Here are a few suggestions for improving your editing process: - Take time to fully learn the basics of the editing software before diving in. Spend an hour or two just exploring the interface and watching tutorial videos. This upfront investment will save a lot of time later. - Plan your editing structure in advance. Know how you want the different elements (dialogue, sound effects, music) to fit together timeline-wise before importing anything. - Work in small chunks. Don't try to edit the whole piece at once. Focus on one scene or section at a time to avoid getting overwhelmed. - Leave time for multiple passes of editing. Do a rough cut first just to get the elements in place, then

1. Audio
Samuel Johnson

2. Existing Products Research
• Doctor Who (audio drama)
The intense array of sound effects along with the terror inducing monologue
of the characters, makes this drama hugely dissimilar from the modern day
‘Doctor Who’ we all know today on our television screens, making this
performance so much more fierce and even in some respects frightening, due
to the eerily different characteristics from the last few generations of Doctors.
Furthermore, the echoes and outlandish audio effects which rebound during
certain lines of speech suggest the super natural of which alone strikes fear
into the listeners, with the uncharted territory in which they supposedly
reside creating an eerily mysterious feel towards the entirety of the
production, in turn keeping listeners engaged yet curiously cautious
throughout. Lastly, alongside the nerve shattering sound effects, the deep
track which submissively plays under the sea of speech and sounds effects,
greatly contributes towards the atmosphere that the director is trying to
provide. With the music gaining vast increases in volume and pace during
intense sequences, giving listeners that extra element of tension and further
adding to the enticing factor that the show so greatly administers.

3. Existing Products Research
• Batman: Arkham Asylum (audio drama)
This audio drama is a very serious, amateurly made take on the pre-existing novel
published by DC comics and written by Grant Morrison. Despite this amateur element,
the production gives off the impression that it’s a professionally made product, with each
of the voice actors giving listeners a believable terror inducing performance of which are
recognisable for all of the iconic characters, for the likes of Batman and the Joker.
Alongside that, the disturbing addition of ominous sound effects creates a massively
alternative atmosphere to what would be a fairly bare, yet nevertheless creepy story arch
if the effects weren’t in place. The relentless nature of the sounds creates a believable
space and in turn builds tension for the listener, as if they were actually present within
the scenario itself. Furthermore, they’ve managed to implement trivial, yet effective
sounds which add to the believability of the space in which they stand, with foot steps,
creaking, smashing and just general speech realistically rebounding off of the surrounding
walls, as would prove present in real world situations. Lastly the smart use of music
creates a massively eerie aura and nicely compliments the existing effects. Each track
further pushes the tension within the scene and makes the listener permanently feel on
edge, with each sudden tweak in pitch or tone contrasting nicely with the scene in play
and giving those listening a change of emotion depending on the frequency of track in
motion at each decisive plot point.

4. Existing Products Research
• Star Wars: dark empire
Due to the overwhelming popularity of the original star wars trilogy, this
audio drama has been produced to an equally high standard as to appeal
towards the large fanbase that the films have acquired. Of course the original
actors seen on screen haven’t been transitioned over to the audio version,
however they convey a similar acting prowess despite the lack of a visible
appearance. Furthermore the believable acting works definitively alongside
the iconic sci-fi sound effects, which fit with the obvious space/adventure
theme that the franchise tries to get across, along all forms of media.
Although when it comes to the aspect of music, the whole production is very
sparse of a such qualities. The show derives more so from the sound effects
and general acting performances, over any contrasting music which plays to
set the atmosphere of the scene. Of course they play the memorable Star
Wars theme at both the start and finish of the production, but aside from that
they give listeners a music free experience.

