Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer Games

Game Title The Witcher https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtrKfZqokl4

(The sentences in bold are more important while establishing all the aspects)

Provide detailed descriptions from chosen examples that establish… Clearly state what production technique(s) you think have been used to create specific soundtrack elements

Setting The ambient sound of crickets and calls of owls 1:09-1:13 suggest that the majority of action happens during the night, outside. The exterior is also signified when at 1:39-1:41 there are footsteps which make a patting sound on solid but sandy/grainy surface. Another indicator for surrounding is at 1:58-2:02 when we hear crickets again and the calm wind, there is a person releasing some power with an ‘ughh’ noise (like in martial arts or when someone tenses to push something), quiet swish and fall on the same surface but with more impact. Then are footsteps of a medium speed but greater in sound.

Later on few times there is rambling: 3:28-3:30 (a construction falling apart) 4:35-4:37 (dry clay-made objects when hitting on each other) 4:46-4:47 (smashing a wood and falling on ground) 2:25 (hitting into wood and stone, similar to when a castle wall made of bricks is being bulldozed, but only a little part of it).

There are just few sounds for inner locations such as the rumbling into a wood plank and a heavy thing abrades over a rough stone 1:24-1:26 (as well as change in melody signifying a gloomy area) and person running on a stone bricks before running outside 1:32-1:40.

At a minute 5:33-5:42 the music changes into a mysterious, gloomy melody, which suits a dark/obscure place, we also hear water droplets meaning it’s moist in there so it may suggest sewers or another not visited place underground, there are no other sounds apart of very faint footsteps. After that there is the same sound as at 1:25 so it must be the same location.

Night live, as well as the sounds of early sunrise, has probably been recorded with the field recording technique.

The footsteps on different surfaces, and the collisions could be studio recorded and some of them manipulated with VST methods for a greater experience and realism.

The water dripping in the dungeon/sewers could have been field recorded, or studio recorded o a water and manipulated.

Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer Games

Between 6:06-6:20 there is slow fading transition between sounds of crickets and birds singing meaning that the night changes into day.

Mood Mood is strictly bonded with narrative, its changes do fulfil the action happening.

From start to 0:37 atmosphere is calm, quiet, with very melodic, quite melancholic song in the background, after the narrator finishes the monologue with ‘traitor became the bait’ the music thickens, speeds up for a while, then calms again. At 1:07 to 1:30 when the night replaces the afternoon the only non-diegetic sound is the suppressed single beating of a drum to create this tension before a proper action.

As soon as the ‘bait’ is freed and runs, the music is really loud and dramatic, putting an emphasis of him running. Almost immediately the sound turns grave quiet 1:48 with only the beast ‘purring’ – it gives a feel of a tragedy (not very regretted though). From 2:00 we can hear drums giving us more tension of what’s going to happen (for me it’s kind of a musical synonym for a heartbeat, heartbeat is not used because the Witcher isn’t frightened), when at 2:14 plays sort of a tribal hunting. It tenses and becomes move lively and active the more they attack each other, giving this feel of an action. It quietens again at 2:58.

Atmosphere becomes quiet and tense again when the witcher and striga are testing each other and waiting for the other to do an unexpected move (that’s when witcher bangs the chain on the ground) – when that move happens, the mood immediately sharpens (sounds go louder).

After going quiet again, the beat rises and becomes very fast (at 3:46), we can hear drums underlining this action that, though something happens, doesn’t involve combat yet. At 4:58 in addition to drum beats we can hear sort of heroic singing and tribal style song, which gives the epicness. Although there weren’t any other combat sounds, just groans of a beast, the effect was that the melody created a great tension. Quickly after the striga was immobilised on few seconds (4:17 – 4:27), which was suggested by smashing noise as well as lack of any music.

This medieval, sort of exotic music at beginning as well as heroic, dramatic music during some events during the battle were recorded with use of traditional instruments and human singing (within the studio recording).

I think majority of the music was recorded with traditional instruments, because VST and MIDI instruments are rather fitting for futuristic, sci-fi games, not those dark medieval genres.

Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer Games

After this, the music once more quietens and speeds up. I believe these pauses from battle give the audience moments to breathe and regenerate the emotions, especially as the cutscene is quite long.

In 5:30-6:04 the sounds are partially quiet, the continuous notes sang create this dark, dull, mysterious surrounding the witcher is in. For a while until 6:21 the melody is calm and warm, suitable for beginning of a new day. It keeps it’s peaceful feel until the very last moment of sudden shock, where the cutscene ends.

Game genre Medieval-fantasy, hack and slash (melee combat emphasis).

The main signs depicting the fantasy aspect are messages said by the story teller – “He was a Witcher, a professional monster slayer.”, the word ‘curse’ in next sentence and ‘[princess being] a deadly beast, a striga” – these all give away the supernatural part where beasts live and people can change into them by being hexed. Later on we can hear striga’s noises, which I believe are the mix of several carnivore sounds: 1:50-1:56 there are noises of eating a victim (after he screams), crunching, purring and sort of a squawk; 2:15-2:19 roars (probably lion’s); 2:20-2:25 louder roar and cry of a swine; also there are probably wolf’s or bears noises but it’s hard to differentiate from the mix of it.

