Video & Sound Production - Project 1

Zhao Jie 0387076

Video and Sound Production/VSP60104

Project 1

Exercise 1

Movie review- Everything Everywhere All at Once




''Everything Everywhere All at Once'' uses the idea of the multiverse as its main narrative structure. Through experimental editing and visual language, it turns a story about family relationships and self-identity into a very intense and complex viewing experience.

While watching the film, I noticed many familiar influences, such as ''Paprika'', ''The Matrix'', ''Kill Bill'', and ''Rick and Morty''. The soundtrack also surprised me. The film combines electronic music, traditional Chinese instruments, and elements of Chinese opera, creating strong contrasts in different scenes. One moment that impressed me the most was the chaotic fight scene in front of the “bagel,” where Debussy’s Clair de Lune suddenly starts playing. This created a strange mix of absurdity and calmness, making the scene feel both unreal and emotional at the same time. It gave me goosebumps.

The camera work also left a strong impression on me. The fast and exciting kung fu action scenes are naturally combined with careful use of color and lighting, creating a very satisfying visual experience. In many action scenes, the film uses unstable shots, which made me feel like I was inside the scene and created a sense of tension. This contrast actually made the visuals more powerful. The film does not follow a linear story. Instead, it uses fast editing and fragmented images to move between different universes. Because of this rhythm, I felt closer to the character’s psychological state — a sense of confusion, pressure, and loss of control.

Visually, I also noticed that the film uses color and lighting to separate different universes. The “real world” looks darker and more depressing, while other universes are more colorful and exaggerated. This contrast helped me clearly understand different spaces, and also made the idea of “other possible lives” more attractive, allowing me to better understand the character.

Overall, the film uses fast and fragmented editing, strong visual contrast, and impactful sound design to engage both my understanding and my emotions. Compared to traditional storytelling, this approach, which focuses more on audio-visual language, feels more powerful to me and has strong learning value. I think this is a film worth watching multiple times and studying.\

Short video analysis

1.Baby Shark


The elements used in this video are very interesting to me. In real life, large 3D billboards are already very impressive, but Zach King makes it look even more realistic by turning it into something like an actual fish tank in the real world.
One detail that stood out to me is that he also included people in the background. Their reactions, such as taking photos and watching the scene, change according to what is happening in the video. This makes the whole scene feel more believable and also adds a sense of fun.
After doing some research, I think this effect is mainly achieved by separating and recombining different elements in the video. For example, the “shark tank” inside the billboard can be treated as a separate space, while the character is also handled as another separate element. These spaces are then merged together during the editing process.
However, to make the final result look so realistic, it still requires very strong editing skills and precise control. The technique itself is important, but the execution is what makes the illusion convincing.


2.The ultimate cleaning crew is hiding inside Tide evo


This is a very interesting advertisement video. The idea of having tiny people inside a washing machine is very cute, and it reminds me of the small world in Miyazaki’s The Secret World of Arrietty.
To achieve this visual effect, I think it is not only about changing the scale of the characters, but also about separating the image into multiple layers. This allows the editor to control the overlap between the tiny people and the clothes, making the scene look more realistic.
The video also uses slightly shaky handheld camera movement. This makes the footage feel more natural and believable, as if the scene is really happening.
Another detail I found interesting is the structure of the video. The beginning and the ending connect smoothly, creating a loop. I only noticed this after watching it for the third time, which made the video even more engaging and fun to watch.


3.The Worlds Craziest 3D Puzzle


This video uses a very creative concept by transforming a flat ocean puzzle on the floor into a three-dimensional underwater space that people can actually enter. The contrast between the real environment and the virtual space creates a strong visual impact. I also found the puzzle very satisfying to watch, as the pieces seem to “aimbot” perfectly into place, which adds to the overall enjoyment of the scene.
The most important visual effect in this video is the illusion of space. The puzzle, which is originally flat, suddenly becomes a deep 3D environment. I think this effect is achieved through compositing techniques, where the floor and puzzle are treated as one layer, and the character is treated as another. These elements are then carefully merged together in post-production. Because the transition is very smooth, it is difficult for the audience to notice where the edit happens.
Personally, I find this video very cute and interesting. The children’s reactions feel natural and believable, which helps make the scene more convincing. The “come on let’s go outside, follow me!” Was so cute💕

Week 3 Audio Dubbing Exercise

This week, we worked in groups on the audio dubbing exercise for Everything Everywhere All at Once. Our task was to watch the video in the Premiere Pro timeline, break it down scene by scene, and create a spreadsheet listing all the required sound effects for each scene. In addition, we were required to record our own voices for the characters' dialogues. 

