Another exclusive behind the scenes interview from The Storyteller. Learn more about how the film was made and see footage of the making of!

This video features Bud Osborne, sound mixer of The Storyteller.

A post recently shared on No Film School, containing a video tutorial from The Film Look, explains how some of your favorite movie sounds came about, and how you can create your own, fully customizable library of sound effects. While there may not be a lot of surprises in the knowledge shared, it serves as great inspiration: pitch a tent in your living room, set up your mic and go to town.

After having your gory, stabby, bloody, squishing, cracking way with a variety of fruits and vegetables, go the extra mile and pick up a selection of sounds that you will almost definitely be needing in your edit. Things you may take for granted or simply neglect to include could be sounds like foot steps, jumps, handshakes, the rustle of clothing, cabinets opening and closing, doors creaking … the list goes on. On my latest shoot, we took great care to record clean, on-set sound, but even so, as I was editing the footage, I found that increasing the volume of dialogue sometimes gave the ambient sounds an unnatural presence in the mix. Similarly, in scenes with a rich room tone, like outdoor or group scenes, some of the finer details would get drowned out, giving the mix a feeling of being incomplete – even though the sounds were there. Have those basics (footsteps, movement, clothing) handy.

That said, what really sells these custom-made sound effects in the final mix is the delicate addition of room tone, so be careful to get that while on set.

But say your film is animated. Or set in a dystopian future/past. Or seeks to transport the viewer to unfamiliar places. Is room tone and watermelons gonna cut it? No. Sound effects – or sound design, really – should always support how you want the viewer to relate to your characters and their environment. The perfect example is a film like Wall-E. Take a cue from the greats:

As an online, full service licensing platform, Musicbed takes the confusing and daunting parts out of the licensing process. It even makes it somewhat fun to find music for your project. With a roster of about 650 indie artists spanning a wealth of genres, Musicbed promises to help you find the perfect score, license it at a very reasonable price, and make sure you’re covered legally without overpaying for uses you don’t really need. The process is smooth. And the website is pretty sleek, too.

You’ll still want to familiarize yourself with terms like Sync/Master Use licensing, perpetual use, single use, and commercial vs non-commercial works. A good place to start is Musicbed’s Knowledge Base, but be sure to also see our other posts on music licensing.

More videos with Heika – and many other exciting young filmmakers and entrepreneurs – are posted all the time, so be sure to subscribe to our newsletter and YouTube channel.

Since 2012 Simon Cade has been learning about filmmaking in one of the best ways possible – by teaching others. His DSLRGuide Youtube channel has amassed almost 150.000 subscribers and about 5 million views spread out over a treasure trove of tutorial videos on anything from lighting to storytelling to camera movement to DIY tricks to color grading and so on and so forth. His output frequency (a new video every week) and quality is really quite remarkable. His guide for shooting beautiful, cinematic video with a DLSR camera and low-to-no budget should be the first place you start your research, if you’re looking to do just that.

One of my favorite things about Simon’s videos is how directly relatable they are to my own trials and errors as an amateur filmmaker. Having trouble getting the right look for your film using whatever natural light you have available? Simon has an answer for you. Unsure about how to get started with color grading? Simon will walk you through it. Wondering why your shots feel flat? Simon’s got some suggestions on where to make changes.

All that and he seems like a nice bloke.

Here is but a small selection of his many videos. Be sure to check out his many videos here and to subscribe to his channel. For more in-depth information about the gear he uses and where he gets it, visit his website.

Without further ado; Trousdale.

Trousdale is a pop/folk band out of the University of Southern California’s esteemed Popular Music program. Known for their emotive harmonies and haunting lyrics, Trousdale’s music is defined by its beautiful arrangements and truthful stories. Their five members came together in the fall of 2014 and have been inseparable ever since. Quinn D’Andrea, Georgia Greene and Lauren Jones make up Trousdale’s vocals, with Jack DeMeo on guitar and Madi Vogt on drums/percussion.

