Nocturnal city sounds

[indybones]

Hi peeps

I was wondering if I could pick your brains please...

I'm creating sound design for a video work which has been filmed at night.
It has a specific lonely/ Edward hopper feel to it.
I'm after sounds that naturally occur at night so far I have been using/got

distant hum of traffic
sirens
car alarms
dogs
car park/garages
rain
subway trains
radio static
distant street music

Thanks any suggestions would be greatly appreciated :thumbup::dankk2::dankk2:

Indy

 

[Brad S.]

Well I would think about what mood you're trying to convey. You say it's a lonely feeling in a city at night, but can you tell us anything else? Is it a bad part of town? Big city like New York or something a bit smaller? Are there other people visible in the background? I would try to make the backgrounds a bit sparse, as if there is not that much life around him. You'll definitely want some traffic fill and maybe the occasional distant car by. Of course a lot of this is dependent on how it was shot, but I would try to convey the idea that any sounds of life are distant. Distant car sirens, dog barks, etc.

Also don't try to cram sound into every area… leave some sonic space. Remember silence is as powerful if not more powerful than a sound effect.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[indybones]

Hi Brad...thank you for your help:dankk2:....Thought it might be an idea to put up a few stills from the video...

Yes places and people on the fringes of society, but that's just a feel it's not specifically literal. A few people are visible either walking or perhaps an odd car here or there but they are not the center of attention. Excuse the compressed images but you should get a bit more of an idea. The camera is acting as an objective witness to these nocturnal clandestine activities, but again it's ambiguous and not laying everything on a plate.











Thanks

Indy

 

[Hxd Ped]

Could you go back to these places or nearby and record some actual ambiance? That would be ideal, I would think.