As someone interested in sound recording in general, I thought it would be a good idea to combine the credits I have to include for the sound effects in each episode with information of why I chose them, plus how I edited them.
Here is the full list of sound effects including where I got them from, plus what the original script called for.
This episode is the first time I had to do some mixing, such as mixing the cast with sound effects to get the desired effect.
These are the mixed sound effects:
1. Mix of Adobe and cast: Orson and Aramelle splutter and splash in the river. Liquid water water splash movements 04
The cast did a great job of making it sound like they were splashing around in the river, so I only had to add some splashing movements at the beginnning so it sounds like thy’re getting their bearings after going over the aterfall at the end of the last episode.
2. Mix of Adobe and cast: Aramelle lifts Orson, puts him on driftwood. Liquid water water drip strand up drip 01. Impact metal wood impact short 01. Aramelle heaves.
This one took me a while to think about. Quite simply, how much would water move if time was stopped? I couldn’t work out if it made sense for the impact of Orson’s armour hitting the driftwood would be the only sound, or if the water would drip off him. I went for hearing the water, as it leads well into Grim restarting time when they leave.
3. Mix of Adobe and cast: Orson and Aramelle lurch forward with the boat and hit the cell door. – Ep2 O and A cell door. Foley footstep hard sole dress shoe stumble on wood platform 02
This combined a sound we recorded on the day with some stumbling footsteps. The footsteps aren’t my favourite, but they work for what’s needed.
4. Mix of Adobe and music: Grim Reaper takes soul of captain – weapon broad sword slide off sword 01. Grim Reaper Music
Using Jean’s music for the Grim Reaper and combining it with rhe sound of a sword gives the desired ‘reaping’ effect for soul taking. I did search for ‘scythe sounds’ but couldn’t find any!
Mix of different cast sounds: Liam holds Aramelle over the side of the ship at sword point. – Ep2 A upside down x3. and Aramelle scream from Ep.1. Ep2 O and A cell door.
This one mixes some sounds we recorded on the day – with the upside down noise being the wall of the recording studio being hit, alongside the scream for episode one (I told you it would be back) and the grunt from Orson and Aramelle hitting the cell door reused.
Finally, though it’s not really a sound rather than the absence of sound, I did have Grim Reaper stops time in the script. This reminded me to remove all the sounds of waterfalls and flowing rivers, so Grim and Aramelle can have their conversation without Orson hearing. Once Grim leaves, the sounds restart – loud at first, then going back into the background.
This was also the first time I’ve cut some sound effects. This was mainly due to me realising in the editing that it was possible to follow the story without adding in these sounds and didn’t want to use sounds where they wern’t needed. They were useful to have in the script though, as it allowed the cast to know what was happening next, and allowed me to give myself clear editing points.
I cut:
Pirate ship comes closer – They’ve just said there’s a pirate ship then the captain starts talking to them. If I had better mixing software I might have tried to find a sailing ship noise and alter the volume through the scene – but it works well enough without this.
Aramelle shuffles over to starboard – this was in originally and comes just after Orson’s line of “you should stay to starboard”. I put the shuffles in before realising they were superfluous and it’s easier to imagine that Aramelle just stays where she is.
Ship veers to the side. Orson and Aramelle thrown forward again. – this was a whole part where Orson and Aramelle hit the bars for a second time as the ship veers during the mutiny. I wrote it in because it was going to be the end point of the mutiny. However, it didn’t really serve as showing that in the edit, so I took the section out and just had one last loud gunshot before a period of silence when Aramelle asks “Does that mean the mutiny’s over?”
Aramelle kneels – this is where Aramelle kneels to pledge allegiance. Again I could have added something in here, but it didn’t seem necessary for the audience to hear her kneeling to know that she as.
Aramelle stands back up – as such I didn’t need the noise of her standing back up either.
Liam shakes her hand – this is another one I had in at first, but as no-one says they’re shaking hands it wasn’t obvious what was happening as works just as well without.
Adobe Sound Effects Used:
1. Ambience waterfall exterior 03
2. Liquid water river flowing water 02 – These two sounds are the background sounds in the first scene.
3. Orson falls beneath the water. Aramelle tries to lift him back out of the water. adobe Aramelle drops him again. A Splash. Liquid water water dunk and rise hands in water 02: – This sound works well for cutting so I could use it for Orson falling under the water and then the second half for Aramelle pulling him up.
4. Grim Reaper restarts time. Ambience waterfall exterior 03: Liquid water river flowing water 02 – The sound restarts as soon as Grim leaves.
