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savps-blog · 5 years ago

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Sound + Vision: Week 7

Following our formative assessments, I’d spent a lot of time over the past week rethinking the concept behind my visual materials for the MEADOWS festival. Mike and David were absolutely right in much of what they said, and I was determined to improve upon what I already had in-line with the feedback they had given me. One of the big issues was my concept, and I’ve decided to take the visuals in a different direction. Informed by the percussive, almost Japanese nature of my soundtrack, my visuals will now be focusing on the cherry blossoms that bloom in the Meadows in Spring, which is when my festival will be held. I’m hoping to salvage the typography used within my previous concept and to adapt it to this new one, but of course, if it doesn’t work well I’ll be finding a different solution for the typography. At this early stage, I’m not certain how I’ll be incorporating blossoms into the animation within my visual materials, but I’m quite excited to play around with this.

Trailer Pre-Production:

Anywho, this week we had a pre-production workshop with David in order to make a start on our trailers for the MEADOWS festival. I was actually quite excited to get started on my trailer, it was a good opportunity for me to begin developing a new concept for my visuals and I was very keen to see where I could go with a fresh direction. David kicked off the workshop by showing us his process for planning and creating a music video for MIAOUX MIAOUX within After Effects, which was actually incredibly interesting to see. I always enjoy seeing how other people work, and then trying to implement parts of their process into mine to see if it makes me work more efficiently.

Whilst presenting his process for planning motion graphics, David handed us all a quite comprehensive hand-out that gave an overview of the pre-production and production stages of a motion graphics project. This hand-out ran through different steps in the production process, such as scripting, storyboarding, animatics, scheduling, animating etc, and gave us some rough guidelines for how we should go about working in each stage of the production process.

Notes from David’s presentation of his working process for motion graphics

We were also given templates by David for the production outline, script, and AV script. The outline is exactly that, an outline of the concept behind my motion graphics. The script is a description of what would actually be happening within my motion graphics; and the AV script is an even more detailed version of the script, and outlines what’s happening within the motion graphics, at what time, whilst what audio is playing, etc.

For the remainder of the workshop, David had asked us to first fill out our production outline and script, then he would give us some quick feedback on our plan before we moved on to filling out our AV script. My primary concept for my visuals was now to salvage the typography from my pre-formative outcomes, and bring those in to new visuals that focused on cherry blossoms, which are informed by both the cherry blossoms that bloom on the Meadows in the spring, as well as the Japanese-percussive style of my soundtrack. Within my outline and script, I planned to animate cherry blossom petals in different ways, and then to use these animations to reveal different pieces of text with details of the festival, such as times, location, acts etc. I also wanted to time and coordinate these animations with different sections of my sound, in order to bring a greater cohesion between my visuals and my soundtrack.

Outline and Script for my MEADOWS trailer

I then ran through my outline and script with David. He quite liked my new concept which I was super relieved to hear. David suggested that I try and make my shots dynamic rather than just panning for each and every shot as this may not hold the audience too well. He also remarked that I could try and end my trailer by cutting to my final scene rather than panning back as I initially planned. I’m glad that David had commented on the panning, as I hadn’t really thought about retaining the audience through the duration of the trailer, so I’ll be sure to include some variance in how I animate the different shots in order to keep my audience engaged.

Feedback from David on my Outline and Script

Towards the end of the pre-production workshop, I began working on my AV script. It had been specified that our trailer was to be 30 seconds long, and my soundtrack had roughly 5 second sections that I could time my animation with, so I split the time column of my AV script into 0-5 seconds, 5-10 seconds etc. Next I wrote some quick notes under the audio column so I could tell what sound would be playing at different points in the trailer. I matched these different parts up with the times I had just wrote down, to create a sort of map of how my soundtrack would build up, reach it’s climax, and recede back down again. Alongside these times and audio notes, under the action column, I then wrote what I planned to happen on screen at each section of the trailer. For this I mainly used my script and made some slight changes to a few sections based on David’s feedback. Finally, for the notes column, I wrote down a few details for each section regarding things I wasn’t sure of yet and would figure out whilst I was designing the trailer. I did this to ensure I didn’t forget about certain or smaller details that I might need to amend later on during the production stage.