5. Bibliography
1. Arkham Asylum A Serious House On Serious Earth / October 1989 /
Written by Grant Morrison / Published by DC Comics / Transcribed by
Olle Henriksson
2. Doctor Who-Afterlife / December 2013 / Produced by Matt Fitton /
Released by BBC
3. Star Wars: Dark Empire / July 1994 / Author John Whitman / Publisher
Time Warner Audio Publishing and HighBridge Audio

6. Ideas

7. Story
I’ve thought up a few strands of a primary idea for what my story
could possibly entail, but at a very basic level. My thought is that
the suspect in question could be held up for overtime work or
extra curricular activities at a university or work environment,
which leads to him being entirely alone in a large building
complex, or so is first thought. Strange, unknown occurrences
will happen throughout his stay, leading him to gradually and
painfully lose his sanity, possibly starting with the innocent
flicker of lights and slowly submerging to something far greater.
Furthermore, being that he’s fairly new to the space in which he
works, he’ll find it a challenge to make it out until dawn arrives,
at which by that point he may already be too far gone.

8. Proposal
Working Title: OVERTIME
Audience: My target audience ranges between 16 and 20 years of age and I aim to suit it towards the male
demographic, simply due to the fact that the main protagonist (being played by myself) is of the same gender, therefore
more likely to appeal to listeners of the same orientation. Furthermore, I believe my works are more likely to appeal
towards a middle class social status, as I find myself in that particular category and therefore believe in turn my work
shall resonate better with people in a similar situation to my own. That’s not to say my work is at all condescending to
other classes, but I consciously believe that through the natural process of things my work will simply fall into that
category based on my own situation; similar to the circumstance of gender demographic.
Project Concept
The scene will open with the main protagonist (a fairly new employee) giving his last farewell to his fellow colleagues, as
they leave for the night whilst he stays during an overtime shift. This will slowly set off a spiral of events that will
gradually tear down his sense of reality, as he tirelessly struggles to free himself from the binds that tie him to the
building and much like the reality around him, the building will torment his mind like a never-ending maze. The research
I’ve collected will help me achieve this feat due to the existing qualities they possess, with all of them having almost
supernatural elements with an underlying air of eeriness about each one. This attribute is one I’d like to weave into my
own product, something that won’t give the listener that one jolt of terror, but rather keep they tensely engaged
throughout the run time. I want them to be jumpy and surprised at every turn, rather than expect the obvious jump
scare during every pressing moment of silence. Furthermore, as I’m playing the main victim of this terrible situation, I’m
going to try and convey the most verbal emotion as I can possibly fathom, as to give listeners a true feeling of
unsettlement rather than one that sounds clearly fictional and therefore not even as remotely gripping.

9. Experiments

10. Shaun of the dead: Foley
I think for a first ever Foley task I managed to create a fairly convincing clip, using the tools provided to me.
Of course there were a few minor faults here and there within the audio timeline, such as the walking cycle
during Shaun's trek from his house to the corner shop across the street, with the audio being overly
worked with heavy amounts of reverb, causing the audio to become far too unnatural and as if he were in
a large space with walls rather than outside, which would have provided a far more muted stepping sound.
However an aspect which I do like about my Foley is the short scene in which Shaun enters the shop and
then the entirety of the audio transitions from an outside ambience, to one inside, along with the sound of
the refrigerators buzzing, the music playing and even the steps impacting differently upon a entirely new
surface. These effects all come together to give the impression of difference in space corelating to what’s
seen on screen and I believe I achieved that within this particular area of the clip, with even the minor
sound bites adding to the realism of what's seen, from the clanging of cans as he reaches into the fridge, to
the slipping effect when trying to keep his balance. Overall I believe most of my sound effects worked in
tangent to give a realistic take on the given scene. Of course it doesn’t compare to the original work, yet
for a first attempt at adding sound to a muted scene, I believe I managed to achieve a somewhat believable
Foley. Furthermore, I believe I’ve gained a minor insight into the workings of what makes a believable Foley
and seeing as I will likely have to complete such a task during the creation process of my FMP, this
experience is invaluable towards the success of said project, with it succeeding this one as our last project,
further adding to the value of this task
at such a late stage.

