Scarface Clip - Artefact 2
ADR & Foley: Scarface
I have chosen this project for my portfolio as it showcases multiple different skillsets which are all relevant to a music producer. I was tasked with choosing a video clip from TV or film and replacing all audio from it, using and recording my own ADR & foley.
To start my project, I chose the ending scene from the movie Scarface and wanted to keep it loyal to the original movie, this meant I wanted to use sounds and instruments that would have been used in the 80’s when this movie was made. I watched and rewatched the clip, adding in markers on my Pro Tools session to events in the video clip that I had to add sounds, labelling them with what sounds I needed. This shows my attention to detail and knowledge of sounds, as well as showing my skills in Daw use.
I collected some sounds from the online sound bank Splice and added them to a samples folder, renaming the files based on what sound they were, this shows my skills in file management.
I then added the samples to the project, editing, processing layering and mixing as I went in order to improve the sounds to fit my project better. From here I also remade the Scarface theme on Ableton, using synths and basses and added this to the clip, automating the volume so that it fades in to the scene gradually. This shows my ability in DAW use as well as in mixing and processing samples both correctively and creatively.
Once I was happy with the samples and score I moved on to the ADR & foley, booking and running several studio sessions over the course of the project. I recorded sounds for body impacts, gun handling, footsteps on different surfaces, desk shuffling as well as grunts and screams. I also recorded the dialogue for the scene. This shows my ability in booking and running studio sessions as well as in recording and DAW use. This also shows my knowledge in ADR and foley. This also shows my creativity as there were some sounds that I had to recreate with different objects, for example the gun handling sounds were made by grabbing and shaking mic stands and then pitch shifting the recordings down to make them sound heavier.
Once I added these sounds to the project and ensured I was happy with the placement and sync, I got started on the mixing stage. I started with the volume levels of each sample then grouped the samples in ADR, Foley, FX & dialogue. I then mixed and processed the sounds, using EQ, compression, pitch shift and reverb, among others to fine tune the sounds to accomplish the desired sound. This shows my workflow and session management skills as well as mixing abilities and understanding of processing.
I also mastered the track, using the skills I learned from our mastering module.
Log
Planning
Week 1 – In class we watched examples of ADR and Foley in movies and film to inspire and research what great ADR and Foley is. From here I searched Youtube for potential clips that I wanted to make the sound for, this included the final Sopranos scene as well as the Copacabana scene from Goodfellas before settling on the final Scene from Scarface. I watched the clip on a loop, taking note of the sounds in the scene as well as noticing sounds that were not in the scene, for instance there are no footstep sounds in the scene, I noted the sounds that I wanted to recreate as well as sounds that I would do differently.
I created a sound map listing the sounds in the scene that I would be adding, breaking this down into the categories; ADR, foley, ambience, music and SFX. I then listed how I would source these sounds, either from an online sound bank or if I would be creating and recording them myself.
Week 2
I loaded a Pro Tools session and added my chosen video clip and added markers to the points in the scene that I would be adding the sounds, for instance, footsteps, gunshots, music and dialogue. I rewatched the clip multiple times to ensure that I marked down everything that I wanted to add including small details like fumbling noises from clothes.
Using my sound map, I then started to collect the sounds for my scene. I used the online sound bank splice to audition the sounds while playing the scene to make sure that it fit the tone of the scene. I added these to a folder, renaming the files and organizing them so that they were easily identifiable. I also downloaded and added these files in sections based on what types of sounds they were so that the folder was organised well.
Creation
Week 3
Using my markers, I started to add my sounds to the project for a rough draft. At this point I wanted to just set a baseline for what I wanted the clip to sound like as well as seeing if the sounds worked with the clip or if I had to switch any of them out.
I decided on a machine gun sample that I liked and used this as Tony Montana’s gun and used this every time he shot in the scene and used a variation of different gun sounds for the other characters in the scene.
I added sounds to most of the clip and listened and watched back noting any changes that I wanted to make from the initial mix.
Week 4
Once I was happy with the initial mix, I moved onto detailing.
I used the nudge function on Pro Tools to ensure that the sync of the sounds was accurate and layered sounds to create more realistic and less static sounds.
I completed the first draft of my detailed mix and moved on to creating the score. I loaded up Ableton and learned the Scarface theme on the piano and recorded this in. I then auditioned different synth sounds in order to create an 80’s sounding score adding a lead synth and bass using the plugin Kontakt.
I bounced this once it was completed and added it to the Pro Tools session, using automation to fade in the score, as the scene was getting more dramatic I used this to build tension.
Week 5
At this point I was happy with the samples in the project and moved on to recording my own ADR & foley.
I booked out studio for the day and using the AKG C451B mic I started recording. I walked on different surfaces to capture footsteps, as well as falling on and thudding different surfaces to create the sounds of falls, I also recreated Tony scrambling at his desk using metal objects and a desk to create the sounds for Tony grabbing for his ammo at his desk.
I had samples for gun handling in the scene but I felt that they didn’t match up well with the sync, so I used mic stands from the studio and recorded myself grabbing and shaking them to give a metallic sound. In studio, I had the pro tools session loaded and I pitched the sample down to give it a deeper and less tinny sound then using an EQ, I filtered out the higher frequencies. I then used this to replace the original gun handling samples.
Week 6
I had added the recorded ADR and foley elements to my sample folder and got to work adding them to my session. For this I again used the nudge function and layering to create an accurate and in sync mix.
Most of this week was spent listening and watching the clip back and making small tweaks to the project as most of the heavy work had already been completed. These small tweaks included moving the samples for the sync, making small changes to the levels with the pre fader as well as trying out different sounds in layering.
Week 7
Feedback
We held a feedback session in the class where we watched back each other's work and discussed what we thought had been done well and what can be improved on. As this was only around the halfway mark of the project timeline we took into consideration that the clips weren’t yet completed.
The feedback that I received was mainly positive however I did have some levelling and mixing issues and I took note of them and prioritised them for the following week.
Week 8
I started off this week with a studio session to record dialogue. This included the lines said in the movie as well as grunts and screams used throughout the scene. I used the Shure SM7B mic to record dialogue, this mic is used for vocal recording in music and is very popular with podcasters, I chose this mic to ensure a clean smooth recording.
After completing the recording session I started with my mixing process. Starting with the levels, I ensured that all sounds were playing at my desired volume and could all be heard clearly in the mix.
MIXING
I mixed the track throughout the entire process, making tweaks and changes weekly.

