Imaginary character

Question

Hey every one! I am currently working on a scene which is set in reality in a girls room with her and two other characters and an imaginary character of hers which is in there with them who is taking all of her attention while the other characters are trying to get her attention. This imaginary character is moving around and he is creating bubbles out of a golden orb which float to the ceiling, so I was just wondering how to handle any sound that the imaginary character would make seeing that he is not really in that room. I am thinking i have to "blur" out all ambiance and the other characters dialogue while I play the imaginary sounds clearly, but I am not completely sure how to do that. Will really appreciate any tips or interesting ideas.

Thank you so much (in advance :) )

Answer 1

Honestly, this sounds like impressionistic/expressionistic sound design, so it should be something you bring the magic to, as opposed to there being a standard technique. But if you're just creatively stuck, here are some ideas. Hopefully others will chime in, too.

A standard trope I've noticed for this kind of thing is 100% wet reverb to "blur" the sound, although now with spectral audio processing you might use that to blur the sound as well. But something as simple as riding the dialog gain smartly could be understated and elegant if done right...never ignore the simplest solution.

Maybe watch some boxing films, some surrealist films (Diving Bell & the Butterfly, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and other Films With Ridiculously Long Titles), and films featuring shifted states of consciousness for examples and inspiration. As long as the audience is following how the attention of the main character is shifting, it sounds like you'd meet your goal.

What you're describing sounds fun, challenging, and an opportunity to put your creative stamp on it. Experiment, fail, repeat, and iterate towards the right solution!

Answer 2

I would start by going from shot to shot and asking the question, "whose point of view is this shot from?" If its from the main girl, then you probably have free reign to add all the stuff that noiseJockey was talking about. Then go back to dry on shots from other characters pt of view. The transitions will make for nice sound moments and also add clarity for the audience. If the shots are not clearly from 1 pt of view or other, then your director didn't do their job.

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