Completed AV script

Right at the end of the workshop, David had asked us all to produce an animatic for Week 8 that would act as a draft of our trailer. This ‘draft’ would help to work out the timings for each scene, whether parts of the soundtrack fitted well with certain scenes, etc.

Storyboarding, Soundtrack Editing & Animatic:

The next day, I began drawing up a rough storyboard for my trailer using a template provided to me by David. I used my AV script to fill in the details of the scene, such as timings and scene details, and then I began to draw rough sketches of what I planned to happen in each scene. I had split each scene to coincide with different parts of my soundtrack, and in total at this stage I had around 6 scenes, with 2 or 3 of those scenes incorporating multiple shots. These scenes were all based on the idea I had to use cherry blossoms to reveal information about the festival throughout the trailer.

MEADOWS Trailer Storyboard

Before moving on to creating my animatic, I first needed to make one last change to my soundtrack. The current version of my soundtrack was double the length of time we had allocated for the trailer, and so I needed to rearrange the elements within my sound to shorten it’s length so that it wouldn’t run longer than the trailer itself, and also so that it would sync up with the timings I had designated for the different shots and scenes.

I jumped back into Audition, and began moving around the different elements within my soundtrack in order to shorten it’s length. I quite liked where my soundtrack was at and how it sounded, so I decided not to make any drastic changes to it’s structure. Rather I simply halved the length of each element within the soundtrack and repositioned them; this made the soundtrack feel like it was running a bit quicker than it should, but the main character of the sound was still there. I tightened up the position of each element, and exported the sound out of Audition. Given this new draft fits well with my trailer, I shouldn’t have to make any further changes to it, and thus this will be the final version of my soundtrack.

Trimmed down soundtrack structure within Adobe Audition

https://clyp.it/0npb4mru

Link to hear MEADOWS Soundtrack Final

With my soundtrack ready to go, and my storyboard completed, I then set about creating an animatic for my trailer. For this I decided to simply scan in the sketches on my storyboard, drop them into Premiere Pro, and time them accordingly with my soundtrack. At this point, I wasn’t too sure of the ideas I had on my storyboard, and so I didn’t want to jump the gun and start designing different elements before I had first gotten feedback on the idea itself, and how it flowed with the soundtrack. The animatic indeed looked quite rough, but it worked well at communicating how different scenes and shots would be displayed within the trailer according to the timing of different elements within the soundtrack.

vimeo

MEADOWS Trailer Animatic

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leapingtitan · 7 years ago

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Re:CREATORS Original Soundtrack — Review

Yeah, I’m doing this. I started this like 2 weeks ago but didn’t have that much time to listen through the whole thing. Regardless, I have heard every song that Sawano has made for this series and I plan to watch the anime sometime in summer.

Now, to make clear what exactly I will be sharing my opinions on, I have listened to both discs of the OST, the Rearrange CD and the gravityWall/shØut album for Re:CREATORS.

The way I’ll do this is, I will post the notes I took when I listened to each of the songs for the first time and give my overall rating (1-10) at the end. Also, if you haven’t heard the OST but want to experience it fresh, this post may be full of music spoilers (NOT spoilers from the anime, obviously) for you. Whatever works best for you, of course.

Let’s do this.

Disc 1

01. God of Ink

First song! Without a doubt, kicks off very strong and slowly becomes more and more epic. Glad to get a new solo mpi song. I’m afraid it’s been a while since I’ve heard one of those.

Anyway, the instruments used are great, though it gets slightly but very subtly repetitive around the 2nd chorus. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the song but I expected it to be a little more… uplifting?

I expect the instrumental at the end will give me a better grasp of the feel. But the lyrics are great! Probably my favorite element of the song.

Rating: 8.5/10

02. rE:CRe@T0RS

Classic Sawano. It’s not a Sawano score if one of the tracks isn’t named after the series it’s used in. Well, apart from that, once again very intense start.

This initially gave me the vibe of a surprise battle that happens in the middle of the city. (Don’t tell me if I’m right about this by the way).

Overall, nicely put together in terms of sections. The middle kind of dulled out on me but the beginning and end.. just right.

