Sound can add emotion to artwork - The CreativeMindClass Blog
Phil Brookes is a music creator and sound designer hailing from Wales. He has worked alongside TedEd, Greenpeace, Tate, Medium, Passion, Strangebeast, and more. His music and sound design are also showcased at festivals like Cannes, BFI London, GLAS as well as Giffoni with multi-award-winning films.
In the video below it will be clear the story of how Phil came about becoming music and also the valuable tips on how to get started in the realm of sounds. Also, dive into the details of an acoustic version of a fun Socks project that he created along with Eva Munnich.
Phil Brookes' background
I'm a music composer and sound designer who hails from Wales located in UK.
From the time I can remember, I've always been drawn to songs, sounds and even voices. I remember falling asleep before the washing machine as an infant, being seduced by its droning (appropriate for the kind of project I'm about to discuss!) was my first memory of sound.
I started mimicking funny accents and voice.
My father was an obsessive hi-fi enthusiast and would use devices to record sounds in his voice, and apply effects like delay and reverb on his voice to make it more enjoyable. I would mimic him and others like Jim Carrey and Robin Williams using a dictaphone to copy all of the funny accents and voices they would make up.
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 at home, and when I was an adolescent I used it to teach myself to write as well as recording my music. I was attempting to make sounds I had seen on records or television and making my own sound to existing music.
The desire to use the resources available to make or create sound remains what drives me to push myself today. I love the challenge of learning as I create and my preferred way to write is on the fly. Improvising, experimenting, jamming.
I learned piano for myself and synth to make the music to 'But Milk is important'.
My obsession took me into The University of South Wales in Cardiff and I got to meet the amazing animator Eirik Gronmo Bjornsen. The animator returned to Norway and created a short film with Anna Mantzaris called 'But Milk is Important'.
I learned piano for myself and synth to create the music for it while making the film I've assumed sound design roles also, and haven't stopped creating.
The X-Files Project, aka the "Socks Project"
Recently, I collaborated with the amazing visual artist, Eva Munnich, on the first of three Lemonade Insurance projects I've created the music and sound for.
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The Lemonade videos are hilarious 15-30 second short animations that can be played repeatedly. Eva's project had a strong sci-fi/extraterrestrial theme to it, and so she had some great ideas about music and sound.
In nine times of 10, it is my intention to make the music first, as my atmosphere is likely to inspire me in my music.
We've also spoken to Eva about her process for designing animation and visuals to be used in The X-Files project. Check out the full interview with Eva Munnich.
Vocally, Eva liked the voices I'd performed in a prior TedEd animation I worked on together with Lisa Vertudaches.
In that video I had pitched my vocals dramatically. She thought this would be suitable for the specific sock and requested that I say "yay" using this vocal. While recording the "yay" I kept it rolling and added the "seeya" just before the sock entered the UFO.
Eva enjoyed it, and she stayed with it. The other voices were improvised and created as I saw them.
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If the washer were to talk and a voice, the machine would sound low.
In contrast to the heavy voice of the sock, I toned down my voice to washing machines; since it is a large object and I thought that as if if it had an ear, it should have some depth to it. I mixed these with the foley , and then mixed to create the perfect sound for music to be layered onto.
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I loved the X-Files music as a kid.
Musically, Eva thought it would be interesting to create an idea that was inspired by the theme of The X-Files, which I loved since I loved the music when I was a child!
As with the majority of work I've done, I work with an animatic (almost like a moving storyboard) which the animator provides me to gain a sense of the timeframe, etc.
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I listen to sci-fi movies as well as game soundtracks.
I am a fan diverse kinds of music. that includes sci-fi movies and game soundtracks, so as well as referencing this particular X Files theme, I was thinking about which instruments could be suitable for this particular genre.
I used mostly synth-based instruments, drones, and basses to build the basis of my music. Layering drones was about capturing the appropriate atmosphere and capturing the beam that emits from the ufo to abduct our sock.
I made an impressive drum by mixing two kick drum samples along with delay and reverb. I also added a delaying synth which pans from left to right, making it seem more engaging. The final synth that I played with was the pattern of six notes which repeats all through.
Whistling is an excellent human element to add to a piece of music.
The time was right to draw an inspiration from X-Files and add a delayed piano pattern as well as a whistle. I love whistling and find it to be a fantastic human element to add to a piece of music. I originally recorded some basses guitar parts However, I found that they took away from the synthetic sound I was going for.
Piano pattern
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An alarm
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In just fifteen seconds isn't easy.
I really loved working with Eva, and this shorter-form style is extremely enjoyable and exciting to work within. Although it's quick however, it's quite a bit of work, and poses its own set of problems.
Establishing and maintaining an atmosphere in 15 seconds with the sound can be difficult, as well as composing a melody that doesn't sound like it was recorded in a hurry is quite an accomplishment also.
This is a challenge I enjoy however, and, since Eva's video, I've completed two other really exciting Lemonade projects! The process videos on my site as well as on my Instagram.
Tips on how to start making sound effects for visuals
If you're looking to begin putting sound to an image, there are currently more creative ways to do it than ever before, and there's really an ideal time to begin this than right now.
- If you have an urge to be creative, then follow it to the point where it will lead you. One of the best ways to begin with your creations is to design something you like and then show your creation to others.
- Contact budding filmmakers that have the same interests as you,they have always been looking for help with sound, and it is possible to build a connection.
- It is necessary to begin with a place. I was making ambient music long before I considered the possibility to pursue a career in film and, luckily, there was an animation program at my school, however prior to that, I had made and created enough sound and music to make it logical for me to take this path once it offered itself.
- Get to know others who are creative; that's what working together is about. If you are fortunate enough to be located within a region that hosts festival nights, film nights and events, then attend them and get to know other people.
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