audio proforma

1. Audio
Harry

2. Story
• It’s nearly Christmas and there is a farm in the middle of nowhere. The
owner is repairing a broken down tractor until the electric suddenly goes
bang. It’s pitch black outside and he legs it to the house to check the fuse
box (everything is set to what it should be). He then hears creaking. He
rings his business partner telling him to get there as quick as possible. He
arrives in minutes and they go checking the rooms. His business partner
falls through the floor. The owner carries on into a room and sees a ghost
in the wardrobe. He runs as fast as he can. Then there is a gunshot, but
who let the gun off?

3. Existing Products Research
• The Archers
• The Archers is a radio soap opera on BBC Radio 4. The first episode was
broadcast on 1st January 1951 and has aired over 18,000 episodes. It’s set
in Ambridge – a fictional village in the countryside.
• At the beginning it plays the theme tune using classical music which
sounds calm and cheerful. When the theme tune starts fading out, it
mixes in with sound effects and dialogue so the audience can picture the
scene. E.g: The sound of someone driving an old vehicle down a country
lane while talking to someone on the phone.
• When it moves from one scene to the next, everything cuts out and goes
quiet for a few seconds. This is so the audience knows what’s happening.

4. Existing Products Research
• Short Cuts
– Short cuts is a documentary/factual series on radio 4 presented by Josie
Long.
– Before the start of the show, there is one advertisement. Then the show
starts with the presenter introducing herself. Then it moves onto the intro
music playing. The intro music sounds very loud at the beginning because
someone is banging a drum, then it moves to a guitar playing. To me it
sounds very depressing because immediately it made me feel bored and I
didn’t want to listen to it after that.
– There isn’t any sound effects, but there is a lot of classical music in the
background, which sounds very calming and relaxing. This could make the
audience want to listen.
– The performance is done really well. The actors/presenters have very
calming voices which you can hear clearly over the background music. The
series uses reward power because it changes the bad start to something
that’s good as the episodes go along.

5. Existing Products Research
• Doctor Who
– The show starts with spooky, but smooth background music and clear
dialogue from the characters. Then the sound effects kick in which sound very
mysterious along with a characters evil voice. The sounds were like chains
being tied to a metal handle bar. This builds suspense and puts a picture in my
mind of someone being tied up and restrained in a dangerous situation. Then I
get the impression the character being restrained is being killed because the
character is screaming and there is an sound of an explosion, but it sounds
like a loud hissing tap, and an eerie voice echo's in the background and it
slowly fades away.

6. Existing Products Research
• Soundscapres
– Analysis
– Beach Soundscape
– This soundscape is very good. The use of sound effects is really good because it
makes you feel like your at the beach. This makes you feel very calm and relaxed,
especially when the waves are lapping. This soundscape has been made to
entertain people.
– There isn’t any music with it which is good because if there was, it would make the
soundscape have a less calming, relaxing sound.
– I think the producers have recorded the sounds in summer when the sun is shining
and the seagulls are out. You can tell because of how much noise the seagulls are
making.
– The intended audience for this soundscape is people any age who like to feel
relaxed, and people who like to go abroad or go to the coast because of the sounds
it has.

7. Existing Products Research
• Soundscapres
– Analysis
– Haunted House
– This soundscape sounds really realistic – a lot like a short horror
film. The use of sound effects and music and performance of the
actors work really well together and makes it really effective and
dramatic, making the audience want to listen to it and keep
them entertained.
– The sounds suggests it’s been recorded late at night because
there’s a lot of whimpering coming from the character’s and
there’s a lot of ghost like voices.
– The intended audience for this soundscape is teenage boys and
girls who like horror because they will be able to listen to it
without feeling scared. It’s not suitable for young children
because it will frighten them.

8. Bibliography
1. Godfrey Baseley. (2018). The Archers. Available:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qpgr/episodes/player. Last accessed
06/11/2018.
2. Who Girl Reviews. (2018). Doctor Who - The Seventh Doctor Is Scary AF.
Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZA50biqUB-8. Last accessed
06/11/2018.
3. Josie Long. (2018). Short Cuts. Available:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01mk3f8/episodes/player. Last accessed
17/11/2018.
4. Marie. (2013). Beach Soundscape. Available:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIUTO4gx5Eg. Last accessed 18/11/2018.
5. Katie Whelan. (2017). Haunted House. Available:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JVm2IZ3ChU. Last accessed 18/11/2018.

9. Planning

10. Idea Generation/Initial Reaction

11. Proposal
Working Title: The Farmyard Visitor
Audience:
Who is your audience? My audience is adults between 16-30 years old, mainly boys because they are more
interested in farming. it is a horror drama and there is some language in it that’s not suitable for children. Girls
can listen to it as well if horror is something they like. This kind of story would appeal to my audience because
of what type of genre it is and the type of place it’s set in.
Project Concept (approx. 200 words)
I’m going to make a soundscape , and the concept is a ghost/horror drama. The idea of the story is it’s set on a
farm in the middle of nowhere at Christmas time. The electric goes off when the farmer is working in a shed
and he goes to the house, rings his business partner to come over. The business partner arrives and they go
looking in the rooms. His business partner falls through the floor, while the farmer finds a ghost hidden in one
of the bedroom wardrobes. He tries to run away from it and then there’s a gunshot.
I didn’t need to do much research for the story as it is based on something I wrote when I was doing my
English resit. I did a lot of research for the intro music, background music and sound effects. This was so the
audience would be gripped to my soundscape. I did some research into the farming industry as well because I
needed to know who there kind of audience is, in order to help make my story work.

