Ethical Theft?: Creativity Curation

I recently finished reading the book Steal like an Artist by Austin Kleon, and in it he describes the necessity of having something he called a “Swipe File”.

For creatives of every kind, a swipe file is something I’d hope we all already have: whether it’s a special journal for a writer, song sheets for musicians, or prints / Pinterest for visual and art folks. The list goes on – you can have a note on your phone that you like to populate, or use voice memo’s to capture an idea you really love. There are even more examples featured in the book. The sky is the limit!

That all being said, my brain perked up over my morning coffee and asked:

♫ How does this apply to Sound? ♫

When I think of a pro-audio swipe file, I think of movies, tv shows, short films, YouTube clips, and even short form media like Instagram and TikTok.

The only issue I’ve recently overcome for myself has been how to make that swipe file and still feel ethnically and morally in the clear.

There is software out there that’s free that allows one to download videos from YouTube, and in funny formats like .MKV – which not many media players can play without getting the required codec.

But why bother messing around with codecs when you can simply use something like Shutter Encoder (WONDERFUL & FREE software) to change the video into a watchable format. (I also use Shutter Encoder to make uncompressed versions of video so that I can re-design in peace without my GPU having a proper panic.)

Am I advocating ripping from the internet?

My answer is simple: Yes, as you are already downloading everything anyways.

When it comes to the media your browser is delivering to you; you are actually downloading all of the images, ads, popups, and videos you see on your screen. The difference is that you don’t make a hard copy on your hard drive that actually stays there.

So to me the difference is negligible – I’m just storing what I’ve already downloaded.

While I like having hard copies on a backup or two, it’s not entirely necessary. For example, a swipe file could simply be a text document with a bunch of links that have a timestamp for the video so that you can refer to “That kick-ass whoosh!” In that one particular movie trailer your buddy showed you back in 2014.

But perhaps it goes deeper than sound effects: what about the timing and motion of a bit of foley in a deadly-quiet thriller? Or the sheer level of fine detail when a robot transforms?

Context Is Important Everything

In certain video editing software you can actually copy the look from an image and apply it to your video. This is a direct example of using a reference to copy an aesthetic. And it’s super simple to do! I mean, I’d use this for a Black Metal music video for sure! But it’s just a starting place after all: never copying, only utilizing references effectively.

With post-audio it isn’t just about the sound – it’s about how it’s woven together with the music and the picture. Inversely, with picture, it’s not just about the orange-desert colour profile everyone is after because of the newest Hollywood hit (Seriously, Dune and Furiosa I’m lookin’ at you!). You need the appropriate balance of both – and sometimes it can be frustrating to make things sound right without the right references (Just like with picture!).

I started that process of downloading videos, long and short form, to understand how their flow and dynamic work with audio – because as much as my swipe file is a bunch of killer sci-fi montages, it’s also about the motion and impact of how those scenes work.

Cool – but how do I even start?

You start by making a little system for yourself so you understand how to find your references. So, like any project, start by getting organized!

One way to store your swipe file if you’re in my world of post-audio would be to come up with a categorization of the things you’ve saved.

You could easily categorize by kind of media: Movie trailers, commercials, YouTube videos, documentary, TV.

From there you could include genre as well as more nitty-gritty details like motion of sound: whether it’s fast, slow, or about the way it weaves together with music.

To go on you can even get down to what the sound sounds like: is it metallic, is it screechy, high-endy, bassy, boomy, etc.

Ultimately the choice of categorization is yours – just make it make sense for you!

Hey now, hold up there, Buck-O!

Now, I can feel the apprehension of some of you: If we gather reference materials won’t we inevitably, consciously or unconsciously, try to copy what we’ve heard, and then make less original sounding work?

Well, if you’re on a time crunch and are morally ambiguous, I’m sure many colleagues would give you a stern look with a raised eyebrow.

But for those who get genuinely excited about sound design, I beg to differ. And I ask you to consider “How” that reference of yours was made in the first place.

The Power Of Now How (Sorry Mr. Tolle)

The “How” question invites a lot of curiousity, creativity and rapid problem solving: I fondly remember designing sound effects with a resistance band that I whooshed and clapped around in a room that I then distorted brutally and it became heinously electric and zappy!

And best of all? It was my sound.

I recorded it, edited it, and used it in a specific context for my own project because I didn’t want to simply use the sound effects library at my disposal and needed something new and unique as a character sound for an electricity-sword for a big bad guy. And it worked exceedingly well!

To Swipe Or Not To Swipe

Swipe files have existed in a plethora of formats for better and for worse, but as time goes on in my industry and in my career, I try to remember this quote:

“If you steal from one author, it’s plagiarism; if you steal from many, it’s research.” – Wilson Mizner

Do you have a swipe file? Do you regularly revisit it? Or are you not interested in collecting those favourites – relying mostly on memory instead? Feel free to discuss with me and send me an email, and I’ll be sure to reply.

Please note: the featured image for this post was generated with AI.