That Sounds Like Fun: Sound Design Tips for Motion Designers

Titanic Sinclair — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 02:26:49 +0000

Welcome to part two of my “Bettering Yourself as an Artist” series here at Motionspire. Thank you to all of the people who contributed to the conversation in part one: “Five Things a Motion Graphics Artist Should Never Do.” As previously discussed, sound is half the battle when creating an enticing multimedia piece and today we are going to dive headfirst into the breathtaking sea of sound. Unfortunately, many producers live by the dreaded 95:5 ratio when balancing visuals and sounds. Many production teams will have a dedicated sound designer, which is a fantastic element for inclusion in your masterpiece. If you are blessed with this gift, make sure you spend a great deal of time with them from the get-go so all of your bases are covered when time comes to produce. This article is for the DIY guys/gals who don’t have the luxury of a dedicated sound designer and are interested in taking their work to the next level. For those who have yet to enjoy the simple pleasures of a good sound editor, get ready for action. My life changed as a producer when I approached audio with the same creative mindset as video. A whole new world opened up for me that I hope you will find just as exciting. So let’s hop to it, shall we? Here are five helpful tips that will make your next video sound a million times better.

1. Use Found Sounds

If you want to pump your originality up tenfold, avoid using effect libraries (I’m looking at you, Garageband users). A portable recorder is an inexpensive and highly entertaining investment for your creative endeavors. Add ten extra points to your scorecard if you are using one with a stereo mic and/or a dedicated input for an external microphone of your choice. Carry that business with you everywhere so you can capture unique sounds on-the-go that will set your content apart from the rest. Remember, every time you use a preset an angel loses her wings.

2. EQ is everything

All science aside, I like to think of the aural spectrum the same way I imagine visual light. Each frequency throughout the audio spectrum can be thought of as a unique color. If you aren’t careful with your colors, your canvas will start to look muddy and unattractive. The same is true with audio. For example, if you layer ten different bass drum sounds on top of one another, it is going to be difficult to distinguish one track from another. Things should not sound muddy unless the visuals absolutely call for it. Keep things tidy! Equalization is your best friend!

3. Use Your Mouth

That’s what she said… anybody? No? Moving on. Mouthing things out phonetically can save you tremendous amounts of time (so long as you don’t mind looking like an idiot in front of your co-workers/girlfriend). If you are having trouble deciding what type of sound to add to a certain area of your piece, just say it out loud as you watch it (this is a lot of fun to do with headphones on in a room full of elderly people). Once you have defined what kind of sound you need, grab an audio recorder and let the creativity blossom. Or, for ten more bonus points, use someone else’s mouth.

4. Close Your Eyes

Sometimes the best thing you can do to strengthen a video is close your eyes and listen to everything that is happening. This is exceptionally helpful when you know you can take the project to the next level, but are unsure what areas could use a spot of improvement. Dead zones will jump out at you while viewing the piece with only your ears. Alternatively, be sure not to overdo it. Sometimes silence is king.

5. Do Your Homework

This one might come off as obvious, but I have a valid point here. When was the last time you watched your favorite motion graphics piece with your eyes closed? When was the last time you really paid attention to what was happening (aurally) during that piece? Most producers I know don’t even do this with their own work and it constantly amazes me. Another fun activity I like to do is listen to movies without watching the visuals.

I hope these tips will help you as much as they help me. Putting in a little extra effort makes a huge difference in the long run, so remember to have fun with it and always push for originality. Be sure to tune in next week when we will be discussing how to improve the smell and taste of even the most insipid multimedia projects.

5 Things a Motion Graphics Designer Should Never Do

Titanic Sinclair — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:34:28 +0000

In a world where Adobe products are easier to steal than grandma's Visa, it is easy to become an acclaimed a self-proclaimed motionographer. With about six minutes of research (and minimal effort), technology has allowed even the driest of candidates to compose halfway decent motion graphics. The key here is to produce quality original content, and here are five simple things you should never do that will help you in your quest to visual greatness.

1. Use Anything From Videocopilot -

This is truly the number one thing you should never do as a motion graphics designer. Andrew Kramer has birthed about thirty million offspring by creating helpful After Effects tutorials full of humor that is dryer than a well-made martini. The offspring wingmen he created (which will be referred to as "the assemblers") plague the interwebs with generic foliage flourishes and mind-numbingly boring title plates, demonstrating their keen ability to copy and paste while fooling their friends into believing they posses creative ability and talent. If you are blushing right now, it is because I just called you out (and if I see you use the earth zoom one more time, I swear I am going to light the internet on fire [which I am sure I can find a Kramer tutorial on]). I digress. CASE STUDY: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XnsbDJLauE Lucas, Andrew designed this. Not you.

2. Take Creative Advice From the Client -

I am expecting a multitude of emails for this one, but hear me out. Your client will never (repeat: ever) be as creative as you. If they are, you are in the wrong line of work. When creating a piece for some cash, it is helpful to start off with three simple examples of the direction you could take the project. If you leave the ball in the client's court, they are ALWAYS going to want something similar to this. Lay down the law early and show them their options after you discuss the objective of the project. Cater to their needs, but never let them hold the reins. Capiche?

3. Put Your Demo reel on YouTube -

Speaking from experience, people will blatantly take your original ideas and throw them into their reel. This isn't necessarily a huge deal until everyone in Chicago is using the title screen that you created (and fighting for the same jobs). Protip: use a service like Dropbox that will allow you to easily send a link to your reel to potential clients. This way you can keep your bag of tricks hidden from the snakes out there in web world.

CASE STUDY: I was intrigued to learn more about my competition one rainy afternoon and decided to spend the $25 on a "Job Wanted" Craigslist post in the tv/film/video category. "I am looking to hire a motion graphics designer with some original ideas," the post stated, and soon my inbox was bursting at its digital seams with thousands of emails containing desperate pleas for work (with YouTube URLs attached containing poorly assembled rehashes of the most recent Videocopilot tutorial). Kramerrrr!!!!!

4. Buy Into Trends -

The easiest way to sell yourself short as a creative is to buy into the latest trend. Taking notes from helpful resources like Motionspire is always a beneficial practice, but the point of websites such as the aforementioned is to inspire creatives to innovate, not follow. Your work should be an extension and representation of your personality. Let your experiences come through your work and the originality will shine.

5. Avoid the Sound Designer (or, if you aren't good with sound, don't try to do it anyway) -

When quoting for a job, always leave a little play room for hiring a talented sound designer. They aren't as creepy as you might think, and they will occasionally return the favor and send work in your direction (if you are really lucky, you might even get a Hoegaarden or two out of the deal). Networking is everything! Remember: 50% of your experience is how it sounds. Visual artists all-too-often ignore this fact and end up with a product that could have been heaps better with a little help from the aural experts.

Voila! With these 5 simple steps and a little effort, you will be on a path to creating higher quality content in no time. Keep it original and continue to progress with that originality. To quote Andy Warhol, "They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself."

Titanic Sinclair (titanicsinclair@gmail.com) is a multimedia artist and entrepreneur currently living in Chicago. He is one half of Grocerybag.tv and 50% of the musical duo Mars Argo (marsargo.muxtape.com).

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