11. Garage Band
For this garage band music test, I basically meddled and practiced with some of the
weird and wonderful tools provided to me, with the tune in tow coming from said
meddling of tools. I messed with dials and synthesizers, to at least produce
something of a decent quality, not something particularly spectacular, that wasn’t an
expectation of mine, but something that would to the bare minimum bring me some
inkling of emotion, not just a piercing racket of sounds layered on top of one another.
So I basically came out with a somewhat ‘Stranger Things’ sounding mash up of
instruments which gives off a supernatural, science fiction air about it; at least that's
the manner in which I would describe it. From my time experimenting, I’ve managed
to gain a better understanding of the provided software and due to this, I hope I can
use this to my advantage during the creation of later projects. Music plays a huge
part in the way people can perceive something and
having the ability to produce my own music will give
me a lot more credibility in that respect, whereas
many prior projects of mine played to the strengths of
pre-existing songs.

12. Planning

13. Script Draft/Order of events
*The scene will open in a therapists office with the main protagonist (being played by myself)
consoling to the doctor about the horrific incident a few days prior*
*The scene begins to transition into the event of which the protagonist is struggling to describe,
beginning with the moment a few instances before the main story takes place in a typical office
environment (generically a fairly dull space)*
*The office staff will say there last farewells as they leave for the night, whilst the protagonist in
question stays for an overtime shift despite the obvious verbal confusion of passing friends and
colleagues, of whom eventually leave among the fleeting masses*
*This in turn leaves the protagonist the last remaining soul within the confines of the building,
left in peace to do the work assigned to him or so is thought. Furthermore during this fairly
arduous process, the character in the present tense will narrate as to fill the therapist (listeners)
in with context of each sequence of that fateful event*
*Slowly but surely strange events will transpire, gradually building in severity as to build tension
within the scene (lights flickering, smashing of glass, eerie gusts of wind, the presence of a
mysterious figure etc), driving the character to act upon his best instincts and leave the building.
But as these occurrences begin to torment his mind, his sense of direction faults him in his efforts
of escape*
*And as we gradually pan back to the present situation, we find that the protagonist is not in any
ordinary therapists office but rather in a mental institution being treated for his mental state, as
those around him simply cant comprehend his order of events, leaving the story on a sour note,
as we hear the faint drift of a breeze blow through the hospital, giving listeners the impression
that the torment of our protagonist is not yet over*

14. 1 2

15. 3 4

16. Sound Effects
Sound Effect Needed How I Will Create the Sound
Creaking pipes Record my drainage system (of which has irritatingly
creaked for years)
Flickering switches/lights Record the up close sounds of a switch being flicked,
along with the lights being powered on
Rustling of papers Record a pile of papers being handled and crunched
Eerie breeze Record the outside wind and or softly blow into the
mic
Ambient inside sound Record the sound of an empty room without the
pollution of speech or out of place sound bites
Footsteps Record the sounds of footsteps on multiple different
surfaces, of which will change depending on the
location I’m wanting my character to be placed
Slamming door Record a door being slammed and knocked
Static sounds Either recreate the sound using oral contusion to give
the impression of a faulty computer unit and or simply
record a static computer screen or television, which
has been manually altered towards a static state

17. Actors/Locations
Actor Role Location for recording
Sam Johnson (me) Main Protagonist College grounds, preferably the music studio, as to
keep the audio unpolluted
Jodie Wood Work Colleague
Ben Sherwood Manager
Ben Lawrenson Therapist
Same location

18. Music
Band Name Track Name Link
Secession Studios One Hundred Strings LINK TO VID

19. Resource List
Resource Owned/Cost What sound effect will it be
used for?
Audio recorder Booked out
from college
All of my sound effects, which have been
recorded by myself
MacBook (editing device) Owned This device will be used to edit all of my
sound bites, from sound effects to speech

20. Production

21. Daily Reflection Day 1: Script drafting
This process of the project allowed me to generate a storyline for my
radio drama, of which I could refer back to during the creation of the
script, giving me a more realistic synopsis for what and how
characters may say and act to the scenario around them. I felt this
was a key step in the development of the product at hand and gave
me a better understanding of the story I wished to tell, as it showed
me a basic run through of what was going to happen even before any
dialogue was added, in turn allowing me to focus more attention on
the structure of the script and the minor and major details
throughout each section. Furthermore, this has a knock on effect to
the later production processes due to the cruciality of this process,
leaving me more time to develop on the script, recording and editing
phases of the project, as it saves me time thinking up a storyline
during said phases with there already being one in place here.

