b a c k g r o u n d     o v e r v i e w    T E C H N I C A L

Otherzone sound effects

001. * 60s computers - book being flipped (re-used as Nam Melogue's head space & Future Melbourne atmos)
002. D theremin - synth
003. * jet engine effect - synth (re-used as military satellites spinning)
004. * piercing synth drone (re-used as build-up into the Otherzone)
005. * crumpled cellophan
006. * public: synth
007. * commercial: synth
008. * military: synth (re-used as Chickensticks rattle)
009. * whirling strips in wind 1
010. * slight scraping of metallic blades/sheets 1
011. Stelarc's laughter effected - location DAT
012. * low throbbing hum - synth
013. * door bangs
014. * wine glass shimmer
015. * low sharp electric hum - synth
016. * metallic boom when hitting ground - contact mic through DP4 distortion.
017. * vocal pop reversed when lifting feet off-ground
018. * servo motors
019. * fast clock ticking
020. * alarms - synth
021. * banal voice distorted: "Warning! Security breach!"
022. * metal slam
023. * wooden slam
024. * various high-pitched modulating hums - synth
025. * beeps 1 - synth
026. * metallic bolt rattle
027. * celery snap (paper scrunch)
028. * contact mic of fridge body being struck
029. * piggy bank: coin movement processed
030. * moon: low oscillator pitch drop - synth (re-used more as key movement & its accessibility)
031. * general zipping movement - synth
032. * huge crash of shed door opening
033. * fluttering of streamers
034. * whipper snipper (fuzzed voice)
035. * fridge hum 1
036. * shower heard from my bedroom
037. * synth pop 1
038. * synth static during transmission
note: sfx 038 & 039 combined
039. * distorted DP4 of my voice cut up/etc. w/random loop starting and filtering.
040. * foghorns - synth
041. * hisses - synth
042. * jet roar - crumpled leaves (also used for miscellaneous white noise embellishments)
043. tyre burn - location DAT
044. natural atmos - location DAT
045. * whirling strips in wind 2
046. * slight scraping of metallic blades/sheets 2
047. D traffic atmos w/horns
048. * planes/jets
049. D matrix printer
050. * wind - synth
051. * lawnmower (processed)
052. * ping-pong radar emmission - synth
053. * paper tears 1 - highly phased
054. * power drill
055. * electric shaver
056 * clock gears whirring
057. * synth pop 2
058. * crackling high pitched drone - synth
059. * pseudo-whir for camera focus - treated voice
060. * shortwave radio treated with water effects
061. * contact mic of water in plastic bottle
062. * layers of distorted noise - synth
063. * waves - synth (RingMod noise)
064. * ambience - highly reverbed oscillator tone glides
(also used for Otherzone title & Kareen/moon appearance)
065. * chime - synth
066. * pencil case zip for shark's movement
067. * jingling of keys with synthesized loop 1 (re-used as piggy bank presence)
068. * heart beat - mic
069. D sample small orchestral burst from record (Powerbook 150)
070. * drone - synth (re-used as Otherzone becoming unhinged)
071. * synth pop 3 (re-used as Netspex screen info)
072. * airport paging - voice processed
073. * Live @ The Roxy sample
074. * Russell St. video game arcade
075. * click - pen top being pushed
076. * modulating 3 octave hum - synth
077. * weird sound - synth
078. * paper bag pop processed
079. * insinkerator processed
080. * ecstatic sighs - voice
081. * low heavy breathing - voice
082. * tinkling gamelan sounds
083. * jingling of keys with synthesized loop 2
084. * guttural roar - voice processed
085. * hiss - synth
086. D power chord - synth
087. * remote turned on - stapler gun
088. * beeps 2 - synth
089. patrons' oohs/aahs -
090. * high pitched tink - synth (spanner)
091. * reversed reverbed hand clap
092. * whoosh - voice
093. * video cassette slipped into case
094. * pop/crack - voice through DP4
095. * rustle of paper bag
096. * velcro tear
097. * carry case locks processed
098. * Heat sample or sfx CD (velcro tear)
099. screams - voices
100. * slam on vinyl couch (re-used as extra Chickenstick's feet booms)
101. * vocal grunt
102. scream
103. * distorted DP4 of my voice cut up/etc. w/random loop starting and filtering.
104. * clumping on metal stairs
105. * small suitcase crack
106. * fridge hum 2
107. * metallic ka-ching! (microwave bell & toaster)
108. * whoosh - voice (re-used as rungs passing o/head in lift)
109. * mouldy vegetable squelch (re-used as flesh blob shutting over Nam Melogue's face)
110. * paper tear 2
111. * creaking metal
112. * drop of tool case on concrete (re-used as flesh blob shutting over Nam Melogue's face)
113. * slide book along table
114. * video eject sound
115. * backwards zip - synth
116. * boom - synth
117. D muzak in elevator
118. * white noise - synth
119. * distinctive hum - synth (metal bang)
120. * whistling wind - synth (tool box)
121. * bleep - synth (re-used as screen info when Otherzone crashes)
122. * swimming pool interiors processed
123. * ultralight aircraft buzzing - synth
124. * extremely low throbbing - synth
125. * occasional growls - synth
126. processed dialogue of Stelarc
127. * detonation - voice through DP4
128. * flapping of wet towels
129. * sucking sound - voice
130. * various bubbling synth sounds - synth
131. * running water processed
132. * frying onions
133. * vegetable squelching (re-used as tentacles moving)
134. * lock - creaking leather couch
135. * oscillator tune-down - synth
136. * light glistening tinkles - synth
137. * zip 1 - synth
138. * mega reverbed boom/snap - synth
139. * dronal presence - synth
140. * electronic signals - synth
141. * wash of distant bubbling synths - synth
142. D rattle of padlock
143. * fizzy drink being opened
144. * zap - synth
145. * zips 2 - synth
146. * cracks - edits of paper scrunched onto mic
147. * booms - phased/filtered scrapes
148. * rice on plate
149. * tinkles of glasses processed/verbed
150. * waves - synth
151. * slight crumple of paper processed
152. * breath processed
153. * Kareen's eye twinkle - synth
154. * siren - synth
155. * extra shark zipping - synth
156. * white flashes - synthx