Rating: 9.5/10

03. Re:3$penS

Okay so. First of all.. that bass. I’m assuming with some of these songs, the way I would enjoy them more would be to see the scene in the anime. I’m looking forward to this one specifically, as it imposes a feeling of danger and mystery.

Very nice! The drums and guitar stand out the most, but it’s honestly so good overall.

Rating: 9/10

04. 4GL4yu8RE:E

Now this is what I’m talking about. Fast-paced theme which would fit any action scene! I love it. The orchestra stands out the most but the percussion… give me. I love the overall upbeat sound of it.

Now, the second half gave me chills. That piano was amazing and the drop… man, I don’t know what to say. Amazing song.

Rating: 9.5/10

05. Hey39-udn

Well, nothing too impressive about the first half. The second part, however, is the definition of lit. I love the synth honestly.. like, very upbeat.

This is the first song on this OST I’ve heard so far that hypes you this much. (Barricades is the last song that gave me this vibe).

Rating: 8/10

06. RE:3343

Before Listening

I’ve seen memes about this song and its name. And memes are good. Expectations are high, but let’s see if they sail high on the high winds.

After Listening

Okay, well.. this was not what I expected lmao. It sounds like it’s on the Grenzlinie borderline of being either a “standard” track or an atmospheric/ambience track.

I like it, though! Gives off this weird feeling of hollowness but also.. hope? Not the best way to describe, it I know. But the subtle sounds in the background are very nice.

Rating: 9/10

07. HERE I AM

Am I listening to Sawano or is this vocaloid?

I’m just joking. I love this song.

Though... this sounds like it’s supposed to be an ED rather than an actual theme but considering how different it is than gravityWall, I’m just gonna guess that I’m wrong about that one.

I can only imagine what kind of character or scene this is used in. Honestly though, it made me laugh. It’s quite cheerful and upbeat and the lyrics are gold. I’m not kidding. Actually.. screw it. This one gets the perfect rating from me. GG Sawano.

Rating: 10/10

08. 2109-a8Ru件

Yo. YO. I’m going around giving perfect ratings as if it was free… well.. that’s what it feels like at least.

BOI. I can jam to this.

This is nice. This is very good.

The Daily Life from the snk soundtrack is a great chill song but this outclasses it in every way. I love the percussion and the folk-ish sound at the beginning. Honestly like this is perfect in every way. One of the best tracks so far, no doubt!

Rating: 10/10

09. AL:Lu

Before Listening

Okay, this one…. Let’s see… how should I put this. I’ve seen thoughts about this song, mainly people saying it’s the best one. I have high expectations and I’m bracing myself for a slow, sad vocal song.

If I’m wrong then you’re probably laughing while reading this. Here we go.

After Listening

…Okay. Well. I. Uhm. Uhhhhhhhhh. LMAO Okay so. AHAHAHAHAHAH. GODDAMN IS THIS HYPE.

For the record, this is the first Eliana song I’ve heard. Apparently she was in Kabaneri as well? I don’t remember, but this is is new. AND IT’S AWESOME. GODDAMN SON!

The lyrics are amazing, the song gets you hyped and… yeah Eliana is awesome. I am definitely going back to listen to this later.

Note while writing this post

I’ve probably listened to this song like 40 times already and I have exactly zero regrets.

Rating: 10/10

10. 高度8b6n

Wow. This song is just pure hype. The badass guitar.. and that bass. Toshino Tanabe my boi, how did I not know who you were earlier so I could praise you.

Honestly though, this one is great in terms of pacing, speed and intensity, so to say. I imagine the scene this is used in (if it’s already been used) is memorable. So far so good! I love it!

Rating: 9.5/10

11. 8sawOGRE6

This sounds like one of those tracks made for a purposely attractive female villain.

Oh well. I like it, but it doesn’t stand out that much. Well, the middle does. I love the drums and the “hype” but apart from that, nothing too much. Still an amazing feel, though.

Rating: 8/10

12. Layers

Before Listening

First a song that has “OGRE” in the title and then a song named “Layers”? What? Did Sawano browse Shrek memes for 5 hours before naming these songs? Well… I hope so because that would be dank.

Anyway, I’ve also seen this one get a lot of praise and impatience when people were waiting for it. Let’s take a look and see what we get.

After Listening

Okay this was interesting! The lyrics definitely raise some questions though I already have an idea of what the concept of the series is. It’s good!