22. Daily Reflection Day 2: Script writing
With the help of my script drafting the day before I merely had to add a layer
of dialogue over the top of an already developed storyline. This process was
achieved using Microsoft Word to allow for a better structured piece and
better set out lines for each characters. There was no particular plan behind
my script other than the draft which laid out a basic route of which to follow,
so the process of writing the dialogue was just to give the characters
naturalistic reactions to the events taking place around them and whatever
initially sprung to mind was basically what I proceeded to write down. I didn’t
want to overthink the dialogue to a point whereby the characters would
sound overly robotic, therefore I believe this technique worked in my favour.
That’s not to say the script came out to a perfect degree, but I believe its one
which I think achieves its goals and can be grasped fairly easily by the listener,
as in its not one which will confuse a great many people, but rather one
which has a fairly understandable concept. Furthermore through reading it, I
believe everything works well to create a believable reality, with the only
problem remaining being whether the voice acting can produce an equally
believable representation to that seen on paper.

23. Daily Reflection Day 3: Recording
This was one of the more creative processes as it required not just the recording
and manipulation of speech, but also the creation off sound effects, from
footsteps and running to unearthly rumbles made to represent a weird
creature/being. It resulted in a fairly routine process, each line was recorded
separately, leaving me separate blocks of dialogue per character, which in turn
would save me scouring for a specific characters lines as they were all grouped
together and ordered from whenever their first line was spoken up until their last.
However, each line generally took a few takes to perfect seeing as the actors in
question weren’t exactly professionals, but rather members of my course of
whom I’d expected to slip up multiple times in planned anticipation, so there was
no real pressure on my time schedule due to said planning. From that point I was
left alone to record the remaining sound effects, as to prevent the pollution of
audio from other members of the cast and with the equipment surrounding me
within the confines of the studio, I managed to create a range of effects using the
most basic of methods. Banging the table, jogging on the spot, flicking through
stacks of paper, blowing into the mic, scraping the walls, tapping the light fittings
and knocking the backdrop were just several of the weird yet effective ways I
contributed towards my product, with each being implemented for the purpose of
either a natural sound effect e.g. walking and or for the purpose of creating an
obscure otherworldly sound.

24. Daily Reflection Day 4: Editing
Editing was one of the tougher processes for this project seeing as I had never used the software
prior to this point. That’s not to say its an overly complex program to get to grips with, but it took
a little while to understand the basics before anything could be edited to a higher degree once
added to the timeline. I started by ordering all of the dialogue from the first line to the last as
seen on the script, as to get a feel for the unaltered version of my vision and obviously it wasn’t
what I had perfectly envisioned, which lead me to the process of actually editing the audio so it
would better fit my perception.
This process began with the trimming and manipulation of my
implemented sound bites as to give the timeline a smoother and more
audibly pleasing run, with some lines dragging for too long and or
consisting of minor faults, the razor tool was used to rid of such issues.
Once done, I went onto implement my created sound effects which
were added in using separate audio channels as to differentiate the
dialogue and effects from one another, giving me a simpler time when
managing the two. Once again the razor tool was used to cut out any
blatant issues within each bite and by that point I went onto edit specific
effects individually, as to give the impression of space within a scene or
to further boost the intensity of a line of dialogue or sound effect. This
was achieved by selecting a track and editing it with the tools provided
to the right of the screen, of which allowed me to add SFX, reverb and
much more; providing the sound bite with an entirely different feel and
further adding to the atmosphere I wished to create.

