A three day workshop, focussing on the creative potential of sound, run by freelance recordist Chris Watson. We explored various strategies and techniques on how to record, edit and play back sound effectively.
I produced the film titled, ‘Pij-uhn’ inspired by a technique Chris used when recording vultures feeding from a carcass in Africa. I used two Tascam recorders, functioning in stereo, placed one metre apart with bread in the middle. Using Steinberg Nuendo editing software, aided by Chris, I matched these recordings, playing them back through quadrophonic surround sound creating the illusion the listener is the bread. The domesticity of the pigeons enabled me to place a camera in their midst without interfering with their eating habits. I realised, from this low perspective, the pigeons mannerisms became more animated giving the sense that the footage had been sped up. I emphasised this perspective by time stretching the audio recording. In my interview with Chris, he said, “I record because I really love going out and capturing the sounds of these places and then working with them in many different ways.” He showed me how to manipulate the sounds I captured, illustrating the flexibility of communication as a way to realise the creative potential of sound.
I submerged a hydrophone in the canal directly under a railway bridge, Using the fact sound travels nearly five times faster in water I was able to pick up the vibrations of the trains through the water. This edited recording can be heard as the track
Eau Chemin de Fer. on my CD. Reflecting on my magnet Fishing brief, as I was in the same place, however this time I was revealing hidden sounds rather than hidden objects.
I interviewed Chris, asking questions that related to my interest in sound as an educational tool and learned from Chris’s vast knowledge and experience. I took this opportunity to ask Chris if there were any future projects he was involved in that I could participate. Chris invited me to join him in the commissioned project, Hrafn (Raven) in the Kielder Forest, in October.