has been in increasing the emotional and dramatic content of the film.

Artifact 1

My first research artifact is exploring the degree of effect sound design has upon the veiwer, and new technologies role in this effect. My Aim is to create a video that without sound design has much less emotional or dramatic content than with sound design. This sound design also has to be created using only a sequencer as an example of new technology in sound design.