For the purpose of this Analysis I wanted to choose something in the fantasy category where sounds are created by combinations of odd layers. I have picked a videogame Skyrim which is especially connected to me because the games developers, Bethesda Softworks, are from my hometown of Bethesda.
Scene One
15:00 Dialogue
15:01 Lots of ambient noise from the fireplace in the distance, and rustle of trees in the wind pretty soft compared to the dialogue
15:02 Low Erie synth
15:10 Synth cuts out, Dragon roar in the distance lots of reverb
15:20 Dialogue continues
15:32 Footsteps
15:35 Bird Chirps
15:36 Erie synth comes back very low
15:44 Prisoners knees hit ground then head clunks against the chopping block, two very distinct sounds
15:48 Crickets in the distance
15:57 Swing of an axe
15:58 Short thud of the decapitation
15:59 Man closest to you muddle "Oh God"
Scene Two
16:30 Same ambient noise of fire and trees/grass rustling
16:37 Thud of your knees and then head on the chopping block clunk
16:44 Dragon Roar closer and less reverb as you can see it in your screen approaching
16:45 -16:48 Flapping of dragon wings cues dramatic orchestral score
16:50 Big thud as dragon hits the tower nearby, this is synced with the bass drum from the orchestral score which I thought was a cool effect.
16:53 Swords are drawn making a shhhling sound
16:56 Dragon breathes what look like lightning balls and makes a loud lightning crash whenever it does
17:04 Solider Dialogue "Guards get the town people safe!"
17:10 Lots of crashes and explosions from the dragon
17:16 Footsteps cannot be heard over large explosions
17:20 Dialogue as crashing continues in the background
17:21 Very dramatic Orchestra continues with choir now kind of Star Wars style.
I think the best part about this game is the use of constant ambient sound. The use makes it seem as if your are in another world and are very subtle. Little things like birds chirping and crickets combined with very realistic graphics give the game a life like feel. I particularly enjoyed the dragon roar sound effect and thought it was great how when it was originally in the distance you heard the roar with lots of reverb and a large room size that gave it such great space. Out of nowhere you there are explosions everywhere as your character races thru the interactive environment. Most notably in the interactive mode is the dialogue which would vary in decibel and timbre, which would vary as you would walk away or into a new room. Sound design for video games seems to be a very daunting yet fun task as anything can really go. I believe Skyrim is a great combination of peaceful ambient sounds and roaring explosion.
Great video on the use of a real bavarian choir for the main title song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XJ7lmWc14uo
In the podcast (link under this) Mark Lambert strips all the effects off the voice that makes the dragon roar, really cool, would love to have that effects chain!
http://www.elderscrolls.com/community/making-dragon-sandwich-sound-skyrim/
Another awesome pictures about the field recording, super cool! :
http://www.elderscrolls.com/community/making-dragon-sandwich-sound-skyrim/
Sound Editor: Mark Lambert
Studio: Bethesda Softworks
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