This is the polished final version of “As if in a Dream.”
I hope you enjoy!
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Synopsis:
Scientific prodigy Dr. Lauryn Shepherds has her funding cut and rushes to show her research can produce results by testing her prototype device—leading to unexpected consequences.
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Liked this? Read the short story that inspired it! http://www.teenink.com/fiction/all/article/52225/As-if-in-a-Dream/
(Be aware, this film isn’t by any means a direct adaption of the story)
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This film is meant to be experienced with a subwoofer. If you can, try watching it in your home theater, or any other place with a great sound system. (Your car maybe?) Headphones are a good second option. Laptop and phone speakers are ill-equipped to give you the best sound experience.
When creating my soundscape I knew I wanted to aim for a topic that was a bit creepy, mysterious or suspenseful. At first I wasn’t sure what film to use. I started looking at Thomas Edison’s 1910 production of Frankenstein, but I soon decided that the pacing was too slow, and the shot variety wasn’t quite as good as I’d like it to be.
Being a fan of the 2004 musical adaptation of “The Phantom of the Opera,” primarily for its beautiful cinematography and score, I was interested to find a public domain version of the film that was a silent film rather than a musical. It didn’t take long for me to decide that this 1925 version was the film I wanted to craft a soundscape for.
I’m a believer in the ability for music to set the tone of a film and give it a distinct feel, so I began my process by looking for a suitable musical track from a Creative Commons licensed source. I was fortunate to find one called “Ghost of Don Juan” by Nathan Pinard, which was actually written, as the composer says, “for a book ‘Chanson de l’Ange’ which is a retelling of the Phantom of the Opera story.” I was very lucky to find a track that was written specifically with the Phantom of the Opera in mind. It does seem to really capture the feel of the story in my opinion.
I began my editing process in Lightworks, but I found the process of editing audio to be very cumbersome and confusing in Lightworks. It’s quite possible that I just don’t know enough about Lightworks yet to be able to effectively edit in it, but I didn’t want to risk compromising the quality of my film by using an unfamiliar platform. Instead I elected to edit in Sony Vegas, because its volume and pan envelopes allow for some more advanced adjustments of audio, and I’m familiar with working with them.
I created many of the Foley sounds myself, such as writing, paper moving, footsteps, and the breathing sounds of the two men. I also recorded the dialogue myself. I wanted to create as many of the sounds as possible, because it’s not always easy (or cheap) to acquire Foley sounds from other sources, and it was good experience. Also, custom created Foley sounds can better fit the exact onscreen action. I did still use some audio from www.soundsnap.com when it wasn’t feasible to create a high quality version myself. Doors opening and closing, cloth moving, and the deep breaths of the Phantom were a few from Soundsnap’s library. In total there were four layers of audio in my film. You can see my final timeline here.
I like the additions I made, and I think they fit pretty well with the flim! Overall I’m quite proud of the results.
We follow a hungry grey squirrel as it searches for food in this short film.
I created this one afternoon after noticing some very brave birds coming close to me, and I realized I’d be able to film the animals around Temple University’s campus quite easily. This short story is the result of my random filming around Liacouras Walk.
All music was composed by Kevin MacLeod, and is royalty free. You can find his music at his site incompetech.com
Triumph flows from one sound to another. It is slightly reminiscent of other Mister Jay songs, yet certainly has parts that are completely its own. Click on one of the links below to listen to it online, or download it.
Description from Newgrounds:
“Finally, I finished this song. I don’t want to deal with it any longer. The melody from the second half was supposed to go into a song from late December 2010 and never did. At least now I don’t have to worry about this anymore. Tell me what you think, hopefully you can force me to like this song!”
Emerging is the first song released under the name AtomicEntertainment on Newgrounds! Although this profile is generally used by AEI founder Darren Olah, this song was a collaboration between Darren and Brad Olah. Emerging is an industrial song, with a varied use of instruments.
Description from Newgrounds:
“With this song, I’m emerging from the status of music appreciator and publisher to music creator.
This is my first complete song, and was made in an evening in FL10 Demo. It uses solely samples and instruments preloaded in that version of FL10. I can’t really edit this or efficiently create music until I get a full version of FL Studio, but advice on what went wrong and what went well is certainly appreciated!
I hope you enjoy!”
As our first real hands on experience in Media Arts combined, my group, the Red Team, endeavored to create an in-camera edit showcasing a location.
Admittedly we didn’t really have much of an idea going into the project. Our ideas essentially developed as filming went on.
It could be said that in our excitement to begin we sort of rushed into filming, because we didn’t get 30 seconds of black. We did instead get 30 seconds of a stable shot of a puddle as rain poured down into it.
We began by filming this cold, gloomy and rainy scene in the middle of Liacouras Walk, and as production went on we continued to establish the scene. Perhaps half way through the film we introduced a character who we followed through the remainder of the film. The film ends as he meets another mysterious figure in a shadowy park, shakes his hand, and a third hand enters the frame as the film ends.
Of course, we also forgot to film 30 seconds of black at the end of the film. So, there were certainly flaws, and I tend to be a bit critical of my own work because it’s good to be able to step back and admit you have room for improvement every now and again.
Regardless, I think out film turned out decently, given the limited time and minimal planning, and I enjoyed my time working with my group. Certainly a positive experience, overall.
The Raver is an catchy techno song by Mister Jay. The underlying melody, accompanied by variations throughout the song is quite interesting.
Critics can’t stop raving! (Haha get it? It’s called The Raver! I’m ever so funny…)
“I love the synths and bass you used! Although you were right about it being a bit repetitive, I have no room to talk, most of my songs are repetitive as well, but it’s a great techno song!” -DeathCross555
“Repetitive, yes… but that’s called actually having a melody. Which is a good thing to have, for sure.” -AtomicEntertainment
Give it a listen and decide for yourself! Then post a comment and let Mister Jay know what you think about it–reviews are always appreciated!
Description from Newgrounds:
“I spent quite a lot of time on this song, though it’s VERY repetitive in the beginning. My second song from Eargasms.”
Pedo Grin is certainly a unique song, and the first by Mister Jay to include the voice of an actual human. Describing it would be difficult, so give it a listen and decide what you think for yourself!
Description from Newgrounds:
“This is my first song with a legitimate voice track; it’s my girlfriend, Katie.
Part of a new album (Classification for my own personal list), Mediocrity Looks Good.
The words only say “I love your pedo grin!” if you can’t hear them xD
Enjoy!”
Nostalgia is an upbeat dance song created by Mister Jay. It has a constant bass beat that just makes you want to move! Check it out on Newgrounds!
Description from Newgrounds:
“Another song I’ve spent more than a little time on. I should give it a little more care, but I really want to finish this and work on new ideas. It’s getting closer to Spring, and it makes me reflect for some reason… Hence, Nostalgic. Enjoy.”