For medieval category we hear key words: monarch and princess in the monologue.In medieval times they usually have a person singing a slow melody 0:00-0:04 & 0:15-0:21, and it sounds orchestral, but not symphonic (1:41-1:48). After that it becomes wild, sort of tribe music or one where the person is on adventure in an unknown dark land 2:15-2:46.

Hack and slash type becomes clear from 0:37 minute(where preparations are heard – clashes and sounds of several metal objects, digging them into a leather, and then knock of glass, faint gulp causing the music to change rapidly and unevenly with sound bursts alongside human ‘uhhm’) until very end of the cutscene.

Sounds made of chain, metal, leather and punches were recorded within the studio with use of different suitable materials (Foley artistry).

There are a lot of punches, hits and kicks, and these could have been obtained by Foley artistry.

The metal sword, this high pitch noise of it was either manipulated of created with VST effects.

The power of the spell the witcher casted (3:4-4:20) could be made within VST effects.

Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer Games

The battle takes roughly the half of the cinematic 2:23 – 5:20 and it’s being interspersed with the moments where tension builds up, making us think the main character and the beast ‘read’ each other movements before deciding to attack again. Some of the battle effects include swish of the limb movements, pushes (2:27-2:30), the strong hit impact (2:34-2:35), various punch/kick sounds (2:38-2:44), waving and clangs of a metal chain (3:05-3:26) and swinging of the weapon (5:15-5:19). Everything is accompanies with a beast’s response. In contrast to the striga, we can’t hear much from the main character. He remains focused and makes sounds as an exclamation of using force (in order to hit harder).

Narrative The narrator (voice over) speaks only in the first minute 0:08-0:35 of a cutscene. He summarises the events which triggered the action (he talks about the curse casted on a princess) and tells briefly what will happen next (implies that the witcher must survive the night with the princess to break the spell).His voice is calm and clear, it matches with the mood, genre and the purpose he speaks.The narrative for the rest of a recording isn’t told, but rather uses sounds and music (and rapid/slow changes between them) inform the listener of what’s happening.

After the speech, we can hear sounds indicating character’s preparations (all the metallic and leather sounds, then the twang of the glass and gulping). At the end of these preparations we can hear sough and a rapid noise 1:59-1:01 with witcher’s groaning. It makes the feeling of a rapid change in something as an outcome of drinking from this glass.

Not so long afterwards, there is a diegetic sound of cutting and person is running. But it cannot be the protagonist, because this rapid dashing (with increase of a melody speed) doesn’t fit to what we heard before. It means that this traitor mentioned in introduction was freed, but only to be killed (and probably ate) by the beast 1:48-1:55.

We hear the witcher jumping off the place he was in. His steps are in a little hurry,

Speech of the narrator was studio recorded, same with the noises the witcher makes.

Beast groaning in my opinion is a mix of several animals, eg. boar, lion, bear etc. And a dog in the part it scowls. These were either carefully field recorded or someone just grabbed the animals and placed in the studio (but that would seem ridiculous).

Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer Games

but calm when approaching the beast. The striga responds to him by roaring 2:14-2:19. He doesn’t respond, so she roars again and starts to attack. The battle begins, and it’s quite heated up. There are a lot of kicks and punches, roars of the beast and the vigorous melody. It ends at 3:04, as they both take a moment’s break.At 3:05-3:23 the music plays quietly in a more tensed manner. Both fighters are calm, we can hear swings of a chain and slow steps of the beast and its murmurs. It feels like they are trying to read each other. The attack starts suddenly with the chain hitting the stone. Beast rushes to attack but it’s hit and restrained. We can hear the built tension again at 3:36-3:41 when the beast frees itself from the chains.

At 3:47-4:20 there builds a great tension, every other movement (apart the flow of some power) slows down, we can hear both fighters focusing a lot and pushing their abilities of resistance. Suddenly all of it stops and striga crashes onto stone bricks. For few seconds it’s quiet and we hear only the witcher’s sounds (this kind of sound the person makes when jumping – hnng). Striga roars again, quiet, quiet and at 4:31 much louder – it all makes it think that the witcher used the time she was under bricks to jump onto another place, but was found (4:32 clench of a leather).

The dramatic music plays again alongside with beast’s groaning and climbing sound, just when the notes lengthen the witcher hits a beasts (4:43) and she falls due to multiple sounds that signify hitting the surface. After that the witcher hits it one more time and unsheathes his sword, they stay still (lack of any diegetic sound). Soon after the witcher swings the sword angrily (5:15-5:19) which results with the beast scowling and running away (noise gets quieter).

Summarising, it all shows that the witcher didn’t intended to hurt a striga (he coul do that however, as being a professional monster slayer), was rather defending himself most of the time, trying to be alive (as the narrator stated – survive the night with her) and to keep her alive as well.

The melody gets gloomy, we can hear noises from wet underground location, footsteps and getting into the same object the striga got out at the beginning of the

Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer Games

cut scene. As soon as the stone ‘lid’ is placed on, we can hear striga to dash on it and furiously bangs to get him.

At 6:04 night passes (since we hear birds singing) the battle is over, hence the calm melody playing. Lid is moved again, which means the witcher went out, it’s all very calm, but just at the last second there is a roar and slash, which means that his quest wasn’t completed as it should have been.