You can visit Trousdale on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube or SoundCloud. Or simply enjoy their ROUND 1 submission, Lure Me In, right here:

Next in our artist spotlight series is Jesse Walton.

By the age of 16 Jesse had already been trained in classical and acoustic guitar, piano, and had an accomplished understanding of music theory. He went on to study Music and Music Technology at the East Sussex Academy of Music, where he excelled in composition and performance. He has completed a degree in Commercial Music at Canterbury Christ Church University, and is now taking his experience and expertise forward into what is sure to be a long and successful career in composition for film and television.

Please enjoy his song, I Hit The Ground:

And so the producers of the film teamed up with us to conduct a Song Search, hoping to find the perfect artist (or artists) for the soundtrack.

ROUND 1 of the Song Search generated a ton of great submissions and presented the producers with a lot of inspiration for how to move forward. Of the many submissions, six were chosen for ROUND 2, in which the songwriters are asked to write and record a rough demo of an original song specifically for The Storyteller. The six are now hard at work and we’re pleased to introduce them all, one by one.

And so, please meet Frank Cogliano.

Frank Cogliano is an Emmy nominated composer and multi instrumentalist based in Brooklyn, New York. He has produced songs and composed scores for in dozens of TV shows and films, and also produces pop music with up and coming vocalists. He also regularly performs as a guitarist with internationally touring live acts.

We’re excited to hear what Frank will be writing for us for ROUND 2 of the Song Search!

It’s important. We can all agree on that. It can even elevate your project to another level of engagement. But how do you go about getting that perfect score for your project? Well, you start with the composer, of course.

Here are composer Jongnic Bontemps’ suggestions for how you go about finding a composer to work with.

We have many more videos with Jongnic on the way, so be sure to check back often. Or even better, subscribe to our newsletter and/or YouTube channel and we’ll let you know when the next one is online.

ROUND 1 of the Song Search generated a ton of great submissions and presented the producers with a lot of inspiration for how to move forward. Of the many submissions, six were chosen for ROUND 2, in which the songwriters are asked to write and record a rough demo of an original song specifically for The Storyteller. The six are now hard at work and we’re pleased to introduce them all, one by one.

And so, please meet Billy Bouchard.

Billy Bouchard is an independent singer and songwriter with roots in folk, punk and garage. Originally from Providence, Rhode Island, Bouchard grew up listening to almost entirely country music radio in his working class boyhood home. As soon as he could force his hand to shape power chords, Bouchard started forming punk and hardcore acts playing in and around the Providence area. The first time he set foot in a studio his band would be signed to a label (Atlantic Records). The independent ‘noise’, art rock and theatre scenes in Providence would prove to have a lasting effect on his approach to music in the years to come. After a decisive move to Oakland, California, Bouchard would go on to collaborate with dozens of artists (Bart Davenport, Christian Burns, Aaron Pfenning of Chairlift, The Greater Good, The Plus Ones, Samiam) recording for a slew of labels, write and record with grammy award winning producers (Jeff Saltzman, Chris Dugan) and playing live in over 40 different countries.

Residing in Brooklyn for the better half a decade now, has furthered the evolution in Bouchards approach. The influences are many and Bouchard seems able to humbly meander from one aesthetic to it’s kin with aplomb. If you weren’t paying close enough attention you might dismiss him as another in a series of folky troubadours pawning off their nostalgic wares without shame. But upon closer inspection, it’s clear Bouchard is reaching much deeper. Touches of psyche, country, blues and a strong penchant for fascinating guitar approaches (including some adept finger styles) get sprinkled into his repertoire. Bouchard has come a long way from his humble start, but if you’re listening closely enough, it’s chronicled beautifully.

You can learn more about Billy Bouchard on his website, on BandCamp or on SoundCloud.

Please enjoy Billy’s submission for The Storyteller Song Search, Brackishly: