Re: [microsound] Punch-Drunk Love Sound Design?

[Kerry Uchida <kerry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

{ brad brace } wrote:

> so, I've always wondered: how does one become a cinema
> sound-designer?
>
> anyhow?

By avoiding getting involved in the music biz!!! hehehe

I actually started out wanting to be a music engineer/producer.
Did the schooling diploma thing.  Got a job with a teacher
(volunteer) then got paid.  We did everything from music,
jingles, documentaries, tv series, features...whatever
work there was to be had.  After learning the whole trade
then I "feel into" sound editing.  Because there was a need
for me to do that.  After doing that for many a year, I was
then placed as sound supervisor.  Eventually someone
gave me free reign and I was able to shape the sound
of a show and I was sound designing.  I found during my
SFX editing, that I never had the sounds I wanted or
I thought they could be better...so I bought a sampler.
Amazing what you can do with just one sound!
It opened whole new worlds.  Spending time studing
and recording sounds.  Starting with a great sound
source makes your job easier.  Then I went on to develop
different approaches to sound design and recording some
was often based on a limited budget.  So we we're always
challenged with getting great sound under time and budget
constraints.

It's often just a name (supervising sound editor / sound designer).
One just sounds cooler.  I still feel that I have not completely
sound designed a show yet as the music is always left and
directed by someone else.  Often there is huge conflict in
layering Music Score and SFX while trying to still hear
the dialogue.  Generally since they've spent way more
money composing the sound rather than the SFX the
SFX will get lost.   When they work together it is magic.
(sounds like punch-drunk did it).  I think sound design
encompasses the designing the soundtrack as a whole
not just piece of it.  On the Toy Story2 DVD, Gary Rydstrom
(the current King of Sound Design) mentions during one
scene he asked the composer not to compose music
for a certain angle of an action scene.  That SFX were
going to cover that and then the other shots would
be scored.    You watch the scene and it is brilliant!!!

How do you get into sound design?
Start making cool sounds!

What are cool sounds?
Well, starting really listening...you'll know.

Film sound design?
Play cool sounds for people involved in
making films or making sounds for films.

good luck

Kerry
--

Kerry Uchida
Vancouver,Canada
http://us.imdb.com/Name?Uchida,+Kerry

Upcoming performances:

DJ Aural at EAT ME!  Festival of Pan-Asian Music
Oct. 24,25 and 26th at the Sugar Refinery
http://www.newmusic.org/

The Morpheus Project Visuals at ACA Soundfest
Nov.1,2 and 3rd, Acapulco, Mexico
http://www.acasoundfest.com/

"Oh he was locked inside a room without a door His innocence he suffered for
In a world of black and white, they were wrong and he was right
Just looking for a clue, it's a nightmare come true
He's going underground to track that danger down
Oh Billy, why you got that gun?"