Introduction  

When people are thinking about films, they tend to focus on what they are able to see first, which means that cinematography, actors and the visual effects usually get the most attention. Especially when they are being discussed or reviewed. The sound of the film is obviously still a crucial and necessary part to the film but it is quite often ignored unless there is a significant problem with the music that is clear and obvious. Even though the music is less noticeable, it still has a huge impact on the feel and intensity of the film when you’re watching it.  

The main job for the sound designer is building the overall sound of the film which includes the background noise, sound effects and silence during intense moments. The purpose is not just filling the audio so there is a consistent level of noise running through the film, its about shaping the film and helping people understand the different emotions of the film. According to Michel Chion, Sound adds meaning that isn’t there in the visuals alone (Chion, 1994). This idea makes the role feel more creative than it might seem at first glance. The thing I find interesting about this is how sound is able to suggest things without actually showing them. A noise that comes out of a screen and even just a change in the atmosphere of the film can very easily make a scene feel tense or uncomfortable. Sometimes it is subtle, but it is still able to change how the audience feel and react to what is going on in the film. The average person doesn’t even notice that the music alone is a hidden layer of storytelling, which makes them completely unaware of what the music of a film contributes to each scene.  

Looking at some professionals in the industry has helped show me how this works in films. The work of Ben Burtt is a key example of creative sound design, especially in science fiction. He often recorded real sounds from a live microphone and then changed them to make something completely new, and even though the sounds he made didn’t sound real by themselves, they made perfect sense and weren’t questioned in the films. This shows us that the sounds design is not always about accuracy, but about creating something that fits in with the film. It also highlights how important creativity is in this role, because sound engineers often build things that don’t exist in real life. The idea of this really attracts me to this role because it inspires true creativity and use of imagination as well as technical skills. Knowing this also tells me that there is no correct way to have or make sound and there is only what feels right in certain situations.  

The role of a sound engineer can change all depending on the type of project. In some cases they are needed more towards the start and early process of the film making process, working with the director to plan how the sound will be used throughout. Other times they will work in post production, editing and improving the audio after all the filming is finished. Either way working with one another is a huge part of the job. Working with directors like Christopher Nolan for example though would need a lot more of a detailed approach to the film as his films often use sound in a way that creates intensity or reflects what characters are feeling and experiencing, rather than just matching what is on the screen. In a situation like this, i would try to use sound in a similar way, for example, layering sounds, adjusting volumes and exaggerating certain effects to make a stronger emotional response because these techniques help match the directors intended mood and make the audience really engage.  

This would not be just about making things louder and more dramatic however. It would involve me carefully thinking about how each sound contributes to the scene and wether it really comes together with the story.  

I don’t think however, every film would need this approach. Some films are a lot more subtle, especially dramas, where the goal is to make everything feel a lot more natural. In these kinds of films the sound design might not be noticeable what so ever, but it still plays a crucial role in making the film emotional. This shows me that sound designers need to be flexible and be able to change their approach when necessary. It also highlights how sound can stand out or blend in depending on what the scene needs, which makes the role more varied. 

What skills would I need for this role? 

There is a clear technical side to this role, particularly in relation to editing and mixing audio. I would need to have a clear grasp on effects, and how I can use mixing throughout to get the best effects for each individual part. I would have to use software such as Pro Tools which is very commonly used in this industry and learning how to use this kind of software early on would be beneficial for my career pathway. I am very limited at the moment with the skills set I have in these areas but over time I would aim to learn as much as I deem possible. The thing that is more important at this moment in time is developing an understanding of how sound works in films and being able to listen to the sounds carefully to distinguish where and when different effects need to be used for certain emotions throughout the film. This is a good starting point. 

During my research I found that Walter Murch explains how sound is closely linked to emotion and how we experience a film (Murch, 2001) which shows that sound design is not just about using tools, but also understanding how sound effects the audience, that overtime combining this understanding with the technical skills will allow me to create more effective and professional work.  

There are other skills involved that are just as important as the technical ability that one has. Communication is one of them, as sound designers need to work with the directors and other team members who may not explain their ideas very clearly, which would mean either having the social skills to be able to critique, or ask questions around their ideas. Being able to understand what they mean and turn it into sound is a very important part of the job. 

Problem solving is another skill that is essential, as not every idea from the director or team will always work straight away and changed may be needed throughout which means the sound designer will need to have the appropriate skills to defuse this issue. This means that the sound design is not just about getting things right the first time, but being willing to experiment and change ideas over time. 

What will my production style be?  

I have not as of yet, found a fully developed production style but I do already have an idea of the kind of sound I’m more interested in. I mostly prefer sound that isn’t completely realistic but then not fully unrealistic either. Through my research I have found more of this in genres such as horror and thrillers, where sound is used a lot more to create tension in ways that visuals cannot do alone. For example background noises like footsteps can be made louder than they would be in real life which then makes those noises feel more outstanding and important for the audience and makes them focus in a deeper way on these smaller details. This linnks to the idea that sound can be used creatively to guide the audiences attention and shape how a scene is understood (Sonnenschein, 2001). But then at the same time silence can easily be used in a similar way where removing sound completely, as I mentioned earlier, can make a moment feel real, uncomfortable or intense. But at the same time I would not want to rely on these things too much. If everything is exaggerated, it will kill the effects and make them less noticeable or just ruin the concept and sound in general which is not what you need for this type of job. 