I haven’t heard an Aimee Blackschleger song in a long time, the last time being Release My Soul MOD and DOA.

Some parts are pure hype while others are just headbang material. I can’t quite say which one it leans to or.. if it’s the same or not, though lol. But I like it!

Also, it’s 4:20 minutes long. Dank af boi.

Rating: 420/69 9.5/10

13. re:pianohi1tars

This, my friends, is a piano masterpiece. It gives off so many emotions at once it’s hard to keep track of it. Like, the fast pacing and the “epicness” behind it is just mind-blowing.

It’s a balanced track that doesn’t go in too many directions but it delivers the feeling it’s trying to convey JUST right. Nice one!

Rating: 9/10

14. ∞GodMachine

Note Before Listening

This sounds like it’s going to be an all out grand and heavy orchestra. I’ve seen SOME talks about this one, so I’m bracing myself.

After Listening

Well. I’m not TOO impressed by the second half, but the first one is great! I love the part before the transition to the second part.. if that makes sense.

The percussion and synth is very pleasant to listen to, though it isn’t nearly as “hype” if you may… not counting the first half. Great song overall but not too many highlights for me… but still great dontgetmewrong.

Rating: 8.5/10

15. ABYSSwaltz

The song title is cool. Everything else… not so cool.

Seriously, Gemie’s German pronunciations shorten my lifespan with each millisecond. The song itself doesn’t sound TOO bad but it’s not really something I can enjoy that much or.. interpret, I guess.

The lyrics kind of work, but.. well… yeah... not really much of a highlight.

Rating: 6.5/10

16. Pf:Creators

I laughed at the last 3 seconds. This is gold. Did I mention how much I love chill songs I can just jam to? I love it, honestly.

Kind of repetitive at parts but I can kind of visualize the scene it’s used in. Good stuff indeed.

Rating: 9/10

17. 音:9RE:eita-zu

This one was long. Or, I guess you can say… zu long. It’s nice, though!

I am especially fond of the last minute and a half, though the rest of the orchestra throughout the track doesn’t stand out to me as much.

It’s enjoyable to listen to but not too many highlights. The instruments used are mind-blowing, however and have all of my yes.

Rating: 9/10

18. BRAVE THE OCEAN

Yep. Eliana is definitely on her way to being my favorite female vocalist. Honestly... amazing and powerful voice which conveys a strong feeling.

As for the song itself, I wouldn’t say it’s something I would listen to extensively. It’s upbeat and.. sounds like an ED song at the end of a cour or a really happy episode. Can’t quite put my finger on it.

The lyrics are fine, though I guess it’s a tiny bit too upbeat for me. HERE I AM nailed that aspect though, to avoid contradicting myself.

Rating: 8.5/10

Disc 2

01. E:verydaytor1

This song has like… so many parts. I like the cheerful and uplifting tone of the last few minutes, but overall I feel like putting so many different tones in one track is a bit overkill, even for Sawano.

Regardless, I really like the last 2 minutes but overall it’s a bit excessive and not enough highlights.

Rating: 7/10

02. Pf:CreatorsII

Before Listening

Oh, there’s a sequel to Pf:Creators. Okay.

After Listening

Oh, it’s completely different than the first one. Lmao.

I love me some good piano. So relaxing and soothing… idk what else to say about it but it pulls your heartstrings. I imagine the scene this is used in at.

Rating: 9/10

03. E:verydaytor2

Before Listening

Uhh… okay. Sequel again? Is there some kind of pattern here that I am missing?

After Listening

Okay, I get it. I see the remaining tracks below and it seems like these are the atmospheric tracks with consecutive naming patterns… familiar and typicial of Sawano. It’s like Disc 2 of Snk S2 all over again lmao.

Anyways I like how cheerful this is but it really didn’t stick out to me that much. It’s an average track so to say.

Rating: 7/10

04. Pf:CreatorsIII

A TRILOGY!

Now this I can get behind! Creepy, kind of sad and kind of… foreshadowing something to happen. Hard to describe but it’s that good feeling of creepiness.

Rating: 9.5/10

05. SawElephant4

Before Listening

TFW Sawano breaks his own naming combo. YouSawBIGGELEPHA/N:T???

