Introduction

 

• Aim

This unit aims to enable you to develop your knowledge and understanding of a chosen

aspect of creative media production and your skills in researching and presenting an individual

Investigation.

 

• Unit abstract

The creative media sector provides a wide range of technical, professional and academic areas of

interest for development.

 

This unit provides the opportunity for learners to identify a particular area of study or practice and

develop a proposal and set specific objectives for investigation.

You will apply research skills to the identification and selection of materials and resources

and present the results of this investigation in a way that suits the chosen subject and their own

learning style.

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Learning outcomes and evidence

On successful completion of this unit you will:

 

1 Be able to present and justify planned proposals for investigations into creative media

Production

• >> Provide a Detailed Project Proposal

 

2 Be able to research and select appropriate materials for investigations into creative media

Production

• >> Research Methodology Statement of intent

 

3 Be able to present results of investigations into creative media production

• >> Presentation Showreel/Blog

 

4 Be able to reflect on own performance and learning.

• >> Journal and Reflection

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After some research and hearing from multiple people in the gaming industry I've found that I'd been looking too far into far too many fields within the industry. It's vital to focus on one specific area and at most have 2 or 3 sub-focuses. For example; my focus might be character modelling and I would also look into texturing and animation as sub-focuses, 2 skills that are closely connected to my focus.

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I have chosen to research sound design in video-games, this includes; Music, Foley, Ambience and Voice design. My main focus being music. 

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By the end of this project I aim to have a soundtrack for one level of a game, complete with multiple sections for different scenarios and levels tension. I would like to have the pieces of music follow one theme throughout the level while transitioning the direction of game-play, for example, if your character starts being chased you want the music to build a lot of tension so that you can feel how dangerous the situation is.

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Video-game soundtracks are a much larger part of the whole experience than most people realise. Music can build tension, relax, shock, give hints to and even drive the player to specific areas if used correctly. On the other hand, if done incorrectly, a poor soundtrack can ruin a game. You can lose tension, confuse the player and throw off the course of game play. 

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When composing music in games, the process is significantly different from other media, such as film, stage or the traditional music industry. Where in most media you start by knowing exactly how long the scene is and what is going to happen during the scene. In video-games, the player dictates how fast they go, where they explore and what they do. 

Because of this, When designing the soundtrack you can't just compose in a classic linear fashion. The main technique of composing for games is to create it in segments, most commonly for, low tension, mid tension and high tension, this is often referred to as, "Blocking". Although I do want to experiment with other ways of creating soundtracks, right now I am focusing purely on the, "Blocking", technique.