REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
Music and Sound effects for "I See Sue"

 

Bids

The Sound Artist will provide all audio elements described below EXCEPT voiceover.

Looking for a single bid for the whole project, and prefer a flat fee for the project as described. It can be a step deal: one fee for design, and upon approval, another for execution.

Preferred Method of working

Big Fun supplies interactive animation files in FLASH4.0 format. Sound Artist adds MP3 encoded music and effects directly into Flash soundtracks and returns files. This will be an internet-based process moderated by version-control software (check out / check in). Uncompressed versions of sound will also be delivered for project archives.

Schedule

Creative Agreement           00- 01-17

I See Sue Theme idea
Lambo Theme
Swamp Theme (idea)

First Dino Theme                00-01-21

Lambosaurus, all themes
Swamp Theme (finished)
All sounds delivered

All Fixes & Pickups              03-15-00

 

Audience    Ages 4-7, boys and girls

Platform     Win/Mac CDROM

Genre         Hybrid Card/Board Game, animated

Theme        Cretaceous Life - Museum Quality

 

 

 

I SEE SUE AUDIO STRUCTURE

Intro

Publisher’s Logo

Big Fun Logo

I See Sue Theme Song

Game

Cards

Scene Theme
Scene Sounds
Card Sounds
Voice Over
Dino Theme ("Restless")

            Card Win

Dino Theme ("Beauty Shot")
Voiceover (funfact)

          Path

Dino Themes
Scene Sounds (triggered)
Voice Over

            Path Win
                    Dino Theme (Sue:"Beauty Shot")

 

Credits, Setup, etc

I See Sue Theme Song

 

 

Publisher’s Logo

Supplied by publisher.

 

 

Big Fun Logo

We need a corporate logo theme that reflects Big Fun (not I See Sue). This chord or fragment of melody (about 4 seconds) should reflect a company that creates imaginative high-tech products: cartoony games, delightful consumer interfaces and rich media experiences. (like (respectively) "Pie Jackers" pizza-delivery race game, ATT’s "OneRing" message system, and "Reign of Ronin", an internet wargame set in ancient Japan. High tech, high spirit.

 

 

I See Sue Theme Song

The packaging of this product might emphasize the museum connection and the educational values - for the sake of (credit) card-carrying adults. But the opening music has to assure the kid that this is going to be fun. As catchy as a camp sing-along and as polished as a TV theme.

I hear a cha-cha!!

You be red
I be blue
Now we play
I SEE SUE

Deal the cards, then swap, swap, swap
Build a dino from tip to top

Match three cards
It's fun to do
Then hop, hop, hop
till YOU SEE SUE

Make yourself dinosaur
You'll hop and hop and hop some more

Win the game
If it's you
Who's the first to say
I SEE SUE!!

The Theme Song is the only portion of this project involving language. Music and voice must be delivered on separate recording tracks to facilitate later localization.

 

 

 

Card Sounds

Sound qualities:

The cards are crisp and new.
The deck is tiny - only a dozen cards or so
The table is hard and wooden.
The room is intimate.

            Sounds:

Shuffle - one quick riffle through small deck
Deal - card is grabbed and slid off top of deck
Whoosh - card cuts through the air
Slap - card comes down on table
Flip - card flips over on table
Knock - card slides and hits another edgewise, shoving it
Wedge- card slides between two cards knocking both

 

Scene Themes and Scene Sounds

There are four scenes. Each has its own sound texture which sets the mood and serves as background music for the card game. There are three types of sounds in each scene.

Theme

This is an ambient loop, composed of music (derived from the I See Sue theme) and sound effects. It is long enough to establish the theme and to avoid annoyingly obvious repetition

 

Random Sounds

There are some animation/sound effects that display irregulary (like a lightning strike, or a swamp gurgle) to add life to the scene.

 

Triggered Sounds

Some effects respond to the presence of the dino characters: (snapping crocodile, disturbed hornet’s nest, etc)

 
   

Theme elements

Random FX

Triggered FX

Swamp
comfortable

close, soft, "indoor" feel

insect chip

frog song

swamp gas bubble

crocodile snap

quicksand slosh

Woods

bright

brighter, but still enclosed

streams babble

distant birds

dragonflies flutter

beehive

Night

spooky

hollow, resonant, creepy

volcano rumble thunder

volcano erupt lightning strike

snarl in darkness

Shore

adventurous

vast and echoey

surf

marine "bird" call;

waves crash

rock falls into ocean

 

 

Dino Themes

These themes combine musical and sound effect components.

Each dino has a characteristic set of themes which are identifiable. They are similar to each other and distinct from the other dinos in melody and instrumentation. There are six themes for each of seven dinosaurs, but not each dino uses all the themes. 32 in all.

Beauty Shot

This is heard with a specially rendered animation showing the dinosaur in close-up. It happens when the player wins the card game by assembling all three cards. This is the first view of the dinosaur prize - the cards come to life - so this theme is richer and more triumphant than the others. Typically there is 3-4 seconds of pure music, then 4-6 seconds of fun-fact voice-over.