I tried to create a DIY recording setup using a fabric storage box, a foam pillow, and blankets to reduce background noise. I recorded my character's dialogue using a wired over-ear headset and my phone. Before recording, I watched the original film clips several times and tried my best to recreate the characters' emotions and tone of voice as accurately as possible.


Here is the Excel sheet for our group (partial):


Here is my characters' dialogues:

Week 4 Audio Dubbing Exercise

This week, we needed to add the character dialogues that we recorded last week, as well as the sound effects collected by our group, into the original video. During class, Mr. Kannan provided detailed guidance on how to complete this process using Adobe Premiere Pro.

We learned how to place audio files on the timeline and synchronize them with the video. The audio tracks were organised into different categories: three tracks for character dialogues, with each character assigned to a separate track; four tracks for sound effects; and three tracks for ambience sounds.

We also learned how to modify voices using Premiere Pro. By applying the Pitch Shifter effect and adjusting the semitones, we could change a female voice into a male voice, a male voice into a female voice, or even transform an adult voice into a child's voice or a cute animal-like sound.

In addition, we adjusted the audio levels to create a balanced sound mix. Dialogue tracks were kept between -6 dB and -12 dB, ambience tracks were maintained below -20 dB, and the volume of hard sound effects was adjusted according to the needs of each scene.


Process work-label and number the dialogue clips



Process work-Arrange dialogue clips

Process work-Sound Editing


Process work-Adjust the volume

Process work-Transform voice (Female to Male)

When editing the dialogue, I found it quite challenging to transform my voice into a convincing male voice using Premiere Pro. To make it sound as natural as possible, I spent a lot of time adjusting the Pitch Shifter settings and repeatedly testing different values. After many attempts, I finally created a version that sounded more natural. However, the result still felt a little slow and clumsy, as if the character was reacting a bit later than everyone else. Sorry, Waymond! I did my best😢

Final Audio Dubbing Exercise:


Exercise 2

Week 7 Sound Shaping Exercise

This week’s class was conducted online. During the lecture, we learned how to use EQ in Adobe Audition for sound shaping, which involves editing and adjusting audio to create different sound environments and character effects.

For Exercise 2, we were required to record our own voice for five seconds and transform it into several different sound styles. These included a phone call voice, a voice coming from inside a closet, a toilet or bathroom voice, an underground cave voice, and an alien or orc voice.

Process work-Toilet or bathroom


Process work-orc voice

Final own audio work:

The dialogue was: "Hello?! Can anyone hear me?! I don't know what's going on!"

 
Phone call


Inside a closet

Underground cave


Bathroom


Orc voice

Reflection

Experience

This module really opened my eyes and introduced me to a completely new world of film and audio production. Throughout the semester, I analysed a wide range of films and short videos, which I found both interesting and inspiring. I also learned how to record dialogue, edit audio, and create different voice effects using Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe Audition. To be honest, many of the practical tasks felt quite difficult at the beginning. However, after a lot of practice and experimenting with different techniques, I gradually became more familiar with the software and gained much more confidence. It was a very rewarding learning experience, and I look forward to exploring film and audio production further in the future.

Findings

The biggest thing I learned from this module is that sound is just as important as visuals in storytelling. Dialogue, ambience, sound effects, and background music work together to create emotion and build the atmosphere of a scene. I also learned the basics of audio post-production and became comfortable using Premiere Pro and Audition to edit and improve audio. Now I can even transform my own voice into a man, a beast, or an alien, which I think is pretty fun!

Observations

This module made me realise that many of the tiny sound details that audiences hardly notice actually require a huge amount of work behind the scenes. Synchronising dialogue, balancing different audio tracks, creating natural voice effects, and matching sound with visuals all require patience and repeated adjustments. If you want the final audio to sound natural, there is really no shortcut—testing and fine-tuning again and again is an essential part of the process.

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