Otherzone spatialization

Scene 1
Satellite montage & introduction of Kareen, key & Ameth scarf
Silence of space; clear sounds of each satellite; emphasis on direct screen-panning as they move closer and beyond frame.
Zheng's voice
Marie's voice-over is the centre of the film at this point; spatialize it in some so that it is the atmosphere of space; her voice will be redone - more descriptive text & better performed.

Scene 2
Chickensticks legs
Chickensticks going down corridor is point-of-view - hint of something organic, a bit ceramic, nimble, designed by wheelchair designers, symbiotic, non-heavy-metal/mechanical.
Chickensticks in corridor
Stomping down corridor is loudest - a bit of left/right footstep delineation; sirens & breach alert more of an ambient wash.
Kareen in research room
Inside room - siren should not be continual; have more isolated rhythmic beeps (a la flashing red light of security camera); make breach alert less frequent; allow space for us to hear the low hum of research in the room; also accentuate Karen's vocal performance.
Door bangs
Boom of door bangs comes from back of theatre with very bottom end frequencies - the door between the room and the corridor is hermetically sealed.
Kareen's netspex
Try out Netspex as the sounds of the icons alone with Kareen's breath & heartbeat; when the key falls into the moon, make it really noticeable.
Chickensticks enters research room
Last door shot is a boom, then Kareen says "it's too late" then we hear the big bang of Chickensticks entering the room through the busted door; when Chickensticks breaks in, the rush of air pressure shoots from back of theatre to front stereo spread; nuts and bolts should fall on floor.
Chickensticks approaches Kareen
As Kareen's face falls in shadow, increase the volume of Chickensticks' legs - accentuate the left/right spatialization of his movement and build to a crescendo; few frames of black to carry over music power chord.

Scene 3
Kareen talks to Zheng
Use heartbeat & breathing combined with Netspex data transmission sounds; have siren in background when Kareen's quicktime appears; also try sound crackling & breaking up; Dave to supply Hi-8 of this take as it isn't on the DATs I have.

Scene 4
Zheng @ Williamstown
Take out foghorns; remove hisses also; use natural ambience of seagulls on DAT tape #1 (green)
Hi-8 memory footage (2 quick grabs)
Use wild takes of kid @ beach on DAT tape #1 (pink); use reverse-reverb of kid's voice for start of insert, then use forward-reverb once insert ends

Scene 5
City scape
Full on & widely spaced information; lots of traffic detail in all separate tracks.

Scene 6
Office of Melogue
Corporate space - plush, exclusive; juxtapose smooth order of inside against the chaos of outside in the pervious cityscape; emphasize low throbbing of office plus outside zeppelin rumble
Cuts' voice
Worldize a bit to better sit it in that space.
Melogue's 3rd hand
Sound of hand should be heard when there are close-ups of Melogue; last shot of scene will be of the 3rd hand; carry over slightly into black - the sound of MAN's technology is always the sign of threat to the family/individual

Scene 8
Zheng's apartment
Should be erotic & sensual; water too gloopy - refine a bit.
Zheng fondles scarf
Once scarf starts to take her to the Otherzone, introduce billowing texture - the sound of the scarf in real life; build up into crescendo.

Scene 9
First Otherzone entry - Beach Rendezvous
Entry into Otherzone proper signalled by white star explosion; golden bar shot removed from fine-cut
Kareen appears in Otherzone
Establish a 'lunar' sound for the presence of Kareen as the moon; when she speaks, have her individual words shift radically through the space; do this also with the spring zaps - except also have the loud/soft in volume to convey a 'near/far' effect.

