This project will give you the opportunity to follow a radio script for a commercial (script is on the back side of this handout). You will record your own audio (must be your voice) and add sound effects. The project will also have background music. You will determine the background music based on the tone you wish to use in your commercial. Be sure your voice is animated and matches the overall tone!
STEP 1: Get Music/Set Tone
Choose an instrumental song from FeelsLikeChrsitmas.com. Save it as an MP3 file.
STEP 2: Locate Appropriate Sound Effects
You need three required sound effects: cash register/money, record scratch, and phone dialing. A good place to find these is:
- PartnersInRhyme.com (record scratch is under General, Noise Sounds; cash registers are in Office Sounds)
- GrSites (phone is under Miscellaneous sound effects)
You can find Christmas sound effects at:
Follow the script. You can adlib, but you must use everything from the script. You will be graded on the clarity and how convincing your voice is.
STEP 4: Organize
Put all your files in order. Be sure to adjust volumes so everything goes together seamlessly. Also, drop in your sound effects so that they are in the correct place. Be sure your music is not too loud!
STEP 5: Add Effects
Highlight sound clips and use the Effect menu as needed to achieve the desired special effects. Also, be sure the music fades in and out so that it doesn’t sound odd.
STEP 6: Test and Export
When you are satisfied with your work, test it and export it as Commercial.mp3 .
Radio Commercial Grading Rubric:
- Appropriate instrumental Christmas music is used - 20 pts.
- Music fades after 5 seconds - 20 pts.
- Music is in the background and volume is adjusted accordingly - 30 pts.
- The three required sound effects are used at reasonable volume - 30 pts.
- Narration recorded is clear and convincing; matches tone of the commercial - 20 pts.
- Overall commercial flows smoothly with no large gaps in dialogue - 20 pts.
- sound effects are eased in as needed to sound real - 20 pts.
- narration is overlapped during interruptions (see instructions on script) - 20 pts.
- Echo effect added to voice of conscience - 20 pts.
- Total: 200 pts.
You are going to create a 45 second story that you can tell through using Foley sound effects. Stories will not contain any spoken word, only sound effects.
Examples:Sound Story (Vimeo) - a good example of a scary story. Morgan's Sound Story - a cautionary tale
- Create a full script of your story with each sound noted in the order they are to be heard. This will give you an inventory of sounds to find. The script must include:
- A list of sounds
- An outline of the story you are telling, with a beginning, middle and end.
- One of your sounds can be some background music, if you'd like.
- It must be done on a Google Doc and moved to your Multimedia folder before you start editing in Audacity.
- Search for your sounds on the web, and save them. Be sure to note the name and location where they are saved on your hard drive. (You might want to make a folder specifically for these sounds.) Suggested sites:
- All sounds must be legal for free downloading. If you use any other websites for your sound effects, note their addresses in your script.
- A great site for background music: Incompetech Royalty Free Music
- Turn in your script before you start editing in Audacity.
- Edit your sounds in Audacity:
- At least one of your sound effects must clearly pan from one side to the other during the story. Make sure it makes sense for this to happen. For example: footsteps can pan from left to right, giving the idea that someone is walking from left to right.
- How to move the sound from left to right, or right to left:
- Pull down the drop-down menu in the left-hand bar of your track, and choose Split Stereo to Mono.
- Highlight the part of one track that you want to fade out (several seconds), and choose Effect > Fade out.
- Highlight the part of that track that you want to be silent, and choose Generate > Silence. Just click OK with whatever time shows up (that's the length of the part you highlighted).
- Repeat steps 2 and 3 with the other track, except use Effect > Fade In.
- Pull down the left hand drop-down menu of the top track, and choose Make Stereo Track.
- If it sounds OK, this would be a good time to Save!
- Balance the volumes of your separate tracks so they are all similar, unless one track needs to fade into the background, such as background music (which is optional). Sound should not be distorted, nor too drowned out by other sounds.
- Give your sound story an appropriate title when you save it (or at least when you export it to an MP3).
Grading rubric:- 30 pts. Script: turned in before editing and approved
- 30 pts. Length: at least 45 seconds.
- 60 pts. Pan: at least one sound moves noticeably from left to right, or right to left.
- 60 pts. Balance: all sounds are at a good level in relation to each other, and not too quiet to be heard or so loud they are distorted.
- 20 pts. Story: there is a story with a beginning, middle and end.
- Total: 200 points