Students on the BDes Sound programme at the School of Innovation & Technology were recently given the opportunity to present their works-in-progress at the Glasgow Film Theatre. For their course, “Narrative and Abstract Forms,” the cohort created audio-visual pieces exploring the overlap between different production methodologies. This approach was designed to allow creativity to flourish by encouraging experimental practices, including generative editing with Max/MSP, visual design in the Adobe Suite, and synthesis methods within Ableton Live. Students explored what is possible with this technology for allowing narratives to materialise from abstract visual imagery.
Knowing their works-in-progress would be shown in a professional cinema venue for formative feedback, students were challenged to ‘activate’ the space, using light and sound to create a full sensory experience for the audience. For a developing sound practitioner, one of the most pivotal steps is hearing their work in situ. Experiencing their audio on the big screen allowed the students to better understand the threshold ceilings they are working with, particularly regarding the dynamic range of sound and chroma in a calibrated environment.
To facilitate the screening, all the films were compiled into a single Digital Cinema Package (DCP). Watching the completed sequence together in the theatre prompted a fruitful, candid discussion about what succeeded in the space and what required further refinement, giving the students invaluable insight as they move toward finalising their work.
