This exhibit is designed to resemble, in part, a Foley Sound Effects studio. The rear wall is carpeted as a Foley Studio wall could be, and the floor has a 'Foley Walking Pit' for recording walking sounds, and a table scattered with manual props: cellophane which is crinkled to make a crackling fire sound, coconut shells for horses hooves, and an old metal drum for banging and clanging. The side screens of the exhibit are where the information boards are displayed, so that the visitor can choose to read, or just to play with the interactive elements. On the rear wall of the exhibit is an interactive quiz about four weird and wacky sound effects from recent popular movies. These three elements fit well together, and give the visitor choice to explore either one, two or all three elements. The Foley Studio allows simpler sound effects to be created hands-on, and the quiz opens up the visitor to some of the complex sounds that can go into one sound effect.

For this exhibit the SL and RL versions are very similar, but I have listed them separately below.

The general feel of the exhibit, the Foley Studio, will be very much that of a stage set, with wooden walls and 'fake' doors.

1 - Foley Studio

SL

Props of common sound effects are laid out in the studio for visitors to explore. Most props have a directional microphone facing them. By clicking the base of this the avatar can play the sound that the prop can be used to make. The Foley Walking Pit has four walking sounds, linoleum. concrete, grass and snow (the walking on snow sound is generally made using corn starch and the box of corn starch illustrates this.) The table houses cellophane for a crackling fire sound, coconut shells for horses' hooves, and an old metal drum (which has no sound.) Beside the table is a door, perfect for slamming, and it's accompanying sound.

RL

The same props could be used in this element of the RL exhibit. One of the benefits of this exhibit is that is would be straightforward and inexpensive to build. Hands-on props like the coconut shells could be attached to the table with cords, so that they stay with the exhibit.


2 - Information cards


I am one of those people that read everything in a museum or gallery, and I think the information boards here clearly convey the history and science behind sound effects without becoming cumbersome and time-consuming.



3 - The movie sound quiz

SL

In SL the avatar reads the quiz question about sound effects in popular movies at the top of the rear wall, then clicks on one of the A,B,C or D letters underneath the question, which denotes the answer they have chosen from the four answers at the bottom of the rear wall. Each answer has a plaque giving a brief description of the sound effect, but also a prop illustrating how it was achieved.


If they choose the wrong answer they are given a notecard saying this. If they choose the right answer they are given a notecard which gives more detail on the sound effect in question.

RL

In RL this element of the exhibit would take up much less space and be much less dominant than it is in the SL version. The SL version is so large to make it easy for avatars to read without having to get really close. What I am unable to do in SL and it would be great to do in RL is to have a push bottom with each question, which plays the sound that the question is based on. This would allow the visitor to listen to the sound as often as they liked, and really try to hear the sound effect in question e.g. metal being shot across the room.

The props for the quiz could be housed in a perspex box, and / or, shown as a video of the Foley Artists re-creating that sound effect, which would really bring the organic nature of sound effects to  life.