Video & Sound Production - Project 1 : Audio Editing Exercises

6.10.2025 - 22.11.2025 (Week 3 - Week 9)

Lim Jia Yu 0357873

Bachelor of Business (Hons) in Digital Marketing   l   Creative Media Design (Minor)

VSP60104 Video & Sound Production (sec 03)

Project 1 (Audio Editing Exercises)

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Instructions

2. Tasks 

3. Project 1 

4. Reflection

Google Drive LINK 

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Instructions

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Tasks

Task 1 

Watch 2022 film "Everything Everywhere All At Once"

Trailer: Everything, Everywhere, All At Once 

Watching the trailer showed me how visuals and sound work hand in hand to create mood and tension. The camera angles, shot choices, and pacing made every moment feel intentional, while the sound design from music build-ups to quiet pauses shaped the emotions just as much as the images. As a video and sound production student, it reminded me to treat sound as storytelling, not just background, and to be more thoughtful with pacing and editing in my own projects. 

Task 2 

Knowledge on 3 act structure 

Trailer: Everything, Everywhere, All At Once

1. Which part is Act I, Act II, Act III respectively? Describe each act with ONE paragraph only.

Act I :

Evelyn Wang, a middle-aged Chinese immigrant who is exhausted juggling her laundromat, her difficult relationship with her husband Waymond, her distant daughter Joy, and a looming IRS audit. Her life is full of stress, regrets, and what feels like unfulfilled dreams. The "normal world" she lives in is chaotic yet familiar. Then comes the disruption - Waymond's alternate self appears and tells her about the multiverse, and a threat called Jobu Tupaki is revealed. Suddenly Evelyn's mundane problems escalate into something cosmic, and she's pulled into a world she didn't know existed. 

Act II :

Evelyn is thrust into all kinds of alternate universes, living versions of herself she never imagined. She must learn to tap into the skills and experiences of her alternate selves. Along the way, the conflict deepens: Jobu Tupaki is revealed to be a splintered version of her daughter, Joy, overwhelmed by the possibilities of the multiverse and succumbing to nihilism. Evelyn struggles with guilt, responsibility, identity, and loss. The middle of the film heightens when Evelyn realises she may be the only one who can stop the Everything Bagel, the Jobu's tool that threatens to erase everything. Evelyn is no longer just reacting; she must choose how to fight. 

Act III :

All the confusion and chaos build to a peak confrontation. Evelyn faces Jobu on the brink of destruction (The Everything Bagel). Instead of defeating her with power or violence, Evelyn chooses empathy, kindness, and love for Joy, for her family, and even for the parts of herself she considered failures. She makes peace with her mistakes, accepts imperfections, and affirms she will always want to be with Joy, even when nothing else in the multiverse makes sense. The multiverse is saved, and Evelyn returns to her normal universe changed: relationship are healed, tensions eased, and she embraces the messy, imperfect life she has. 

2. What is the inciting incident in the movie?

The story really kicks off when Alpha-Waymond shows up and tells Evelyn that there are countless versions of herself across the multiverse. Up until then, she's only stressed about her taxes, her business, and her family problems. That moment flips her whole world upside down, because suddenly she is not just dealing with laundry and taxes. She has to face a cosmic-level threat. 

3. What is the midpoint scene in the movie?

The big turning point comes when Evelyn finds out that Jobu Tupaki, the all-powerful villain is actually Joy, her own daughter. This hits her harder than anything else, because the fight isn’t just about saving universes anymore. It’s about saving her child. From then on, Evelyn starts making choices instead of just reacting, which changes the direction of the story.

4. What is the climax scene in the movies?

The most intense moment is at the Everything Bagel, when Joy is ready to give up on everything and disappear. Evelyn doesn’t fight her with violence, she chooses love and empathy to remind Joy that their messy, complicated relationship is still worth holding onto. By reaching out to Joy as her mother, she not only saves her daughter but also stops the destruction of the multiverse.

5. What is the theme of the movie?

The movie is about how love and kindness give meaning to life, even when everything feels random and overwhelming. Evelyn learns that she doesn’t need to be perfect or live every possible version of her life. What matters is being present and choosing compassion. It’s a story about family, forgiveness, and finding purpose in the small connections that keep us going.

Task 3

Sound shaping exercise

Audio 1.1.1 : Original Sound

1. Phone call sound effects

Figure 1.1.1 : Rack Effect - Parametric Equalizer

2. Muffled sound effects

Figure 1.1.2 : Rack Effect - Parametric Equalizer

3. Reverb sound effects

Figure 1.1.3 : Rack Effect - Reverb

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Project 1 

Exercise - (1) Audio Dubbing 

Before Editing

Step 1:

download the muted video and subtitle

Video 2.1.1 : Original Muted Video

Figure 2.1.1 : Subtitle

Step 2:

list down

Figure 2.1.2 : Listing

During Editing (Adobe Premier Pro)

Step 1:

sound recording

The given video was muted, so I had to record my own voices to match the subtitles and scenes.

Figure 2.2.1 : Sound Recording

Step 2:

insert the sound recording 

I created three separate audio tracks, with one track for each character.

- A1 for Waymond Wang

- A2 for Evelyn

- A3 for Deirdre Beaubeidre 

According to the requirement, the dialogue volume should be between -6 dB to -12 dB. Therefore, I adjusted the volume for all three characters to -6 dB to keep the audio clear and balanced. 

