Sound: adding emotions to artwork - CreativeMindClass Blog
Phil Brookes is a music composer and sound designer who hails from Wales. He worked alongside TedEd, Greenpeace, Tate, Medium, Passion, Strangebeast as well as other. His music and sound design were also featured at major events like Cannes, BFI London, GLAS and Giffoni with multi-award-winning films.
In this interview the interviewer will discuss how Phil came about becoming an artist and read his tips for how to begin your journey into the world of sounds. In addition, take a look at the musical details of a great Socks project that he created together with Eva Munnich.
Phil Brookes' background
I'm a music composer and sound designer from Wales within the UK.
As far back as I can recall, I've always been attracted to music, sounds, and even voices. Falling asleep in front of the washing machine when I was a kid, hypnotized by its drones (appropriate for the kind of project I'll be talking about!) is the first time I've heard a sound.
I began to mimic funny accents and voices.
My father was an obsessive music lover and would make use of recording equipment to make noises in his voice, and apply effects like delay and reverb on his voice to make it more enjoyable. I would mimic him and people like Jim Carrey and Robin Williams by using a small dictaphone, and copy all of the funny accents and voices they would come up with.
Prince
My older brother played guitar, and it was his love for music and specifically the multi-instrumentalist Prince that really rubbed off on me. When my brother moved out the guitar he had left behind, and as an adult, I took it as a tool to educate myself enough to start writing as well as recording my music. I was attempting to make the sounds that I seen on records or television and making my own sound to the existing material.
That passion for using whatever resources I had to create or recreate sound remains what drives me to push myself today. I am awestruck by the challenges to learn as I make and my favorite way to write is in the moment. Improvising, experimenting, jamming.
I taught myself piano and synthesizer to compose the tune for 'But Milk is important'.
My obsession took me into The University of South Wales in Cardiff, where I met an awesome animator named Eirik Gronmo Bjornsen. The animator returned to Norway and created a short film together with Anna Mantzaris called 'But Milk is Important'.
I taught myself piano and synth to create the music that was used in the film, and since making the film I've assumed sound design roles too, and continue to create.
The X-Files Project, aka the "Socks Project"
Recently I worked alongside the incredible visual artist Eva Munnich, on the third of the three Lemonade Insurance projects I've created the music and sound for.
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The Lemonade videos are humorous fifteen to thirty seconds of short animated videos that are designed to be looped. Eva's project had a strong sci-fi/extraterrestrial theme to it, and so she had some great ideas about music and sound.
9 times out 10 it is my intention to start by creating the sound, since the atmosphere I create will most likely inspire me musically.
We've also had a conversation with Eva about her process for creating visuals and animation for the X-Files project. Listen to the interview with Eva Munnich.
The voice, Eva liked the voices I'd performed in the previous TedEd animation that I created along with Lisa Vertudaches.
In that video I had pitched my vocals drastically. It was thought by the animator that this might be suitable for the specific sock and requested that I shout "yay" in this voice. While recording the "yay" I kept it rolling and added the "seeya" just before the sock entered the UFO.
Eva loved it and it was kept in. The rest of the voices were improvised and created according to what I could see.
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If the washer were to have a voice and a voice, the machine would sound low.
To contrast the high voice of the sock, I lowered my voice for the washing machine. Since the machine is large which is quite large, I thought as if if it had some voice, it'd possess some depth. I mixed these with the foley and mixed to create the perfect sound for music to be put on.
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I was a fan of the X-Files music as a kid.
Musically, Eva thought it would be fun to make something inspired by the theme from The X-Files, which I enjoyed immensely as I loved that music when I was a child!
As with the majority of projects I've worked on I use an animatic (almost like a moving storyboard) that the animator gives me to gain a sense of the timeframe, etc.
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I like sci-fi film soundtracks and game soundtracks.
I am a fan of different genres of music, and this includes sci-fi films and soundtracks for games, so in addition to reference to the X Files theme, I had an idea of what instruments might work well within this particular genre.
I used mainly synth-based instruments drones, basses, and drones to lay the foundation of the sound. The drones were layered to capture the right atmosphere and representing the beam that emits from the ufo to abduct our sock.
I made an incredibly powerful drum by layering two kick drum samples and adding reverb and delay. I also added a delaying synth which pans from left to right to make it seem more engaging. The final synth I played with was the pattern of six notes that repeats itself through.
Whistling can be a wonderful personal element that can be added to the music.
It was time to take an inspiration from X-Files and incorporate a delay piano pattern as well as a whistle. I love whistling and find it's generally a great factor to include in a piece of music. I originally recorded some bass guitar parts too However, I found that they did not fit with the synthesized tone I was trying to achieve.
Piano pattern
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An alarm
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Creating an atmosphere in fifteen seconds isn't easy.
I truly enjoyed working with Eva the way she worked, and her shorter-form style is extremely exciting and fun to create within. While it's fast however, it's an enormous amount of work and has its own difficulties.
Making and creating an ambience in just 15 seconds by using music can be a challenge, and composing a melody that doesn't sound like it was recorded in a hurry is a challenge too.
They are the kinds of challenges that I love, though, and since Eva's video, I've been working on two additional enjoyable Lemonade projects! The process videos of them on my site as well as on my Instagram.
How to begin creating sound for images
If you want to start putting sound to the visual world, there's currently more creative methods to achieve this than ever before, and there is really no better time to do it than now.
- If you have some creative spark, you should go with it whatever direction it takes to. One of the best ways to begin with your creations is to design something you love and show your creation to others.
- Send messages to budding filmmakers who are in the same boat like you.they are always looking for help with sound, and they might be able to establish a connection.
- The first step is to get started at some point. I was making ambient music prior to the time I thought about the possibilities to pursue a career in film and, luckily, there was an animation department in my school, however prior to it, I'd created and created enough sound and music that it made sense for me to pursue the path that presented itself.
- Make friends with others who are creative; that's what collaboration is all about. If you are fortunate enough to be located in an area that has festival nights, film nights or other events, attend them and get to know individuals.
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