After Listening

Damn. Bury me under all of those creepy strings. I love it honesty. Near-flawless choice of instruments and composition and very interesting to listen to.

Very fond of the entire song and not just certain sections. I can get behind this, honestly.

Rating: 9.5/10

06. Pf:CreatorsIV

Before Listening

Not a trilogy anymore... nevermind.

After Listening

Ah, here we go. The first song I’ve heard on this OST that almost made me cry. Seriously... the piano songs are always the sneaky ones. Damn ninjas cutting onions. Amazing piece.

Rating: 10/10

07. E:verydaytor3

…This song is just funny. Lmao.

The percussion and perfectly placed sound effects are the catchiest thing I’ve heard in a long time. I want to watch the anime just to see where this is used in, to be honest.

Rating: 9.5/10

08. Pf:CreatorsV

What beautiful piano. It’s a really soothing and catching song that messes with your feelings. I love it.

It doesn’t have too many highlights for me to point out but it’s a nice song. Somewhat average but quite nice nonetheless.

Rating: 8/10

09. God-ground2SAY310

I feel like this is one of those songs where I need to listen to it multiple times to actually appreciate it enough.

It has an interest instrument choice, but for an “atmospheric” track, I’d say it’s slightly weak. It’s not necessarily a bad song but I guess it conveys what it’s trying to convey.

Rating: 6.5/10

10. Pf:CreatorsVI

Creepy atmospheric piano track FTW.

To be completely honest, it’s average. But because of my personal enjoyment and love for creepy, slow, ominous music, I think I can dig it. A lot.

Rating: 9/10

11. E:verydaytor4

Have I mentioned how much I love upbeat folk jams? Because I do.

This one gets it. I’m kind of curious about the second half as it sounds like it would play in the last few seconds of the series finale… not that I would know.

Either way, this one gets the one and only perfect rating because of that first half. Amazing.

Rating: 10/10

12. DA-world2HEN90

Woah, this one was short.

Anyway, nice soothing guitar! I love me some of that. I wish I could say more about this one to be honest but that’s really it.

Nice guitarist you got there, Sawano.

Rating: 9/10

13. God of ink (Instrumental)

I love it. It’s a very good standalone song and works just as fine as it does without mpi’s vocals.

Don’t get be wrong, I love both versions but with this one I can appreciate the guitar more!

Also, I’m a sucker for slides. lmao

Rating: 9/10

14. HERE I AM (Instrumental)

I’m.. not even gonna say anything.

This song just makes you happy. That’s it.

Both with and without the vocals, it’s catchy af just makes you smile and laugh. I love them both.

Rating: 10/10

15. Layers (Instrumental)

Oh... OH.

Holy fuck.

That guitar and those drums… sorry Aimee, this version is a lot better.

I dare say this is the best song on the entire OST.. if not, I’m putting it in the same league as AL:Lu. A ridiculously good Sawano piece and one that I will definitely come back to. I didn’t expect it to be this good since I wasn’t TOO impressed with vocals for Layers (I mean I love it but it isn’t really a highlight for me) but…

Yeah.

This is perfection and pure badass.

Rating: 10/10

16. BRAVE THE OCEAN (Instrumental)

Aaaaand yeah. This is ALSO better than the vocals, as much as I like Eliana after AL:Lu.

Goddamn it. This is really nice to listen to, especially after the second half when the guitar kicks in. I thought the song was slightly too upbeat for my taste but this I can get behind. Quite chilling and nice to listen to!

Rating: 10/10

Rearrange CD

01. God of ink <MODv>

Okay. I prefer this more than the original version. Those drums are lovely and so is the extra piano. I’m glad they kept the original riff, but like.. the drums.

Too good. Out of the three versions that this song has, I still like the instrumental of the original the most, though this one is the better vocal version in my opinion.

Rating: 10/10

02. Layers <MODv>

HOLY SHIT THAT GUITAR RIFF!! CHILL SAWANO OH MY GOD I WAS NOT READY.

Okay the strings are kind of… not sure. I like the drums. If this one had an instrumental I guess I would appreciate it more but to be honest this is great!

