I am a sound designer. Although we are the younger cousins of audio experts who do things like Foley and other recording engineering, we are very different. The first sound designer was born the day someone asked an audio engineer to stop recording a track of horse hooves on cobblestones, and create the sound of a spaceship killing a planet-eating alien with photon torpedoes. Right then and there, that guy threw down his coconut shells and hopped on the computer. And in my opinion, that was when his job got a whole lot more interesting.
Because the key tool in audio these days is the computer, sound design is really made up of two categories: adding real sounds that exist in everyday life (doors closing, glasses breaking, etc.), and creating sounds that don’t (dancing peanuts, laser shots, and so on), which is currently about 80 percent of my job. As you might guess, most of my time is spent in a dark room with a computer—but I believe that should change.
A sound designer, at least how I define it, partners with a director to suspend disbelief. Much of what separates something like a laser beam from a red streak across a screen is the sound design. And the nature of that beam (how menacing it is, how hot it is, how powerful it is) is in the sound. The more believable the sound effect, the more the director and the sound designer are working together. With all the infinite nuances that a film communicates, it could only benefit the authenticity of a film if sound designers were part of the production process.
Right now you are saying, "He just wants to get out of that dark room"—and I couldn’t convincingly deny that. Of course I do. But I also see the value in reaching a better appreciation for a director’s vantage point when I am working. I want to make high-quality recordings of actual sounds on the set to use in the final mix. I want to provide input that will enhance a project’s execution. I want to understand every aspect of a special effect’s nature.
I have had to accept that the audio track is usually prioritized below some of the more important elements—like coffee. However, sound design is still an emerging and developing field. Today, technology and technique are moving at a pace faster than perhaps the appreciation for them, and sound design is filled with true craftsmen capable of having a major impact on the outcome of a project. Inviting them to the set may carry more benefits than one might first think.
In the case of on-set visual effects supervisors—a job which five years ago no one had heard of—their contributions led to a much better product. It is arguable that after advancements in computer processing power, the presence of an on-set supervisor has been the single largest contributor to improvements in visual effects for film and commercials over the last five years. Blue screen positioning, sight lines, camera placement and lighting are now areas that a director will consult with the on-set supervisor about before shooting.
For a sound designer trying to recreate an environment, there is nothing like being there. Ambient sounds, tones and the blending of them all are difficult—if not impossible—to assess, with the limited reference tools we are provided. The aural and visual clues picked up from the set, I am certain, would lead to better results.
But consulting with a director about his vision and witnessing its execution is most beneficial to a sound designer. Intangibles like the "mood" and the "feel" can’t really be gathered from raw footage and notes. Getting to know a director a little bit, and gaining an appreciation for his or her vision opens up a dialogue in which perspectives, trade secrets and opinions are shared. It’s really hard to imagine how this could hurt a production.
No one notices good sound design, only bad, which is okay. We like the anonymity. But if sound design is going to get better, we may all have to give it a little attention.