Voice Over De-Esser/EQ - I boosted hi mids and cut lows and low mids to ensure a clear sounding vocal and to ensure that the voice over did not sound muffled or dull.

Voice over compression – added to ensure a consistent level and sound.

Voice Over Pitcher – I pitched down all vocal elements by a semitone mainly as it sounded too much like my own voice, this was also used to add more grit to the vocals.

Voice Over Delay – I added very slight delay to all of the voice over elements as I felt that dry vocal wasn't blending into the overall mix very well. This added enough variation to stand out more.

Filtered Dialogue EQ – This part of the scene was from the perspective of the mob outside of Tony’s room. Cutting the highs and mids, I added this EQ to make it sound muffled and as if you were hearing him through the door.

Filtered Dialogue Compression - I added this to ensure a consistent level and sound.

Grunt EQ - I cut the low frequencies to ensure no muddiness in any of the other sounds with lower frequencies, this also reduces unwanted frequencies. I boosted the high ends to accentuate the high frequencies of the scream like grunt.

Crowd EQ - I cut the high end of this mob sample to dampen the sound as it originally sounded too bright and didn't fit well in the mix. I also cut out some low mids to take away some of the boomy sounds from it.

Crowd Reverb - I added some reverb to the mob sample to recreate the sound of the room. In the movie they are in a large foyer with marble walls so there would be some natural reverb.

Crowd Footsteps EQ - I boosted the low mids and cut the high end of this sample to make the footsteps sound darker and to add a more ominous tone.

Gun Handling Pitcher - I pitched this recorded element down to give it a heavier sound. I used mic stands to create this sound originally and they sounded too light and almost tinny, changing the pitch gave the sounds a darker and deeper sound.
I didn’t feel the need to process a lot of the samples taken from Splice as they were of high quality to begin with. I completed a levels mix with these to ensure they fit well in the mix. I also created groups in the Pro Tools session for Dialogue/ADR, Foley, Ambience and Music keep everything organized and easier to use at the mixing stage.
Challenges
Throughout this project I felt that there was limited studio time, mainly due to the amount of people using them. To overcome this limitation, I tried to get as much use out of the studio in as little sessions as possible. To do this, I would record multiple take of each ADR and foley element and then pick which ones I wanted to use after the sessions. I felt that it was very important to maximise efficiency in the studio so that I was not relying on studio time and it being too busy.
As this was a very detailed clip, the sync of the sounds with the video was a bit of a challenge. It was time consuming to firstly map out the sounds with markers and then to line up the sounds with the sync perfectly. I am proficient in using pro tools so I used the shortcuts to zoom in and out as well as the nudge function to make precise changes. Doing this for so many sound was time consuming and sometimes monotonous however, it was a crucial part of the process to ensure a professional result.
Ensuring sounds fit the style of the movie was a challenge as I wanted to keep the sounds accurate to the original movie but didn’t want to completely copy the film. An example of this is that I created a score for the clip, using synth elements that were time accurate to the 1980’s when the film was made, but I recreated the theme from the movie rather than the score that was in the original scene.
I had to get creative and improvise to create sounds for foley in this project. As there was a lot of gun handling in the scene, I wanted to create that by myself and was limited in what I could use. I tried multiple metal objects, layering different ones but was not happy with the result, I also didn't want to use sounds from a sound Bank for this as I wanted more control over the sound. I picked up and shook 2 mic stands to make a metal rattle sound and pitched it down to create the sound. I also had to fall on different surfaces to create foley sounds for thuds and bumps, doing multiple takes of each to ensure the sounds weren’t repetitive.

Sound Map

Session
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