CALLUM COLLINS:
Exegesis Working Doc
GAME AND SOUND DESIGNER
Reflections
psychoacoustics in film trailers
True Detective:
I found the musical elements of this trailer quite basic but effective in communicating their intended emotions. A trailer's purpose is to grab the viewer's attention and hook them into the show quickly and effectively. There is a strong visual structure to it, and the music is there to mirror that structure by first creating intrigue socially, in the characters and their lives; this is the least intense part of the score as it cannot overwhelm the viewer.
After this section, the intensity increases, increasing tension for the viewer; suddenly, the piece has changed and now focuses on creepier, deeper tones. The viewer feels this as anticipation or even dread. This anticipation, met with silence, further builds tension and moves the piece into the final part of the structure, designed to excite the viewer and, more importantly, leave them with a positive emotional response.
Overall I think the strict structuring of both music and visuals helps the speech captivate the viewer without being to overwhelming.
Game of Thrones:
Like the true detective trailer, this is also following a trailer structure, but it does have its differences. Firstly I found that the trailer's music was less emotionally responsive than that of the true detective trailer and, without the visuals, almost meaningless until the final section of the piece. I think this could favor the piece as the narrative of this story is coming to an end, and the music reflects that. This is not the exciting beginning of a high fantasy adventure where the heroes are coming to save the day; this the adventure coming to a cruel end.
Sense8:
In this trailer, the music dramatizes the speech creating tension when the actors finish their sentences, which are all cut so that the viewer is left wondering what they mean. This will capture the curious viewer and hold them for the second part of the trailer, which focuses on building up that positive emotional response, similar to the previous trailers' final sections.
Binaural sounds
I've heard of the 3Dio microphones before but never used one in my own work. Looking at two examples on the site; the percussion orchestra and the musician, Harry Kenworth I understand the appeal.
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Hollie Harding's "Mixed Messages"
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This piece uses the mic to emphasize the open space of the hall, immersing you to feel as though you are there watching it in person. The natural reverb created by the space is picked up by the mic and having the sounds bounce around in each ear adds a lot of unique texture to the sound. I enjoyed the movement around the space too as the musicians would occasionally move from one side of the mic to the other and play in unison to really take advantage of the mics features. I would go maybe say that the recording with the mic is better than what you would experience being there as the mic is positioned in the optimal spot and captures all the sounds the composer is trying to create.
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Harry Keyworth
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This example was very different from the other example as the effect of the mic is incredibly subtle. The microphone is able to not just capture the direction of the sounds but also the distance of the sound. This immerses you in the space but more importantly, because of the position of the mic; close to the musician, the sounds are more intimate which matches the mood of the music. While some of the sounds, like the percussion, are dominant on one side of the stereo, other sounds like the vocals move across the two sides, layering with slightly different timbre to create the unique texture to the sound that we only really experience when we are there in person listening.
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