Sound Effect Secrets

Hello, I'm Holly!

I've spent a little time in Hollywood, so I know talent when I see it. That's why I know you'll be terrific as one of the stars in your own Movie for the Ear!

A Movie for the Ear is all about SOUND. You act out your part with your VOICE. You read your lines the way your character would say them. You can even add spooky music. But the real fun is creating SOUND EFFECTS - especially the sounds in a Creepers Mystery.

Okay, okay, I'll show you a few of my secrets... We'll start with some of the sounds in the Haunted Cattle Drive movie script.

For a crackling campfire, just crinkle cellophane (like a potato chip bag). It sounds like a fire. Then every so often, pop a bubble in plastic bubble wrap. The combination is great.

How do you make the sound of crickets at night? Run your fingernail along the teeth of an inexpensive comb, the kind with thin, flexible teeth. It sounds just like crickets.

What about vultures circling overhead? Open and close an umbrella so that it sounds like wings flapping. Then make a cawing sound with your mouth.

No, no, that's all... I said just a few secrets. If you want to find out more, you'll have to read Haunted Cattle Drive (Creepers Mysteries, Book 1).

But what's really fun is discovering ways to make sound effects on your own. You'll look at objects around the house, or in your classroom, or on the street, and you'll say "I can make a sound effect with that! and that! and that!"

Let us know what you come up with. Share your sound effect secrets with us on Facebook or Twitter.

I'll be listening...

Holly