Soundscape
(Shifting Context)
For the Audio side of the shifting context project we had to create a musical track or use sounds that effectively matched the visuals of the project and made natural sense.
Process
I originally wanted to use the song "Motion Picture Soundtrack" by Radiohead in my project as I felt it worked best. But during the project we learned we had to create our own track as an assignment itself.
From here I was unsure what to do and Pjotr suggested I could analyse the song and create something of a similar feel without directly copying it of course.
I decided to learn what instruments were used which was mostly an organ and some synths throughout the track.
To me it seemed like the organ has some distortion to it too.
I learned what chords were used to help me match the sound of the original song.
Using the chords from Radioheads song as my basis I began to create the track using an organ inside of Ableton. I made my own adjustments to what felt correct so I didn't 100% stick to the original chords. I added some distortion effects to the organ which made it that bit more of an unnerving but interesting sound.
Above is the final version of the track I created. I decided to add some strings to add a more hopeful feeling as with just the organ it felt overwhelmingly sad which wasn't my goal.
This was the narration I recorded that would play with the audio track. They work in unison to give the emotion that I want the viewer/listener to feel.
On the left is the narration, soundtrack and the visuals together and how they look once combined. I purposefully chose to keep the audio from the videos you see inside the full video as it adds a more personal element to the overall project and improves the overall atmosphere.
In my installation I also included video clips from the inspiration "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind".
First version of the installation
In the final rendition of my installation I did not include the narration as my idea had shifted to a live performance of me reading said script aloud while I projected the visuals onto myself in unison with the music track in the background amplify emotion. Aside from removing the narration not much change was necessary in terms of the audio for this final version.
Synopsis
The goal with the audio of the installation was to truly amplify what the visuals attempt to showcase. As we all know that neither of these things work as well as they do in unison. Every decision surrounding the audio was purposeful and I really wanted to drive home a melancholic feeling and send the listener on their own journey even with just the audio alone. It begins with a sad overarching sound but becomes more hopeful as the track progresses. The inclusion of the raw audio from specific videos I included adds a personal element to the installation. Strings were included in the later half of the track as the organ alone can be quite sad especially combined with distortion.
Provoking emotion inside the listener was ultimately the goal of my soundtrack as part of the installation. It brings them on this journey of reflection and provokes a melancholic feeling
What I Learned
Finding out that both a visual and audio assignment would be combined was quite a shock when I heard it the first time. However I believe this enabled me to learn even more and consider a lot more aspects of an installation that I wouldn't have had they been separate.
Like I mentioned above I wanted to include a Radiohead track. Of course I was not able to do this but it allowed me to learn even more about analysing songs for my own specific needs leading me to create my own unique track which tailored even more to my idea.
A small thing I learned to do was be comfortable in removing aspects or completely altering parts of a project. The narration idea was something I saw as 100% necessary in my installation but through feedback and becoming more open I realised I could alter the initial concept to something far more powerful and moving.
