Have you ever stopped to consider the fact that all of the sounds we hear in our life are actually the result of post-processing in our brains? That what you hear might not actually be what the person next to you hears? The combination and coordination of organs that goes into the interpretation of fluctuations in atmospheric pressure is truly a marvel. We've given ourselves a … [Read more...]
Sound for the Documentary “Out of Nothing”
Guest Contribution by James Bretz The documentary Out of Nothing is my first feature, and the first feature for our entire P-51 Pictures team. It’s more than just a story about motorcycles. It’s a human story. It follows four men who follow their passions and dreams, and it tells one of many stories that are a part of a larger community of individuals and teams involved in … [Read more...]
Video Interview with Ryan Billia
The folks over at Pro Sound Effects have put together a video interview with Ryan Billia of Rumble Audio. This is the first in what will be a series of "Sound Design Spotlight" videos on the Pro Sound Effects blog. Keep an eye on their feed for future videos. … [Read more...]
Documentary Sound – A Discussion with James LeBrecht
Designing Sound: Would you mind giving our readers a little bit about your background and how long you’ve been working in audio post? James LeBrecht: I’m the owner of Berkeley Sound Artists, and we’re located in the Saul Zaentz Media Center in Berkeley. We’re kind of a small company. I think the term “boutique shop” would sound little bit pretentious, but we’re kind of the … [Read more...]
Constructing Reality for Nonfiction Film
Guest Contribution by Lawrence Everson The relationship that documentary cinema has with truth, realism and subjectivity has long been a lively debate. Likely since its origins as a medium (do a quick Google search about Nanook of the North's impact and also its staged shots, for example). Documentary sound design is an often overlooked aspect of the craft that inhabits a … [Read more...]
You Should Really Check Out the Freelancers Union…
This is not specifically sound focused, but I thought this would be a relevant post considering so many within our community are freelancers. The Freelancers Union just recently came onto my radar. It is an advocacy group here within the U.S. to support all of those people who don't have a staff job. In my mind, the most interesting thing about this organization is that they … [Read more...]
Tonebenders Interview with Mark Levinson
Since we're in the middle of our documentary month, I though it would be worthwhile to point out the latest episode of the Tonebenders Podcast. It's about a month old now, but if you should really give it a listen if you haven't already. In it, Timohty Muirhead interviews Mark Levinson, director of the recent documentary Particle Fever. Did you know that Mark has also worked … [Read more...]