12. Script

13. Sound EffectsSound Effect Needed How I Will Create the Sound
Wind Go outside and record using zoom
Electricity bang Will download this sound from Zapsplat
Tractor engine turning on and off/revving
noise
Will download this sound from BBC sfx
Engine turning off Will download this sound from BBC sfx
Running Will download this sound from Zapsplat
Walking Will download this sound from Zapsplat
Doors opening Recording sound myself
Doors closing Recording sound myself
Phone dialling Will record sound myself
Picking up phone Will record sound myself
Creaky floorboards Will download this sound from Zapsplat
Car engine Will record sound myself
Hitting headboard Will record sound myself
Gunshot Will download this sound from Zapsplat
Background music Will download from YouTube

14. Resource List
Resource Owned/Cost What sound effect will it be
used for?
Zoom Free To record wind sound and car
engine sounds
My Phone Free To record door sounds, phone
sounds and other sounds
Zapsplat Free Download sound I can’t record
YouTube Free For intro music and background
music for some of the scenes in
the soundscape

15. Music
Band Name Track Name Link
Wham Last Christmas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8gmARGvPlI
n/a Super Mario Bros 2: World
2 – castle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6kcqfApX0U
This is for some of the background music
n/a Super Mario Bros 2: World
2 -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hj_L86qTwg4
This is for the intro music

16. Production

17. Daily Reflection Day 1
• Today I got most of the pre-production stuff done. I wrote the script and I
recorded some of the sound effects I need for my soundscape. Some I
downloaded from Zapsplat because I thought they would be difficult to
record. Other sound effects I need I’m recording at home with my phone.
• Tomorrow I will finish all the pre-production. I will record the voices I need
for my soundscape and will start editing everything in Audition. Hopefully
by Thursday, all the editing will be done and I can start my evaluation.

18. Daily Reflection Day 2
• Today, I downloaded the rest of my sound
effects. I decided to download more
background music to make it more dramatic.
Also, I edited the script – I added in where the
music will go. Then I went to the studio to
record the actors voices. Then I started
editing. Tomorrow, I will finish editing and
start my evaluation.

19. Daily Reflection Day 3
• Today I continued editing my product. I decided to get all the acting voices
in first, then add the sound effects and background music later. I also
downloaded more sound effects which I realised I needed when I got to
certain parts of the edit – I thought these parts would benefit with sound
effects to make it better.

20. Daily Reflection Day 4
• Today I finished editing my product and
started my evaluation. I had an issue in the
first lesson – I saved my everything on a mac
and didn’t transfer it to my memory stick. This
is something I need to remember to do. I
finished editing in the second lesson.

21. Sound Effects
Sound Effect
Needed
Link
Rain http://bbcsfx.acropolis.org.uk/?cat=weather&q=rain – the third from the bottom in the list
Thunder http://bbcsfx.acropolis.org.uk/?cat=weather&q=thunder – the second sound in the list
Gunshot https://www.zapsplat.com/music/gun-tikka-t3-battue-308-hunting-rifle-gunshot-weak-2/
Tractor engine
on
Cannot find the link for this sound, but I definitely found it on http://bbcsfx.acropolis.org.uk/
Tractor engine
off
http://bbcsfx.acropolis.org.uk/?cat=tractors&q=eng – the first sound in the list
Creaky
floorboards
https://www.zapsplat.com/music/footsteps-on-creaky-wooden-attic-floor-2/
Ghost howling
wind
http://bbcsfx.acropolis.org.uk/?cat=weather&q=wind – the thirteenth sound in the list
Electricity bang https://www.zapsplat.com/music/science-fiction-electricity-spark-power-surge-4/
Walking https://www.zapsplat.com/music/footsteps-walking-slow-gentle-quietly-in-high-heels-stiletto-shoes-on-old-
wooden-pine-floor/
Running https://www.zapsplat.com/music/footsteps-running-fast-sprint-barefoot-on-wet-concrete/
Hammering http://bbcsfx.acropolis.org.uk/?cat=hammers – the second sound in the list

22. Evaluation

23. Research
• For my research I looked at a range of different radio dramas (e.g The archers).
This helped me understand how a radio drama is written, directed and acted
out. This helped me with creating my soundscape because it gave me a good
idea of how to make mine sound as good as a professional one.
• Another strength of my research was looking into the farming industry
because the story is set on a farm and farmers would enjoy listening to it. If I
didn’t do this, my soundscape would have been less interesting and wouldn’t
appeal to my audience.
• Something I should have done for my research is listened to more
podcasts/radio drama’s in my spare time. This would have saved time so I
could get ahead with planning and producing my product. If I did this, I would
have completed the research earlier so I could have had more time to
concentrate on what my product. Also, this would have helped with making
my product better because I would have had time to add different effects to
the audio and make things sound more dramatic and eventful.