25. Evaluation

26. Research
For my research I listened to and analysed several existing radio shows, as to
discuss certain methods of editing and performances and to what effect were
they convincing based around these elements, as well as how the producers
enabled listeners to picture the events taking place from a purely audio based
production. This enabled me to discover effective techniques of which I could
proceed to subtly weave into my own product, as a way of boosting the
effectiveness of my show without entirely plagiarising these elements entirely; I
never perceived it as copying, but rather inspiration seeing as they had such an
affect on me. I looked at a range of products from professional standard work, to
those produced at an amateur level, with each one following a similarly dark
approach, in turn likely giving reason behind my own dark creation, of course it
was intended as a scary story but there's different routes you can go with it and in
my case it was purely bleak following on from listening to these equally eerie
productions. In terms of weaknesses within my research, it goes back once again
to the existing productions. I don’t believe I listened to a particularly wide variety
of work, with each following a fairly similar narrative. I didn’t expand my horizons
enough to a point whereby even the work I was producing didn’t surprise me from
an external point of view. The story didn’t arch off into anything massively original
or interesting, it kept within its own creepy confines and didn’t adventure
outwards, with the blame lying purely on myself for that reason due to my
stubbornness to listen to something, anything different .

27. Planning
This process of the project allowed me to generate a storyline for my radio drama and set out
spreadsheets containing lists of sound effects, actors, locations and so fourth, of which I could refer
back to during the creation of the script, giving me a more realistic synopsis for what and how
characters may say and act to the scenario around them. I felt this was a key step in the
development of the product at hand and gave me a better understanding of the story I wished to
tell, as it showed me a basic run through of what was going to happen even before any dialogue
was added, in turn allowing me to focus more attention on the structure of the script and the
minor and major details throughout each section. Furthermore, this had a knock on effect to the
later production processes due to the cruciality of this process, leaving me more time to develop
on the script, recording and editing phases of the project, as it saved me time thinking up a
storyline during said phases with there already being one in place.
With the help of my script drafting I merely had to add a layer of dialogue over the top of an
already developed storyline. This phase of planning was achieved using Microsoft Word to allow
for a better structured piece and better set out lines for each characters. There was no particular
plan behind my script other than the draft which laid out a basic route of which to follow, so the
process of writing the dialogue was just to give the characters naturalistic reactions to the events
taking place around them and whatever initially sprung to mind was basically what I proceeded to
write down. I didn’t want to overthink the dialogue to a point whereby the characters would sound
overly robotic, therefore I believe this technique worked in my favour. That’s not to say the script
came out to a perfect degree, but I believe its one that achieved its goals and could be grasped
fairly easily by the listener, as in its not one which will confuse a great many people, but rather one
which has a fairly understandable concept. Furthermore through reading it, I believed everything
worked well to create a believable reality, with the voice acting being the stage whereby everything
was left up to chance, in terms of whether it would faulter or succeed based on the quality of
performances.

28. Time Management
We didn’t set out on this project with a time schedule in mind. We were given a
time scale in which to complete the project, but no time management scheme
was presented to us during the process of the project. That’s not to say we’re
inept at making such a scheme, but I don’t think its necessarily vital towards the
completion of your product, as long as its completed by the deadline. Despite my
lack of physical time management planning, I believe I scheduled my routine fairly
productively. Each portion of this document from idea generation, up until this
section of the evaluation took around a week to complete, leaving me a fair
amount of time to produce and edit my actual product, leaving me with little to
stress about for the entirety of the project. By the time this evaluation is done I
believe everything will be completed by the deadline, without the need to rush
anything for the sake of reaching it in time.
But when it comes to the question of having more time, I believe the product
would have likely benefited with more time, as I would have had more
opportunity to experiment and produce sound effects for the production, as well
as create my own music; further adding towards the uniqueness of the product.
However I don’t think the dialogue would’ve improved drastically because I was
stuck with the same voice actors, but I’m implying that the added time to
experiment with sound effects, as well as develop my skills using adobe audition
would have brought the quality and believability of the product up a grade or two.

