Sound

Today i was editing the sound, which i found very enjoyable. I personally think sound is crucial to a film and thus will spend as much time as i can to get it right:

I was merging in the sounds of the various cuts to give the film more flow. Fading conversations out over narrative and into over shots was another edit for continuity and flow i did.

I added background noises,to give continuity and to help set the scene in more of a wilder exotic place, birds chirping  crickets and the music.. I already at a bit of fire sound in the background but this was broken up with other sound. I wanted a sound that wasn't too sharp in the background when the narrative was playing. Finding these sounds was quite easy though i did struggle with the fire. I wanted the sound to be true to its nature, burning twigs and scrub sound different to the chairs bed and other unusual items acquired for the bonfire. The former is a more crackly sound whereas the MDF planks of the bed and chair etc sounded heavy and dull.I couldn't find this after looking through a load of you tube effects unfortunately so used a crackly sound. I'm probably being too fickle....

Originally in the hunt scene i had envision it in a field. But then on actually doing an anthropological study i realize this was quite out of place and changed the setting. in the original shoot i wanted to do the sound for it using didgeridoos and djembes but i did not think this would suit the new setting. I will layer the track for the credits tomorrow morning  using these instruments

For the Hunt in the bar i contemplated using contemporary music for backing, something along the lines of what we listen to more often then not in bars etc etc.

However i thought that using some different music from what one would expect in a bar one you exoticise the tribe somewhat which anthropological film makers have often been criticized for doing. 

I used some of the music me and my friends had been playing and recording during the summer of last year, during weeks of idleness. We did a few Hispanic and flamenco inspired recordings. One of the songs is a polka beat mariachi song called "My Love" which used a variety of colorful instruments and the other which was a loose cover of Buena Vista Social Clubs "Chan Chan" which followed the progression but and used Phrygian scales over the rhythmn. Phrygian scales are dominant in flamenco, gypsy and Arabic music. The music  to symbolizes the exotic heightens the juxtaposition of the ordinary nature of what your showing in the context of the satirical film. 

Also it was a nice touch to the film to be able to music crafted from your own instruments.