If you think the only part about the sound of your movie you should worry about is how to get Fergie and Taylor Swift on your soundtrack, think again. There is much more to movie sound than playing the right pop song at the right moment.
The sound effects, for one thing, should be considered in every scene of your movie.Is the killer slicing someone’s guts out? You’ll need to create the sound of flesh being cut without actually cutting your actor’s flesh. Are your characters going over a waterfall? You might have the boat jostling around pretty well, but do you have the rushing sound of the falls in the background?
Without these aspects, your scene is going to lack its auditory depth, which will detract from the film as well as the viewers’ experience.
You may also have some conceptual sound involved in your scene. If you’re looking for an abstract, satirical or otherwise offbeat feel, you may want to get the help–or at least the advice–of a sound designer.
He or she can help you with montage sequences (think of the “Gonna Fly Now” scenes from the Rocky movies), inserting ironic song choices into scenes (such as how “Singin’ in the Rain” was used in A Clockwork Orange), or using unusual sound choices for key moments in the film (monkey chatter being used over human voices to illustrate idiocy, for example).
You’ll also have to strategically record all of your sound with appropriate use of microphones and recording devices. For this, the help of a sound recordist can be invaluable. He or she can help direct you with exactly what equipment you will need–and be able to get with your budget–as well.
Finally, your sound will have to be edited before your film is complete. You will need some sort of sound editing equpiment, and may want to ask a sound editor for help with this.
Tags: cheap movie making, conceptual sound, movie making on a budget, movie sound, sound designer, sound editor, sound recordist