24. Planning
• The idea of my drama was based on a story I wrote in English last year.
• Strengths: Most of my plans were original and unique, but some of them
changed. All the scenes in the drama are the same, but I think I needed more
sound effects than what I originally thought. The plan I changed was to do
with the sound effects because some of the sounds I was going to record I
decided not to record because I didn’t think they would fit into the story.
• Adding some effects was difficult because I have little experience with
Premiere Pro, but it’s better than using Photoshop because you can do more
with it like adding different effects to make things sound different.
• To improve it, I would edit some of the sound effects I recorded. There was
some background noise that wasn’t needed, but because of the time I had, I
didn’t have time to remove it. Next time I record something, I will make sure
any noise in the background is turned off or nowhere near what I want to
record.

25. Time Management
• Although I finished my project on time, I felt a bit rushed to finish it. I did some
of the research at the start, but then decided to leave it until last so I could get
on with producing my product. I found it difficult to manage the time because
I had exams in the same two weeks of the project. So I spent most of the time
revising for them than doing my project.
• If I had more time outside College, I would have done the research and other
written work of the project, so I could concentrate more on editing.
• The good things I did was I recorded some of my sound effects at home using
my phone, and emailed them to college. This helped me saved time. If I hadn’t
done this, I would have had less time to edit, maybe ending up in not finishing
the product.
• Next time I will make a list of everything I need to do. I will do a certain
number of tasks on certain days, so I can work around other important things I
need to do.

26. Technical QualitiesThe voices in the drama are very clear and easy to understand. There was nothing in the background to make it
not clear. The sounds I downloaded are very clear because someone with lots of experience has made and edited
them professionally.
There are lots of different sound effects in my product. In the first scene, I added a song and edited it using the
reverb tool. This made it sound like a radio was playing in the background. Further on in the clip, I edited one of
the actors voices – I cut out any long pauses to make the character talk fast and sound like he was panicking. I
made the clip end on a cliff-hanger using a gunshot sound effect. This is to make the audience wonder what
happened/who’s done it. This could mean making the storyline grow into something even bigger happening in
the future.
I recorded some of the audio using the zoom. The actors held it close to there mouths so the microphone could
pick the sound up really clearly. If I used something else (e.g my phone), the sound wouldn’t have been so clear
because you can’t see where the microphone is, which could have distorted the sound.
I also used the zoom for some of the sound effects I could record in college. It picked up some of the sounds
really well (e.g car engine), but for other sounds outside, it didn’t pick up very well (e.g Tree branches) because I
couldn’t reach high enough for the microphone to pick up the sound.
Some of the sounds I recorded are good, but they could have been better. Some of the sounds I recorded I
couldn’t tell what they were, so I asked someone with a fresh perspective to listen to the sound. If I put the
microphone closer to the sound I was recording, I would have known what it was. There was unnecessary
background noise in some of the sounds I recorded. These would sound better if I recorded somewhere extra
quiet or if somethings making noise were turned off.
The background music has a few issues. Although it sounds clear and very gripping, there was an issue with
noises in the background. This is with it being music from a game. If I had time to edit the noises out, I would
have done so it would sound better and I could have shown more of the skills I have learnt.

27. Aural QualitiesMy soundscape sounds really good because it sounds very much like a ghost/horror story, but
without any gory bits. This is mainly to do with the sound effects I’ve used, the background
music. Some of it is to do with the effects of the characters voices - some voices which I have
edited using the reverb tool, and some with just the way it’s been acted out, which made it
really effective.
There are some minor improvements that could be done. The main improvement is to do with
the background music because of the unnecessary noises that didn’t need to be there. This is
due to the timing issue I had. The second improvement is to do with the sound effects because
some of them sound different to the location/area of where the scene is taking place. E.g: the
running sounds – When the characters are running in the house which is a dry, warm area, it
sounds like they are running outside in the thundery weather. Again this was due to a timing
issue because I didn’t have time to find a second running sound effect that sounded like it was in
a building.
Next time I will make sure I have a lot more time so I can find better sound effects. I will do this
by doing lots more research outside college. Also next time I’m in college, I will make sure I have
enough time to edit the music I need, depending on wether it needs editing or not.

28. Audience AppealI have made the soundscape appeal to the audience by creating a thrilling soundscape, which I
think they will enjoy listening to. I have done this by doing research into the industry which has
a link to the story and where it is set.
The content that will appeal to the audience first is the intro music because it has a power that
attracts there attention, making them want to carry on listening. Another bit of content that
appeals to the audience is the sound effects. Although some of them need improving , they still
sound very realistic, making the soundscape very effective. The final thing that appeals to the
audience is the characters voices (e.g the ghost). The ghost has a booming voice which makes
him sound like an evil character. I edited the voice to make it echo, which makes it more
interesting for the audience to listen to. Also, half way through the sound scape, the farmer’s
(Fred) voice sounds like he’s panicking when he talks really fast. This will make the audience
wonder why he is in such a state, making them want to listen right to the end.