Audio for Film
One of the key components in any production is the audio for film, and yet so few people even realize what all is involved in creating it. There is a whole team of people that dedicate their lives to making sound for movies, and it is this team that is often taken for granted. Let's give them a bit of credit now, shall we?
As could be expected, there is always a lead sound operator. This person might fall under the title of sound manager, sound director, or a number of others, but in essence, this person is the one that leads each of the individual team members and ensures that everyone is doing his or her job. Other members of the team include the sound designer who is in charge of coming up with ideas for the audio, the sound mixer who is in charge of making those ideas come to life, and the sound editor who is in charge of post production edits.
Different places of employment will have different titles for the people behind the audio for film, but the jobs remain the same overall. In essence, the sound people are responsible for setting the mood of a scene and bringing a new dimension to the setup already created by the scenery and characters. The sound crew really brings life to a film through daring sound effects and sound tracks that make viewers see things in a certain way.
There are a lot of tricks involved in making sound for a movie. A broken bone might be made to sound that way by breaking spaghetti noodles in front of a microphone. Feet squishing into the ground may be nothing more than crackers. Improvisation becomes a key part of the job at this point because sound developers really have to show their creative side. The strange solutions are often the best ones.
To get involved in the sound crew for a movie, you have to start off with the right education. Through some vocational training, you can learn how to work with the various equipment necessary for the job so that you can troubleshoot when need be. You should be able to fix problems that come up at a moment's notice, so be prepared to learn about the technology you use.
You can get an internship in a studio, and that might get your foot in the audio for film door. Really, it's all about connections, so put on your people face and start mingling with members of the industry. If you make the right kinds of connections early on, you should be all set for a rewarding career.
