Freesound Forums

I just finished the soundtrack of a short animated film for a student's graduation. He had the congratulations of the jury, but I think I'm not finished yet.

First, I have to thank Bram, Dobroide, RCA and Situational for their sounds. They might not recognize or even hear their sounds, but I assure you : they are here, and in a movie theater with full power, you do hear all of them !

The only thing I have to change is the music : I have to work on it again, because it's at this moment just a boring loop...

But does anyone of you guys has other ideas, advices, of what I should change, modify ? I'm know I can't do something perfect (generaly, after 3 versions, I give up, this is my problem...), but just little improvements would make this film worth to be displayed in some festivals.

Check this page to see the film :
http://glaneurdesons.ovh.org/demos/videos02.html

Note : this is a temporary page. My website address is glaneurdesons.ovh.org...
Note (2) : some of the sounds I used are here (old cupboard, heartbeat, woo-sh) or on my website.

Thanks in advance for your comments !

EDIT May 10th : I uploaded a new version, more audible...

Anyone, anybody, any comment ? Pleeeeeease ?...

I am not surprised the animation was commended as it is an excellent piece of work I really enjoyed it.

I also love the soundtrack and I don't think it needs much improvement as everything "fits" and helps support the story without taking over. I disagree with you about the music and I wouldn't change it as it gives the right upbeat feel for that part of the film and is not on long enough to become waht you describe as a boring loop. It works fine. Sometimes we all get too close to a project if we work on it long enough and think there are things to improve when there really are not.

The only thing I would perhaps change is the part where the guy runs to the edge the second time and stops when he realises he is not dreaming. At that point I would fade all sound down to minimum except maybe a little wind sound. I think this would add to the dramatic feel at this point which is great anyway.

Congrats!

Alleluia ! I knew people were watching it, but I was afraid it was so bad that they didn't want to comment...

Thanks for your compliments, it's really, how do you say, eeer... do you say "heart warming" in English ops: ...

About this fade you talk about, you mean the squeking sound (a cupboard, actually) should be removed (or attenuated) at the moment when he's on the hedge, almost falling, or are you talking about all the sounds (the wood, the corrugated iron, etc) ? I wanted to have a "vertigo" effect with the cupboard sound, and then almost silence, when he steps back...

Heart warming is a good English expression but really I just felt that people who put such effort into such creative things should get replies.

About the silence - I just watched again [the movie is now in my favourites] and, to explain more fully, the sounds up to an including him looking down are great. I meant just a very short time after he looks down - at 3.18 to 3.20 seconds in - you can hear the birds and background sounds and I thought maybe a near silence would be good. But then I can see how it may be difficult to fade out naturally.
The other thing I thought watching again is that you could perhaps bring the heartbeat forward to this point.

Minor things really and I enjoyed it even more watching it again a couple ot times - would love to see a hi-def version on a big screen with cinema speakers!

To visitors - PLEASE WATCH THIS ANIMATION IT IS REALLY GOOD!

Ah OK, I understand what you say... But the fact is I added the birds because there were too much silence ! As the image is still at this point, it looked like if it was a digital problem, as when a DVD freezes... I thought it could have been funny, as in an old episode of the Simpsons, but it hadn't it's place here...

About the heartbeat, I wanted the music (which comes again as played in a bar or something) to be the starter of his second take off. So the heartbeat had to start later... To say it all, I'm a little uncomfortable with this heartbeat sound ! It goes well with the film, but it's kind of "cliché" (sorry for the french word..), and I didn't have a more original idea...

Thank you really for your suggestions, even if it sounds like I put them away : it's really good to have the occasion to explains ideas, decisions, etc. I guess that everybody here can understand that : it's good to speak about what we do, he ?

Ok, now I'm waiting for the 200 people who saw it in the last two days (I can see you...) to comment it !

Just saw it and I'm with ERH: this is clearly good work! I really love it and (sorry) I don't have any suggestions for improvement, it's just excellent!

OK, I was waiting for constructive critisism, but I think I can deal with that :lol: ...

I guess you are right really GdeS - like I said it would be hard to fade in the silence and really it was just a minor thing. I don't know about you but nowadays when I watch a film I seem to concentrate on the sound as much as anything which is good. If anyone watches this film without being conscious of looking for ways to change the soundtrack they would just think it was great and it is.

So when I watch in future I will just enjoy it.

Keep up the good work.

By the way I will be in France for 2 weeks this time next Saturday - hopefully being a glaneur de beaucoup sons Francais!

Very cool film! I can't really comment from a sound-design perspective as it's a bit noisy here and I'm tired, but it definitely works from an audience persepctive!
Reminds me of that short from the Animatrix where the kid has to jump out the window, except this was cooler (I thought) because of the flying!
Also, the scenery is really cool... looks to me like old puerto vallarta or one of those old hillside barrios.

Nice job.

I don't know about you but nowadays when I watch a film I seem to concentrate on the sound as much as anything which is good.

Actually, I can't watch TV anymore, or listen to commercial radio stations, and in a movie theater, I upset my wife with the comments I make about the sound ("hey, did you here this noise gate on the dialogs ? What, they couldn't re-do it ?", etc.)...

This hobby turns you nuts... hock:

Glaneur de sons

I don't know about you but nowadays when I watch a film I seem to concentrate on the sound as much as anything which is good.

Actually, I can't watch TV anymore, or listen to commercial radio stations, and in a movie theater, I upset my wife with the comments I make about the sound ("hey, did you here this noise gate on the dialogs ? What, they couldn't re-do it ?", etc.)...

This hobby turns you nuts... hock:

drives my wife nuts, too! I think she's just learned to accept my audio geek-dom though...

After some really little tiny improvments, here's the last version :
http://glaneurdesons.ovh.org/demos/eng_videos02.html

I bet you are glad the movie is finished. I have just watched the final version and enjoyed it immensely again. Great work.

Very nice, it instantly rememinded me of the Animatrix to. Exept, that it reminded me of that glitched house where the children where playing in. "His nose is bleeding!".

I enjoyed it.

Hi, I enjoyed your film very much..the sound design was just right, not over done, you have a nice touch for subtleness.. maybe a wisp of doppler effect on the fall or a flyby...but your the teacher now, we are but humble students.. thanks, jupitor.

great job! i really did enjoy this, thanks!

Lovely, good atmos, you get drawn into the little story, the deep wind noise is just right to get a sense of flying. The music is a little midi-esque, a less clean sound, like from a live band would do good as well. But I think that story, sound and picture are very well balanced.

I thought this was brilliant the first time I saw it and today came across it by accident and enjoyed it juast as much. Maybe instead of a heartbeat a whooshing noise like babies here in the womb? Taking you right back to the start of life? Just a thought.

Wow, I thought this was really good :]. I just saw it a couple of minutes ago and apparently I am not alone in being reminded of that scene from the Animatrix. Very nice, congrats on it.