Figure 2.2.2 : Sound Recording Inserted 

Video 2.2.1 : Outcome

Step 3:

edit the voice 

Since there were both male and female characters, I used the pitch shifter tool to adjust my voice, making it sound more masculine for Waymond Wang and giving each character a distinct tone. Only for Evelyn, I used my original voice to maintain natural tone.

Figure 2.2.3 : Voice Edited

Figure 2.2.4 : Pitch Shifter - Waymond Wang

Figure 2.2.5 : Pitch Shifter - Deirdre Beaubeidre

Video 2.2.2 : Outcome

Step 4:

add hard sound effects

I added suitable sound effects to match the actions and emotions in each scene. For example, hand punching through door, neck broken sound, door opening sound and more. This helped make the video feel more lively and realistic.

Figure 2.2.6 : Sound Effects Added

Video 2.2.3 : Outcome

Step 5:

add ambience sounds

I added ambience sounds such as door banging, office ambience, office workers scream and run away and so on to make the scene feel more natural and realistic. The volume requirement for the ambience sounds was to keep everything below -20 dB, so I carefully adjusted all ambience tracks to make sure they stayed within that range to avoid overpowering the dialogue.

Figure 2.2.7 : Ambience Sounds Added

Video 2.2.4 : Outcome

Final Audio Dubbing

Video 2.3.1 : Final Audio Dubbing, MP4 (Week 5, 23/10/2025)

Submission Evidence

Figure 2.4.1 : Submission Evidence

Exercise - (2) Sound Shaping

Before Editing

Step 1

think one sentence to talk about (5-7 seconds)

Figure 3.1.1 : Selected Sentence

Step 2

sound recording

Figure 3.1.2 : Sound Recording

Audio 3.1.1 : Option 1

Audio 3.1.2 : Option 2

During Editing (Adobe Audition)

Step 1

select the favourite sound recording

Audio 3.2.1 : Selected Sound Recording (Option 2)

Step 2

import sound recording

Figure 3.2.1 : Sound Recording Imported

Step 3

sound shaping

1. Voice of phone call

Figure 3.2.2 : Effects Rack - Voice of Phone Call

Figure 3.2.3 : Rack Effect - Parametric Equalizer

2. Voice coming from inside of closet

Figure 3.2.4 : Effects Rack - Voice Coming From Inside Of Closet

Figure 3.2.5 : Rack Effect - Parametric Equalizer

Figure 3.2.6 : Rack Effect - FFT Filter

Figure 3.2.7 : Rack Effect - Single-band Compressor

Figure 3.2.8 : Rack Effect - Pitch Shifter

Figure 3.2.9 : Rack Effect - Reverb

3. Voice of toilet / bathroom

Figure 3.2.10 : Effects Rack - Voice of Toilet / Bathroom

Figure 3.2.11 : Rack Effect - Parametric Equalizer

Figure 3.2.12 : Rack Effect - Studio Reverb

Figure 3.2.13 : Rack Effect - Reverb

4. Underground Cave

Figure 3.2.14 : Effects Rack - Underground Cave

Figure 3.2.15 : Rack Effect - Parametric Equalizer

Figure 3.2.16 : Rack Effect - Reverb

5. Alien / Orc Voice

Figure 3.2.17 : Effects Rack - Alien / Orc Voice

Figure 3.2.18 : Rack Effect - Pitch Shifter

Final Sound Shaping

Audio 3.3.1 : Original Sound

1. Voice of phone call 

Audio 3.3.2 : Final Sound Shaping_Voice of Phone Call, MP3 (Week 9, 22/11/2025)

2. Voice coming from inside of closet 

Audio 3.3.3 : Final Sound Shaping_Voice Coming From Inside of Closet, MP3 (Week 9, 22/11/2025)

3. Voice of toilet / bathroom 

Audio 3.3.4 : Final Sound Shaping_Voice of Toilet / Bathroom, MP3 (Week 9, 22/11/2025)

4. Underground cave 

Audio 3.3.5 : Final Sound Shaping_Underground Cave, MP3 (Week 9, 22/11/2025)

5. Alien / Orc Voice

Audio 3.3.6 : Final Sound Shaping_Alien / Orc Voice, MP3 (Week 9, 22/11/2025)

Submission Evidence

Figure 3.4.1 : Submission Evidence

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Reflection

In Project 1 : Audio Editing Exercises, I learned that sound design is not just about adding background noise. It is an important part of storytelling. When I analysed the Everything Everywhere All At Once trailer, I realised how sound can change the mood, guide the audience’s emotions, and create tension or excitement. This helped me understand that every sound choice should be purposeful.

During the dubbing and audio-editing tasks, I practised many technical skills such as adjusting volume levels, separating different audio tracks, adding ambience, and applying effects like pitch shift and reverb. I also learned how important it is to keep dialogue clear by controlling the loudness of background sounds. Through this process, I became more familiar with how audio layers work together to create a more realistic scene.

One thing I am happy with is the clarity of my dialogue recording and the effort I put into matching my voice with the characters on screen. I also experimented with different audio effects such as phone-call voice, closet voice, and alien voice, which helped me understand how sound can create different environments and personalities.

However, there are still things I can improve. Some ambience layers could be smoother, and I can pay more attention to blending sound effects more naturally. I also think I should test my audio on different devices, because what sounds balanced on headphones may sound different on laptop speakers. Next time, I want to plan my sound choices more clearly and write down the reasons behind each effect, so my mixing becomes more intentional.

Overall, this project helped me build a stronger foundation in sound editing, and it taught me how important audio is in bringing a visual story to life. I look forward to improving my mixing skills and creating more polished and immersive soundscapes in future projects.

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