Click to EnlargeHomemade Sound Effects With Big-Budget Impact
From the delicate ticking of a timebomb to its gut-wrenching explosion, sound effects are a sure-fire way to grab and hold a viewer's attention. Hollywood movie moguls wouldn't invest millions of dollars in a soundtrack if sound effects weren't vital to the movie's impact.
If you can't take my word for it, try this experiment: rent a big-budget action thriller (Terminator, Aliens, Air Force One) and find a particularly engrossing section. Turn off the sound, and watch the scenes in silence. Then, crank up your highest-fidelity stereo system or headphones, close your eyes and "watch" the same scenes again. Comparing the visual effects and the sound effects, which was most captivating on its own? In many cases, the sound effects are even more powerful than the visual effects they accompany.
You can give your videos the same auditory impact as a Hollywood movie without the mega-bucks budget. In fact, you can use the same techniques that feature film producers still employ today. All you need is creativity, a willingness to get your hands dirty, and some common household …
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