On set the spaceship corridor was a plywood hallway with a generator humming outside. In the cut it sounds like nothing. The sound designer adds a low engine drone, distant clanks from the decks above, the hiss of air through vents and a door that closes with a deep metallic thud. Suddenly the hallway is a ship. The sound designer is the person who builds the sound world of the film, beyond the dialogue recorded on set.
What a sound designer does
The dialogue is recorded during the shoot by the production sound mixer. Almost everything else the audience hears is created afterwards. The sound designer works with the director, and on bigger productions inside a sound team led by a supervising sound editor. Work usually begins once the edit has taken shape, sometimes earlier for films where sound is central to the story.
The sound designer creates and selects effects, builds atmospheres (the background sound of a place) and designs special sounds such as creatures, weapons or machines. Other people on the sound team edit the dialogue and record Foley, everyday sounds such as footsteps and clothing performed live in a studio. When the tracks are ready they go to the re-recording mixer, who balances everything in the final mix.
Responsibilities
- Discuss the sound of the film with the director and agree a sound style
- Create and record sound effects that do not exist in libraries
- Build atmospheres and background sound for every location
- Design signature sounds for creatures, technology or key moments
- Work around the music so effects and score do not compete
- Prepare clean, organised tracks for the final mix
- Update the sound when the picture edit changes
How the role touches the budget
Little budget responsibility, but influence on the post sound cost. Sound design is usually part of a post sound package, priced in weeks of work and studio time and booked by the post-production supervisor. The sound designer's effect on costs comes from time. Late edit changes mean tracks must be reworked, and a film that leans heavily on sound needs more weeks. Licences for sound libraries or special recording sessions can appear as small extra lines.
How people become sound designers
Many start as runners or assistants at a sound post-production company, then work as sound effects editor or Foley editor before designing whole films. Some come from music production or audio engineering courses, others from games. A personal library of recorded sounds and a reel of earlier work often matter more than a diploma.
In the US and in TV
In the US the title "sound designer" is often used for a specialist who creates particular sounds, while the supervising sound editor leads the team. In Europe the sound designer is more often the person in charge of the whole soundtrack apart from the music. In TV the schedule per episode is short, so sound design leans more on libraries and recurring sounds for the series.