Sound can add emotion to your art - CreativeMindClass Blog
Phil Brookes is a music musician and sound designer of Wales. He was a collaborator alongside TedEd, Greenpeace, Tate, Medium, Passion, Strangebeast, and more. His sound and music are also showcased at festivals such as Cannes, BFI London, GLAS and Giffoni with award-winning multi-award films.
In the interview below the interviewer will discuss how Phil was inspired to become a musician and check out the valuable tips on how to begin your journey into the world of sounds. In addition, take a look at the musical details of an enjoyable Socks project he worked on with Eva Munnich.
Phil Brookes' background
I'm a musician and sound designer who hails from Wales located in UK.
As far back as I remember, I have always been awed by music, sounds, as well as voices. Falling asleep in front of the washer as a kid, hypnotized by the droning sounds (appropriate, considering the project I'll be talking about!) is the first time I've heard a sound.
I began to mimic funny accents and voice.
My dad was an obsessive music lover and would make use of recording equipment to create noises vocally, applying effects like delay and reverb on his voice just for fun. I would imitate him as well as other people such as Jim Carrey and Robin Williams with a little dictaphone and duplicate all of the humorous voice and accents they could create.
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. After my brother left the guitar he had left behind, and as an adolescent I used it to teach myself how to begin writing as well as recording my music. Inspiring myself to produce music that I'd heard on albums or on TV and then adding my own sounds to existing music.
That passion for using any resources I could find in order to produce or recreate sounds is what still inspires me to push myself today. I enjoy the process of learning as I create and my preferred way to write is on the fly. Improvising, experimenting, jamming.
I learned to play piano as well as synthesizer to compose the tune for 'But Milk is important'.
My obsession took me across The University of South Wales in Cardiff and I got to meet an amazing animator called Eirik Gronmo Bjornsen. The animator returned to Norway and produced a movie featuring Anna Mantzaris called 'But Milk Is Important'.
I taught myself piano and synth to create the soundtrack as well, and in the time since I started making the film I've assumed sound design roles as well, and I am still creating.
The X-Files Project, aka the "Socks Project"
Recently I worked alongside the incredible visual artist Eva Munnich in the creation of the initial of three Lemonade Insurance projects I've created the music and the sound design for.
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The Lemonade videos are humorous fifteen to thirty seconds of short animated videos that are designed to be looped. Eva's project had a strong sci-fi/extraterrestrial theme to it, and so she had some great ideas about music and sound.
9 times out 10 I will create the sound first as my atmosphere can be a source of inspiration to create music.
We've also had a conversation with Eva about the process of making animations and visuals to be used in the X-Files project. Listen to the interview with Eva Munnich.
Voice-wise, Eva liked the voices I had performed in a previous TedEd animation I worked on along with Lisa Vertudaches.
In that animation I had pitched my vocals significantly. The animator thought that this could be suitable for the specific sock and asked if I could say "yay" in this voice. While recording the "yay" I let the record in motion, and added "seeya" prior to when the sock entered the UFO.
Eva enjoyed it, and it was kept in. The other voice-overs were made up as I saw them.
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If the washing machine were to speak, it would be low.
In order to contrast the loud sound of the sock I decreased my voice in the direction of washing machines; since it's a huge object, I felt if it were to have a voice, it would possess some depth. I mingled these sounds with the foley and mixed with the sound ready for music to be put on.
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I loved the X-Files music when I was a kid.
Musically, Eva thought it would be fun to make an idea that was inspired by the theme of The X-Files, which I enjoyed immensely as I loved that music when I was a child!
As with the majority of work I've done I'm working with an animatic (almost like a moving storyboard) which the animator provides me so that I can get a general idea of the timing, etc.
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I listen to sci-fi movies and soundtracks for games.
I am a fan diverse kinds of music. it includes sci-fi and game soundtracks, so as well as being influenced by the X Files theme, I had an idea of what instruments might work well within the genre.
I used mainly synth-based instruments drones, bass, and drones for the base of my music. Layering drones was about capturing the perfect atmosphere, and also representing the beam that emits from the UFO to abduct our tiny sock.
I made an impressive drum by mixing two kick drum samples along with delay and reverb. I then added a delaying synth that pans left to right in order to make the music seem more immersive. The final synth that I played with was the pattern of six notes that repeats itself through.
Whistling is an excellent human element to add to the music.
It was time to take an inspiration from X-Files and incorporate a delay piano pattern and a whistle. I love to whistle and think that it's a wonderful personal element that can be added to an arrangement. I initially recorded some basses guitar parts, but I felt it took away from the synthetic sound I was going for.
Piano pattern
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A whistle
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Creating an atmosphere in 15 seconds may be a challenge.
I truly enjoyed working with Eva as a method is very thrilling and enjoyable to design within. Although it's quick, it is still a lot of work and poses its own set of problems.
Creating and establishing an atmosphere within 15 seconds using the sound can be difficult, and musically fitting in the right melody without sounding rushed within the timeframe can be quite a feat too.
These are challenges I relish however, and, since Eva's animated, I've been working on two additional exciting Lemonade projects! You can find the process videos of them on my website and Instagram.
Ideas on how to begin creating sound for images
If you're interested in using sound in the visual world, there's now more innovative options to accomplish this than ever before, and there's really no better time to do it now than today.
- If you're a person with some creative spark, you should follow it to whatever direction it takes to. One of the best ways to begin with your creations is to design something you love and show your creation to others.
- Message budding filmmakers who are in the same boat as you,they are always looking for assistance with sound and they might be able to establish a partnership.
- 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 thankfully there was an animation program at my college, but prior to this, I'd made and recorded enough music and sound that it was logical for me to take the path that presented the opportunity.
- Meet other creatives; that's what collaboration is about. If you are fortunate enough to be located living in a place that is home to films nights, festivals or other events, attend them and get to know other people.
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