Scene 10
Zheng's apartment & her mirror
The mirror scene may have t go; shark's voice dialogue may be recorded

Scene 11
Cityscape
Cityscape is wider and not as inside your face; tone down sounds from Scene 5; establish idle zepplin as main feature.
Cuts talks
Add still-sound of Chickensticks - perhaps the powering-up/recharing of his leg motors as Cuts speaks to him (into the camera); add sounds of city softer plus idling of zeppelin.

Scene 12
Zheng enters & walks through cafe
Create sound for drug as dealer holds it up; add foley of addict gurgling.
Bar
Bar environment has Roxy crowd noise lowered, plus arcade games & video games are accentuated; when cutting between the bar and the table area, use hard cuts between these two sound environments.

Scene 13
Melogue tapps eyes
Redo as low atmosphere of his office as per Scene 6.
Security camera
This is in the cafe, so hard cut to Cafe atmosphere.
Security camera POV
Try tinny mono - extreme contrast to all other spatialized sounds & environments; also add beep for on-screen text/etc.

Scene 14
Cuts attempts Otherzone entry
Add billowing rumble as per Scene 8.

Scene 15
Second Otherzone entry - Pleasure Garden & Dark Side
Same dimensional spatialization as per Scene 9; add series of orgasms from porno videos to match lurid rendering of envrionment as desired by Cuts.

Scene 16
Cuts attempts Otherzone entry
Add billowing rumble as per scene x.
Chickensticks enters
Match POV shots (where characters look at camera) with perspective of Chickensticks legs moving as per Scene 2; ADR vocalization needed for all of Chickensticks animated facial expressions - who'll do it and where? Dave to think about this. Also, oohs & aahs of audience to be sourced or recorded.
Chickensticks' hand explosion
Time crack/pop explosion to white flash frame.

Scene 17/18/19
Chickensticks chases Zheng outside
Same distant city & zeppelin as per Scene 2; zeppelin louder as Zheng looks up; insert netspex perspective (hard cut); from here, have zeppelin start its engines - build to cresendo; start steam sfx in wide shot of Zheng running toward ampitheatre; note that shot of Chickensticks going down stairs replaced by mid-shot of his legs walking down steps.

Scene 20
Melogue enters & slices Chickensticks
Build up steam more to match on-screen smoke; add off-screen sounds of the 3rd hand; ADR of Chickensticks desperately needed to show that he is dying from having his throat slit; start up the sound of Melogue's flotation device as he turns to see Zheng exit.

Scene 21
Melogue chases Zheng into elevator
Zeppelin sound at its peak here; his flotation devioce sound is at full here; also priveledge the sound of the 3rd hand.

Scene 22
Melogue's security camera perspective
Sound tinny mono as per Scene 13; add beeps for all on-screen animation.
Zheng's POV as she looks up at inside of tower
Hard cut to full sensurround rush of sound.

Scene 23
Zheng walks across platform into zepplin
Zepplin engine loud; sound of wind to match ariel perspective; city soundscape soft.

Scene 24
Crew members greet Zheng
This occurs in the 'Lobby' - indoors, no zeppelin motor sound, slight texture of larger swimming pool environment.
Zheng in zeppelin
Put in large swimming pool ambience to match composited shot.
Security camera perspective of Zheng
Same mono, tinny perspective as per other security camera shots.

Scene 24b (not in script)
Zeppelin pulls away
Sounds as per Scene 11.

Scene 25
Zheng moves on Zheng in Hindenbar
Sound needed to indicate Zeppling is just behind them - they're in a bar; establish menancing quality of the 3rd hand; as scene finishes, build up sound of zeppelin engine; cross-fade with next shot.
Scene 25b (not in script)
Zeppelin heads into stratosphere as sun sets
Pump up fully zeppelin engine sound.

Scene 26
Third Otherzone entry - The Confrontation
Try a soothing but menacing quiet rumble for the shot of Melogue talking over backgound of tunnelling perspective; the explosive sequence that follows needs to be seen for further elaboration of spatial/sound ideas - it will be nightmarish and feature moist sounds as Zheng-as-Shark struggles to extract herself fromthe tightening uterine tunnel.
Blackout
Silence; error message on screen; edited version of Melogue's monologue.

Scene 27
Melogue & Zheng in stand-off @ Hindenbar
Sounds of guns clicking & Melogue's 3rd hand

Scene 28
Ship passes by
Space silent; sounds of zeppelin & satellite spatialized as per Scene 1; overlay deafening gun shot.

Scene 29
Moon base exterior
Various other shots to be inserted; relate sound of moon to lunar texture to Kareen in the Otherzone of Scene 9.

Scene 30
Moon base interior
Check that space is heavenly, peaceful, pleasant; additional shot of wide interior perspective of moon base to be inserted.
Zheng enters
Have sound of 3rd hand pre-empt her entry from air lock doors.

Scene 31
Outer space
Treat as per Scene 1; try sucking implosion sounds as satellites.

Scene 32
Kareen in the imaginary realm of victory itself
Match Kareen's voice treatment to that done in Scene 1 with Zheng's voice-over.

Complete contents of this page © Philip Brophy