Sounds Creative

One of Boutwell Studios' favorite musicians, a one-man orchestra who can play nearly every instrument you can imagine. He has composed and performed hundreds of tunes for Ken Burns documentaries. Greg Bass and Mark Harrelson join Kelley Buttrick in this episode along with a variety of instruments that Bobby brought along to the studio for this episode.   Bobby loves history and music and the relationship between the two. Even before people could read and write, they used songs to pass down information from generation to generation. Music has always been used to tell stories and convey emotions in the way that words alone can't do. There's a passion and interest in historical music, specifically in the Civil War, when the American music industry got it's legs. Bobby's work in the history of music in the Civil War is how Bobby connected with Ken Burns. He has since had the opportunity to work with Burns performing and interpreting historical music on 18 projects. He interprets more than just the tempo. Not only the instruments but also the melody and how you express the notes and emotions make a difference in the interpretation of the music.   Bobby contributed more than 40 minutes of music to the Ken Burns Country Music project as well. Bobby's approach to film music is that it should support what is happening in the scene and not overtake it. It can be so powerful and emotional, you have to be careful to support the scene and not detract from it.     The Boutwell team and Bobby talk about his influences and favorite composers through time, from Scottish and Irish composers to Appalachian music and the music of Vietnam. One of Bobby's favorite tunes is a 19th century song he performed for Lewis & Clark, called “Beech Spring”.    You won't want to miss this episode and with the treat of live performances by Bobby on guitar.   For more on the world of audio branding and sound design, subscribe to the Sounds Creative podcast at https://soundscreative.libsyn.com/. If you liked this episode, please share it with your friends.  Boutwell Studios, Podcast Division. Your words. Our Expertise.  

Call it alchemy or magic or voodoo, it's a powerful thing when sound design meets amazing images to create kickass animation. As Senior Director / Animator at Big Communications, it's Ali Clark's job to create and execute killer animation for her clients. Ali came by for a visit with Lane McGiboney, Van Gunter and Kelley Buttrick to share some secrets about how she creates her magic.   Ali has executive produced documentaries, directed music videos and has worked with sound, video and animation for more than 10 years. She shares how she learned to harness the power of audio in the creative process. In a recent project for the Sidewalk Film Festival Ali worked with the Boutwell Studios team to create a Sponsor Trailer starting with audio and building the images around the sound.   Audio in animation projects is important as well because animation is so contingent on timing. Sometimes a piece of music influences the timing of the animation based on the BPM or rhythms and whatever might already currently be embedded to the music. You're animating to what already exists because it feels right. You can also create a soundscape and then animate to that and rather than creating timings and pacing around what's already existent in a piece of music.   Sound and music is incredibly powerful. It has the ability to take over our emotions and lead us in a direction. It paints a picture for you; it fills in the gaps. Sound design makes the visuals feel alive and real. You don't realize how amazing sound is until someone puts the right sound to the thing that you're working on. It tells a story all on its own. It gives you a bigger picture of the world and it fills in the gaps. Whether it's in advertising, creative projects, documentaries and animation, we're telling stories, communicating, emotions and feelings.   Ali and the Boutwell team are huge supporters of Birmingham's Sidewalk Film Festival. It brings diverse people from the community together every year for a weekend celebrating independent film and creativity. People from all over the world to experience the southern charm and creativity that is alive in Birmingham.   Read the full transcript here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/4bn1qk023weotb2/SOUNDS%20CREATIVE%20-%20ALI%20CLARK%20-%20MIX_REV2.mp3.docx?dl=0   You can see the Sidewalk Sponsor trailer that we talked about on the podcast on the Boutwell Studio's website, Boutwellstudios.com. Special thanks to Lane McGiboney and Van Gunter for being a part of this fun conversation. And of course, to Brad Lyons for creating the wonderful music that you hear.   For more on the world of audio branding and sound design, subscribe to the Sounds Creative podcast at https://soundscreative.libsyn.com/. If you liked this episode, please share it with your friends.  Boutwell Studios, Podcast Division. Your words. Our Expertise.  