Putting it on equal terms with the original as they both have their own unique things about them. This one makes heavier use of instruments but the original is more upbeat and intense. When it all comes down to, I prefer the instrumental of the original here as well, obviously.

Rating: 9.5/10

03. BRAVE THE OCEAN <MODv>

Okay, this one works a lot better. I can actually listen to the lyrics a lot easier with a lighter use of techno-ish drums. I love them a lot, especially after the first chorus.

Overall, this is definitely better than the original BRAVE THE OCEAN and conveys a much brighter feeling, at least from my perspective.

Rating: 10/10

gravityWall/shØut

Note: For the record, this is not really a “Blind” listen because I already heard all of these songs yesterday when they came out (I couldn’t contain myself). The same goes for gravityWall, which I’ve heard a while ago, but regardless, I will share my thoughts on all of them per procedure, and one of these holds the title of Best Song.

01. gravityWall

The first OP! I have to admit, I kind of skimmed through it when the TV-Size version came out with the anime. I don’t know why.

But when the full version came out, I listened the fuck out of it. I love it, honestly. Gemie and Tielle make an amazing combination. I could complain about Tielle’s lyric-writing skills during the English parts, but it still works, I guess. Amazing song.

Rating: 9.5/10

02. gravityWall (Instrumental)

This song works better with vocals. It’s nice to listen to, but I don’t think it’s good enough to be its own song. Like I said, Gemie and Tielle make the best combo and it worked perfectly with the vocals. But without them... eh, not really.

Rating: 7.5/10

03. shØut

Here it is. The one and only. After having listened to every single song Sawano has made for Re:CREATORS, this one takes the cake for my number 1 favorite. Only HAIRS ahead of Layers (Instrumental). and the next song you will see below. I love it.

Funny thing. Originally my favorite was AL:Lu, but I really loved gravityWall. Then again, gravityWall is an OP so it obviously needs to have a different and better sound than the soundtrack pieces.

Well, with this song, it’s not a problem. Because shØut is AL:Lu made into an OP. Like.. WHAT?! Fucking perfect. It’s so satisfying to actually acknowledge this song’s existence yet alone listen to it. Sawano delievered. Perfect. Did I mention Gemie and Tielle do the combo again? Just... No words.

Rating: 10/10

04. shØut (Instrumental)

HAHA. Even without the Tiellie Combo™ (that’s what I’m calling it now, deal with it), this sound still kicks your ass either way.

I just feel bad putting it and its vocal version to compete, but I can listen to both depending on what mood I am in.

Although I said shØut was my favorite, in reality I love both of these equally. None is better. I put the vocal version on there but I don’t like one more than the other. Just kill me if I need to choose one. The chorus without vocals especially is too badass for it.

Rating: 10/10

05. oldToday

From what I have gathered, this is a standalone song that is neither part of the OST, nor is it used anywhere.

It should be. It’s.. just so beautiful. I don’t dig the beginning too much the second half is just amazing. Bury me with it because it’s so beautiful... just.. perfection. If you want to cry of happiness, this is of you.

Rating: 10/10

Results (Average Rating)

Disc 1: 8.94

Disc 2: 8.31

Rearrange CD: 9.83

gravityWall/shØut: 9.40

Final Rating: 9.12

Conclusion

Overall, I would say this OST is simply amazing. To be perfectly honest, there are only a handful of songs I would actually go back and listen to, but the ones I would are just simply amazing. Sawano definitely showed some greatness here, but I wouldn’t say this is his highlight score of any kind. There’s definitely a lot of tracks, but in my opinion, Guilty Crown, Crisis and OST have an insanely large count of memorable songs.

Maybe that’s just my opinion. Maybe it’s because I haven’t actually seen the anime and got to experience the songs the way they are supposed to be experienced. Don’t worry. I plan to watch it in summer. My knowledge of it isn’t too positive from what I’ve heard, but I do plan to give it a try, regardless of that. The music is simply amazing

Should you give it a try? Oh, absolutely. It has a wide variety of tracks which all convey different feelings. I’m sure there’s at least 2 or 3 in there that will appeal to you in one way or another. Until next time!

Overall Favorite Track: shØut

Final Rating (Again): 9,12

#ost #soundtrack #music #re:creators #re creators #r:c #rc #non snk #hiroyuki sawano

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