5. They kick with their legs in the water and swim forward. Liquid water water feet splash in water fast 01: Had to trial a couple of these as some of them were super fast! This one works well in the background though, so you can hear what they’re doing but it doesn’t get louder than the river.
6. Waves in background, seagulls, shouts of a ship’s crew. Ambience ocean shore 01: This one was going to be a mix. We recorded the crew talking in the background, but while editing, I thought the waves and seagulls were enough of an indicator to the scene being in open ocean. I did put the crew sound effect in the outtakes at the end though.
7. A cannonball is aimed at them but misses. Drops in the ocean. Weapon cannon fire 01. Liquid water water dunk and rise hands in water 02: This was one action in the script that needed two sounds in the edit. The cannon fire sound on its own and then the liquid dunk noise from earlier being reused. I did search for a sound that would be like a cannonball being dropped in the ocean all in one sound, but resorted to mixing them.
8. Pirate captain leaves. – Foley footsteps hard sole dress shoe walking on wood platform 01: This sound doesn’t quite work as they’ve just walked to the ship’s prison without us hearing the footsteps (It would have been too much to listen to, what with rhe ship and their conversation). However, this sound was needed so we know the captain has left before Orson starts talking about him. Plus, the captain leaving and going to speak to Liam is the catalyst for the mutiny, so it had to be heard. As a bonus though, the sound that sounds like the captain closing the door at the end of the footsteps was actually just a noise that appeared naturally in the “creaking ship” sound that serves as background noise!
9. Gunshots from deck, sound of fighting on sbip above. – weapon gun pistol 9mm glock single shot interior shooting range short 01: This sound was tricky to work out the levels of. I wanted the first and last ones to be louder than the others, but wanted them all to be different volume levels to give the feel that fighting was breaking out all over the deck.
10. Liam unsheathes his sword. – weapon sword remove from sheathe 01: This is the same sound from episode one.
11. Orson unsheathes his sword. – weapon sword remove from sheathe 01
12. Liam takes Orson’s sword. – weapon sword pick up from ground 01: This one was again tricky to find. Ideally I wanted a sound of a sword being taken out of someone’s hands, but had to settle for the ground.
13. A spell hits the ship. – Multimedia Internet CD-Rom Flash Electronic 01: There were various sounds I went through for the spell sound. I eventually settled on this one because it sounds a bit glittery – and in my opinion there is not much in the world that can’t be improved with glitter.
BBC sound effects were used for:
1. Ship creaking: Thames Sailing Barge, Atmosphere Below Deck Under Sail, With Creaking Wood. (Recorded On Board S.B. Pudge.) (Bought) – This sound works well as a shift between the open ocean with Orson and Aramelle on driftwood to them being below deck.
2. Cell door unlocked. – Doors: Prison: Cell – Prison Door: Cell, opened and shut. (Bought) – This is another sound that will work in a variety of places. I just needed the sound of a lock turning and then a heavy door slam to signifty they were being locked in.
3. Orson and Aramelle are locked in the cell – Doors: Prison: Cell – Prison Door: Cell, opened and shut.
4. Anchor – Boats: Cruisers – Dropping anchor without speech (reprocessed) (Bought) – This sound is used for immediately after the “Land ahoy” line and is the catalyst for Orson and Aramelle hitting their faces on the bars when the ship stops.
* As an extra here – One thing I have learnt during editing this episode and this list is to Rename Downloaded Sound Effects. The sound effects I downloaded just gave me lists of numbers, which works fine for me actually editing, as I only need the sound. However, if I want to find the sound to re-use in another episode or find it online again for any reason. The numbers aren’t helpful. I’ve since renamed them as what the file name is online, and going forward will do it immediately in download!
Free sound was used for:
1. Grim Reaper pulls out ticking clock.
2. Grim Reaper puts ticking clock away.
NistuGgner pocket watch: Both these sounds were the same as in Episode one.
https://freesound.org/s/706551/ — License: Creative Commons 0
The cast for:
1. Aramelle heaves. Aramelle heaves: This was used multiple times in the first scene as Aramelle variously lifts up Orson and drops him again.
2. Liam pulls Aramelle back up. – Ep2 L pulls A up: This is used right at the end as Liam agrees to Aramelle’s conditions. I had to put something in, so it was known that she had in fact been pulled up and not left hanging over the edge of the ship.
Music:
Grim Reaper leaves – Grim Reaper music: This is the music made for the Grim Reaper arriving and leaving.
Aramelle’s castle beginning for scene change music: I put this in at the beginning of this episode to signify time passing and the scene changing. I didn’t need to use it again as the ocean ambience worked well enough. Plus, not as much time passed between Orson and Aramelle climbing aboard the ship as it did when they were swimming out to sea.
