I completely redesigned all aspects of sound in this short film " Shinsen", encompassing sound effects, ambience, foley sounds and musical score. The sound design for the short film aims to reflect the protagonist's emotional journey. It utilizes both musical score and sound effects, predominantly unpleasant and activated sounds. The protagonist's emotions transition from anxious to terrified to depressed as he encounters strange occurrences and the menacing Shinsen. Techniques like blending, breaking, and bending are employed to manipulate sounds, creating immersion and amplifying the character's emotions. Volume adjustments coincide with visual shifts, enhancing the narrative's intensity. Low frequencies and high magnitude sound emphasize Shinsen's imposing presence. Overall, the sound design effectively underscores the protagonist's tumultuous inner world and the ominous atmosphere of the film.
Video was sourced from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zryiuZcONlY&ab_channel=CGMeetup
Objective points of the video:
1. Moving swiftly through the forest – feeling uneasy
2. Taking the offering from Shinsen's shrine – experiencing nervousness
3. Escaping upon hearing eerie noises – feeling frightened and vigilant
4. Reaching a deserted village – feeling dismayed
5. Collapsing and awakening beneath the sword – experiencing intense emotions and fear
6. Pursued by Shinsen – feeling intense fear and pressure
7. Captured by Shinsen – overwhelmed with sadness and despair, realizing escape is futile
The sound design for this short film serves to articulate the main character's emotional journey and enhance the storytelling. By combining a musical score and sound effects, I have crafted a soundscape that vividly expresses the character's inner world and the narrative's emotional shifts.
The initial sound cues reflect the character's anxiety as he flees a battlefield, dressed as a soldier with a sword and troubled eyes. As he stops in front of a sculpture of Shinsen, a Japanese god, the sound transitions to a low-arousal state, signifying his fatigue and hunger. This shifts back to high arousal when he nervously looks around, fearing someone might see him steal the oblation—a sacrilegious act. The anxiety remains heightened as he hears strange noises, drops his sword, and runs to a village.
Upon reaching the village, the sound calms, mirroring his initial relief. However, it soon turns distressing when he realizes no one is there to help him. Strange noises reoccur, causing the arousal level to rise again, leading to a headache and fainting—where the sound drops to very low arousal. The peak of terror comes when Shinsen comes to life, carrying his sword with intent to kill, accompanied by the film's highest arousal level. As Shinsen morphs into a spider-like monster and chases him, the sound maintains its high intensity. When the character enters a temple, the door shuts behind him, and he finds his sword among many similar Shinsen sculptures, indicating Shinsen's home. Realizing there's no escape, his emotional state turns to passive acceptance of death, with the arousal level dropping to low and deactivated at the end.
Technically, I employed bending, blending, and breaking sound techniques. Blending sounds of rain, wind, and a subtle drone creates an immersive atmosphere. The breaking method distorts background sounds to heighten feelings of anxiety and fear. Bending transitions the emotional tones from anxious to fearful and ultimately to depressed in the final scene. Additionally, sound volume adjusts from quieter to louder as the visual perspective moves from distant to close. Low-frequency, high-magnitude sounds underscore Shinsen's menacing presence, making him seem both enormous and terrifying.
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