Bob Harrison is a Creative Director Luckie Advertising and is an accomplished blues musician. On today's episode of Sounds Creative Bob shares his story of how he went from playing in garage bands in his youth to a career in Advertising. Early in Bob's career he was a Creative Project Manager always having to bug his creative team to enter their timesheets. This led to him recording silly parody songs on their voicemail. His natural inclination was to solve the problem with audio. Some of Bob's favorite work in advertising has been when he has an opportunity to record original music for his campaigns. For Little Debbie Bob teamed up with Boutwell Studios on the “Today We Bake” campaign. The team collaborated remotely with a talented composer and musicians to create an authentic, modern track better than any needledrop they could have found. He also created a hilarious music genre-hopping series of radio spots for Express Oil Change. The spots featured original songs in Country, Blues, Hair Metal and 70s Soft Rock styles. Talented musicians and composers have the ability to pull ideas out and turn them into a creative vision. Bob's theory is that radio ads are a playground for creatives. Anything is possible in the theatre of the mind. That's what makes it fun and scary. You have :30 to :60 to create something that is compelling and fun. You can create images with sound. Bob's musical journey started when he was a kid playing in garage bands with a tape recorder and a bass, creating silly albums with original music and taking epic band photos. This lead to his discovery of Blues music fell in love with the harmonica. Boutwell Studios collaborated with Bob and Luckie Advertising again for a project for the Year of Alabama Music. The campaign featured testimonials from prominent Alabama musicians creating original music with Bob on the harmonica. Alabama is full of fantastic musicians who want to stay in Alabama and don't flock to Nashville like so many others. Bob and Kelley share the importance of quality voice talent. He can usually tell within a few seconds of a voice audition whether a talent has an actorly ability. He appreciates voices that are attached to people who get a concept and can bring new meaning where there was little meaning before. Writers are often voice talent because they get it. They know what the script needs and what the director is looking for. These days people can easily have a decent mic and sound dampening devices at home but not everyone has the talent. For more on the world of audio branding and sound design, subscribe to the Sounds Creative podcast at https://soundscreative.libsyn.com/. Check out more of our work at www.boutwellstudios.com.  Boutwell Studios, Podcast Division. Your words. Our Expertise.

Amazing things happen when you combine the human voice with music, sound design and a lot of imagination. It's the alchemy of the production process that can result in audio that is strange, thrilling and often incredibly beautiful. That's the magic that the Sounds Creative podcast celebrates. Come with us as we explore sound and creativity with other creative professionals. We're bringing you the Sounds Creative podcast. Subscribe at https://soundscreative.libsyn.com/.   Join host, Kelley Buttrick, voiceover artist, and the audio experts at Boutwell Studios as we chat with John Montgomery of Big Communications.   John shares his stories of starting an agency from PR to strategy, to business development and production. He has had a passion for promoting all things Birmingham throughout his career. A career in marketing gave him the opportunity to produce content ranging from automotive industry campaigns to music videos for rock bands.   For more on the world of audio branding and sound design, subscribe to the Sounds Creative podcast at https://soundscreative.libsyn.com/. Check out more of our work at www.boutwellstudios.com.  Boutwell Studios, Podcast Division. Your words. Our Expertise.

Drop in on the conversation between the audio experts at Boutwell Studios and their creative clients and cohorts. Voice talent Kelley Buttrick attempts to keep everyone on topic, but the stories, music and experiences shared on Sounds Creative are widely varied. Amazing things happen when you combine the human voice with music, sound design and a lot of imagination. It's the alchemy of the production process that can result in audio that is strange, thrilling and often incredibly beautiful. That's the magic that the Sounds Creative podcast celebrates. Come with us as we explore sound and creativity with other creative professionals. We're bringing you the Sounds Creative podcast.