Creativity Goes Digital

You all know the sounds: the t-rex roar in Jurassic Park, Darth Vader’s breathing in Star Wars, the bullwhip snap from Raiders of the Lost Arc. Great sound effects make a difference in your movie-watching experience by creating mood, tension, realism and enhancing the storytelling experience. Students in Richard Grasso’s Music Performance and Technology class at BHS are creating original sounds for videos just like the professionals.

 

In this hands-on class, which is open to all students and is a yearlong elective, students explore lighting and sound design production in the BHS Performing Arts Center, as well as technical music and theatre terminology and skills used in performances and productions such as plays, musicals, concerts, and other events. Students will spend units exploring live recording as well, including podcast recording and creating original electronic music. 

 

“This is our demo workshop or inspiration day,” said Grasso, “You are going to come up with your own sound effects to lay over a video of your choice. Look around the room and ask yourself, what can I use to make a sound? You don’t need a million dollars. You can record your shoes walking across the floor, crinkle paper, pour water from a bottle, blow into the microphone for wind. Be original.”

 

The class watches a clip of Back to the Future 3 without any sound. The clip features Michael J. Fox at the wheel of the infamous DeLorean time machine-which has no gasoline–and Doc Brown using a steam train to push the car to the required speed of 88 mph.  The class watches the silent video and then guesses what sound effects are in the scene.

 

Train chugging, horse running, explosion, scream, car revving up, typing in codes, wind blowing are just a few of the effects mentioned.

 

Using a Behringer high-tech microphone, which is much more powerful than your standard iphone microphone, and Behringer mixer and Logic Pro software, students get to work creating their own sound effects.

 

Erin Milby waves her sheet music next to the microphone to create wind. Then she taps the microphone with a blue folder for thunder.

 

The software is very user-friendly, especially for someone who has experience.

 

“I use Logic Pro at home when I record myself playing ukulele. It’s not hard,” said Erin.

 

A group of three students are creating the sound of typing on a keyboard by tapping on an electronic keyboard. Another group who has selected their own video from the Amazing World of Gumball plans to tap two metal rods together for a fight scene. 

 

“We get to experiment with different equipment, which is cool, " said Justin Pesantez. “We created a podcast and worked with stage lighting. It’s been a unique experience.”