I think that the main part I need to understand about this role is that developing a style is not just about what techniques I use but how they are used and when are the best times to use them. As an example, if I used footsteps getting louder as someone was approaching a room, this would create tension for the audience, but if it was used for a part of a film where there was no build up of tension through the visuals then it would sound out of place and would confuse the audience. This is something, though, that I would figure out through years of experience in this role and not just pick up from the start. 

Getting into the industry 

Getting into the industry doesn’t seem straightforward, and there isn’t one clear way of doing it. A lot of people start by working on smaller projects first with either independent filmmakers or even students, which is probably the most realistic option for me at this stage. It is probably not the most ideal, espesially since I would want to work on the bigger productions, but it is good starting ground and would land me in a good place with enough experience to handle myself in this field of work. 

A good example of this is Ben Burtt, who spent time experimenting with sound and recording different effects before working on major films. This was beneficial for him because it gave him the chance to develop his skills in a more flexible way, without the pressure of high expectations from the higher industry competition. At the same time though, starting like this doesn’t always lead directly to bigger and better opportuinites and it can take a while before that kind of experience turns into more professional work.  

In my case, starting small like this would probably work in a not too dissimilar. Even without the proper equipment, it would still be more than doable to experiment with sound and begin developing my understanding of what works and what doesn’t. It also links back to the kind of style I mentioned earlier experimenting with the more complex sounds would be better to do in smaller projects where there is more freedom. However, one slight issue would be that the progress may be quite slow, and again, it may take time to build something that actually stands out.  

Efficient Networking  

Networking is another important way of trying to move forward, although it doesnt always feel like the most straightforward thing to do. But with the help of certain platforms such as LinkedIn, it makes things a lot easier. Even though these platforms exist it would still be beneficial if I get involved in projects and get myself out there as this is where the connections are going to be a lot more likely to happen.  

At the same time, looking at platforms like IMDb shows that most people build their experience up gradually rather than all at once, and that its not just about the work itself but also how it is presented and promoted (Wyatt, 2014). That once again links back to the starting small and not overloading myself straight away, because those early projects might not seem so important at the time, but they contribute heavily to building up experience over time.  

Putting together a promotional package 

I am now going to speak about why I think it would be a good idea to have a promotional package, and how this would help me as a sound designer.  

If I was to put together a promotional package, I would want to focus the most on making sure I create a good showreel, even though at this stage it would most likely be quite basic. I would include clips where I try to redesign sound for existing scenes, for example, making the sounds more exaggerated or just changing up the atmosphere slightly. I would want to try to find certain horrors/thrillers, that were both well known and highly rated, and films that are less well known and rated significantly lower. This would be beneficial for me, going through different calibres of films to test out how my impact to these films makes a difference to the feel of any certain scene.  

It wouldn’t be perfect when I start out doing this but, eventually, over time, I would create a portfolio of my work showcasing how my impact on music in a film can make a difference. It would also show my progress over the years from when I first start out doing the sound editing to later on when I am a lot more experience. Which then links back to the software that I will be using. I would do my best to showcase how I use my skills and what skills are needed, so people arew able to not only see that I can listen to sound and improve what’s already there but I am able to use software to completely change a film and possibly, in some eyes, improve the film.  

I think sharing these ideas online, for example, on YouTube and Instagram would be crucial for me, as there is a lot of potential for this to make a huge leap overtime. But even then, it is not guaranteed that anything will come from it straight away, which again goes back to what I was saying about this process being slow and gradual rather than jumping into open water and hoping for a massive outcome from the beginning.  

How would I develop in the future? 

Looking forward, there are still a lot of areas that would need improvement, and especially in terms of the technical skills side. Obviously, using advanced software would be extremely important but it would not be the only thing that matters. 

Gaining experience through small projects would most likely be the most beneficial way to approach this role, as I said earlier in this essay, there are infinite opportunities in the industry once you start building up experience, because the experience, even from the smaller projects, is what people from the larger film maker studios want to see, and work with. As long as they could see that over time, there has been improvement, knowledge gain and experience building, there would be a much higher chance of a better job. 

Over time I would start looking at moving more towards the professional side, along the lines of a post-production team, but again this is something that would take a lot of time to build up to and not a small step up. The gradual progression from the experience I would gain is crucial. This role would involve the exact same skills as it would at any of the other smaller jobs I would do, but just at a much higher level. 

Conclusion 

Overall, sound design is a role that combines creativity, technical skills, and working/collaborating with other people, but it doesnt seem like a role that has a clear path to sucess, with the majority of the success coming through hard work and experience, especially when starting with smaller projects. 

I think what stands out most is how much impact sounds can have without always being so obvious, which as I mentioned already, is something I would be extremely interested in, but at the same time developing these skills would take a lot of time and experimentation which would require a lot of dedication and commitment to this job. 

References: 

Chion, M. (1994). Audio Vision: Sound on Screen. New York: Columbia University Press 

Murch, W. (2001). In The Blink of an Eye. Los Angeles: Silman-James Press  

Sonnenschein, D. (2001). Sound Design: The Expressive Power of Music, Voice and Sound Effects in Cinema. Studio City: Michael Wiese Productions 

Wyatt, J. (2014). High Concept: Movies and Marketing in Hollywood. Austin: University of Texas Press