29. Aural Qualities
This was one of the more creative qualities of the project as it required not just the recording and
manipulation of speech, but also the creation of sound effects, from footsteps and running to unearthly
rumbles made to represent a weird creature/being. It resulted in a fairly routine process, each line was
recorded separately, leaving me separate blocks of dialogue per character, which in turn would save me
scouring for a specific characters lines as they were all grouped together and ordered from whenever
their first line was spoken up until their last. However, each line generally took a few takes to perfect
seeing as the actors in question weren’t exactly professionals, but rather members of my course of whom
I’d expected to slip up multiple times in planned anticipation, so there was no real pressure on my time
schedule due to said planning. From that point I was left alone to record the remaining sound effects, as
to prevent the pollution of audio from other members of the cast and with the equipment surrounding
me within the confines of the studio, I managed to create a range of effects using the most basic of
methods. Banging the table, jogging on the spot, flicking through stacks of paper, blowing into the mic,
scraping the walls, tapping the light fittings and knocking the backdrop were just several of the weird yet
effective ways I contributed towards my product, with each being implemented for the purpose of either
a natural sound effect e.g. walking and or for the purpose of creating an obscure otherworldly sound. I
think this culminated in a good array of sound bites, of which worked in cohesion to create a fairly
believable story, with one of the only aspects in need of improving being the run time which fell short of
the briefed expectation. I could have added to the run time by adding in more pointless sound effects or
stretch out the dialogue, whereby it would reach a point of meaningless subtext of which would be
seemingly obvious to the listener, therefore I decided against it and tried to keep to my original script as
best as possible. Although if I was actually going to improve it, the dialogue could have been better
delivered, which would have added to the effect I was trying to enforce as well as likely add to the run
time in the process, with some lines in the finished rendition being spoken to a pace which didn’t suit my
original planning, in turn bringing the overall run time down each time.

30. Technical QualitiesEditing was one of the tougher processes for this project seeing as I had never used the software
(adobe audition) prior to this point. That’s not to say its an overly complex program to get to grips
with, but it took a little while to understand the basics before anything could be edited to a higher
degree once added to the timeline. I started by ordering all of the dialogue from the first line to the
last as seen on the script, as to get a feel for the unaltered version of my vision and obviously it
wasn’t what I had perfectly envisioned, which lead me to the process of actually editing the audio
so it would better fit my perception. This process began with the trimming and manipulation of my
implemented sound bites as to give the timeline a smoother and more audibly pleasing run, with
some lines dragging for too long and or consisting of minor faults, the razor tool was used to rid of
such issues. Once done, I went onto implement my created sound effects which were added in
using separate audio channels as to differentiate the dialogue and effects from one another, giving
me a simpler time when managing the two. Once again the razor tool was used to cut out any
blatant issues within each bite and by that point I went onto edit specific effects individually, as to
give the impression of space within a scene or to further boost the intensity of a line of dialogue or
sound effect. This was achieved by selecting a track and editing it with the tools provided to the
right of the screen, of which allowed me to add SFX, reverb and much more; providing the sound
bite with an entirely different feel and further adding to the atmosphere I wished to create.
I used an array of Foley methods within my work, having practised beforehand during the
experiments phase of the process, with a majority of all my sound bites being produced by myself,
the materials surrounding me and an audio recorder to collect them. I tried to make it as least
plagiarised as possible therefore any effects which could be produced by myself I tried to create,
which could then be edited in post if need be to fit the theme of my story; with the only non-foley
elements within the production being the music and the added office ambience, as to add to both
the intensity and naturalistic aspects respectively.

31. Audience Appeal
When it comes to the matter of audience appeal I believe I stuck to my target
demographic with close precision. I kept to the bleak, eerie atmosphere I aimed to
create which was intended to resonate with my mature, male orientated audience
and I believe, seeing as the main character is already of the male orientation I
grabbed a crucial aspect of my audience from the offset, with the element of age
coming to fruition as they delve deeper into the show and find themselves
resonating with the relatable moments found within the production. Starting with
the naturalistic reactions of the character having to stay for an overtime shift,
which I believe all people within the realms of my own age i.e. between 16-20 can
understand the frustrations of such an undertaking, maybe not all from a job point
of view, but possibly through having to stay after college or school, which carries
with it the same basic concept for both scenarios. Furthermore, with the
unknown being carrying connotations of stress and anxiety catching up to you,
this too carries with it elements which can resonate with my target audience,
whom a majority of have had such issues at some pint in their lives, with the day
to day issues of mental and physical pressure weighing heavily on their shoulders
due to education, the natural process of growth and the rapid increase in
responsibility.