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Advanced Audio - TFT00047H

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  • Department: Theatre, Film, Television and Interactive Media
  • Module co-ordinator: Prof. Mariana Lopez
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: H
  • Academic year of delivery: 2024-25

Module summary

Interesting, exciting, original sound design has become, throughout the history of cinema and television, an increasingly important component of storytelling. It is an extremely creative and collaborative aspect of film and television production that requires imagination, intuition, the ability to communicate clearly new ideas to others as well as technical expertise.

This module will focus on sharpening the analytical, perceptual, listening and creative skills required for producing innovative sound design to enhance film and television narratives through the analysis of excerpts of works, screenings, and creative sound exercises. It will also advance the understanding of the workflows, team collaboration and technical production skills required for producing professional audio soundtracks. The module expands students' knowledge on sound production and postproduction to include surround sound workflows, together with the technical and creative skills involved in the production of surround sound soundtracks.

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Semester 1 2024-25

Module aims

This module aims:

  • To develop student understanding of the perceptual elements and creative skills required for producing innovative sound design to enhance film and television narratives.
  • To develop the technical production skills required for producing professional audio soundtracks in a surround sound format.
  • To develop a thorough understanding of the production and postproduction workflows and team collaboration required for creating a professional film and television soundtrack.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of this module you will:

  • Demonstrate a good understanding of the requirements of quality production and post-production sound recording.
  • Understand the role and responsibilities of the sound designer, their relationship to the dubbing mixer and sound editor, and their position within the overall production framework.
  • Develop critical listening and mixing skills for dialog, music, Foley and sound effects in multimedia productions.
  • Demonstrate good understanding of the translation from script to soundtrack design.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of sound effects creation through sound processing and layering.
  • Understand the industry standard post-production file exchange processes and workflows between video and audio.
  • Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of audio signal processing tools such as reverbs, compressors and EQ and their use in effectively creating the soundtrack.
  • Demonstrate the skills required to create pre-dub mixes, final mix and layback tracks.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the creative potential of surround sound formats, both in production and postproduction, and develop the necessary technical skills to record and mix in surround sound formats.

Assessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Report on technical and creative approach (2000 words)		 N/A 50
Practical
Practical audio assignment		 N/A 50

Special assessment rules

None

Additional assessment information

Formative work will include a short presentation by students on their ideas for a sound effects library, feedback will be given by the module tutor and there will be a chance to receive feedback from peers.

Students are also given exercises to work on during the practical sessions which result in the tutor being able to give them feedback on their practical skills.

A report writing workshop is also part of this module.

Reassessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Report on technical and creative approach (2000 words)		 N/A 50
Practical
Practical audio assignment		 N/A 50

Module feedback

You will receive written feedback in line with standard University turnaround times.

Indicative reading

These are just some examples of reading that you will be encouraged to engage with throughout the module, other texts will be available and recommended on a week by week basis to support your learning.

Ament, V, (2009) The Foley Grail: The Art of Performing Sound for Film, Games, and Animation, Focal Press/Elsevier.

Ouzounian, G, (2021) Stereophonica: Sound and Space in Science, Technology, and the Arts, MIT Press.

Roginska, A and Geluso, (2018) Immersive sound: the art and science of binaural and multi-channel audio, Routledge.

Sonnenschein, D (2001) Sound Design: The expressive power of music, voice, and sound effects in cinema, Michael Wiese Productions.


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University is constantly exploring ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary by the University. Where appropriate, the University will notify and consult with affected students in advance about any changes that are required in line with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.