Restless

This is a tiny action that the player sees when he does nothing for too long. If he ignores the cards, his dino impatiently urges him to get playing again.

Blocked

This theme occurs when the player has the wrong dinosaur, one that cannot cross the current barrier. It is the sound of a frustrated dino, but not a sound that scolds the player.

Walk

This is the dino’s main theme, which is heard as he walks down the path.

Pass

Dino overtakes his opponent, and now is in the lead. This subtheme replaces one measure in the Walk theme. It can be any measure.

Special Move

Each Dino has a special move that allows him to go where no other dino can go. This theme is special: it is heard rarely, but at a great time. It is inserted between any measures of the Walk theme.

 

 

ANKYLOSAURUS

 

crusty, heavily armored, pugnacious, fearless

(James Cagney in a suit of armor)

Beauty Shot

8

struts with tail-club held high

Restless

1

thumps earth with club

Blocked

2

switches tail back & forth

Walk

3

lumbering tank-like walk

Pass

*1

smacks opponent with club

Special Move

**2

walks fearlessly through dangerous raptors
 

* replaces part of Walk theme

**inserted into Walk theme

 

LAMBEOSAURUS

 

hefty, maternal, thickfooted, homely, not-too-bright

Beauty Shot

8

plods peacefully through mud in rainstorm

Restless

1

rises up and stares at player, honks her horn

Blocked

2

shifts weight back and forth with sloshy sound

Walk

5

four-legged crawl

Pass

*1

honks horn smugly

Special Move

**2

climbs through disgusting mud
 

* replaces part of Walk theme

**inserted into Walk theme

 

 

TROODON

 

light, swift, smart and vicious

Beauty Shot

8

races after prey

Restless

1

rubs heel-claws together, with knifelike sound

Blocked

2

near-panic of trapped animal

Walk

4

two-legged run

Pass

*1

slash at opponent with heel-claw

Special Move

**2

scampers over fallen (hollow) log bridges
 

* replaces part of Walk theme

**inserted into Walk theme

 

 

TRICERATOPS

 

like a bull but bigger than a minivan.

Beauty Shot

8

Triceratops stampede

Restless

1

paws earth

Blocked

2

paces nervously

Walk

4

four-legged trot

Pass

*1

grunty bellow

Special Move

**2

uses horns to move log obstacles
 

* replaces part of Walk theme

**inserted into Walk theme

 

 

PTEROSAUR

 

grand, efficient, leathery soaring reptile. Glider, not wingflapper

Beauty Shot

8

racing his shadow along a cliff

Restless

1

spreads wings and flaps

Blocked

2

Halfhearted hopeless wing-flap. Can only fly from cliff.

Walk

7

Leaps from cliff - soars - spirals upward - lands on another cliff

Pass

  

n/a

Special Move

  

n/a (see Walk theme)

 

 

 

PLESIOSAUR

 

long-necked sensual swimmer

Beauty Shot

8

underwater dive

Restless

1

exhales huge lungful of wet air - with a bit of exasperation

Blocked

2

flops about pathetically - fish out of water.

Walk

7

dives into surf- swims - returns to another shoreline

Pass

  

n/a

Special Move

  

n/a (see Walk theme)

 

 

SUE (T. REX)

 

Powerful, proud & loud - dangerous and friendly (Jackie Gleason)

Beauty Shot

3x12

This is a very special theme for several reasons:

It is seen when you win the whole level, not one hand of cards
It takes 40 minutes to win, not 90 seconds
It is the only time you see Sue, the title character of the game.
Hey! Remember the name of the game is I SEE SUE!

Therefore this music is grander and more triumphant than any other. About 5-7 seconds of pure music, a 10 second speech over potted-down music, and 3-5 seconds of musical wrapup.

The five second intro builds to an explosive climax, with three versions (same music, different SFX):

- explosion is enormous foot stomp!

- explosion is enormous-toothed chomp!

- explosion is head-thrown-back roar!

Restless

  

n/a

Blocked

  

n/a

Walk

  

n/a

Pass

  

n/a

Special Move

  

n/a

 

Voice Over
NOT part of the Audio RFP

The game includes a voice - a voice with a personality. Not an authority figure - or any grown up. More like a slightly older cousin- someone who already knows the game - but is not unbeatable.

Let’s call this cousin "Viva". Let’s make sure she is smart and funny and tough enough to play against the boys.

Mentor
Viva encourages the young player to play the game successfully and enjoyably. This means learning the rules, but it does not mean she hammers them in. As much as possible, Viva guides the kid to discover the rules himself.

Worthy Opponent
Viva’s (artificial) intelligence is adjustable. While she will never actually throw a game, she will dummy down a bit for a young newbie, and like a sweet babysitter, put more attention into making the game fun than into beating a little kid!

Fun Fact
Viva knows quite a few fun facts about the seven reptiles in the game. When you win a dinosaur and are about to play him (during the "Beauty Shot" animation), sh will casually mention one of these interesting factoids.