Limo™ Creative

As a child I was always wandering off into places I probably shouldn’t have been. I was constantly wondering what was on the other side of that door and what happens there. These adventures were some of the greatest of my life. Still to this day, I find myself looking down dark alleyways or peaking behind closed curtains. This life long interest and the fact that my mother was a college psychology professor now makes me interested in doorways to the human psyche through my passion, which is film.

Randy Thom, an award winning motion picture sound designer, once said that “sound sneaks into the side door of the brain.” Although sight is usually considered the primary sense, and no one considers going to the movies to hear a film, it is the element of sound that truly delivers the verisimilitude of the visual. It helps guide the viewer through the image and allows the audience to experience more than just what is on screen. Sound helps direct perception and has the ability to create a more unified and complete experience. When we are able to manipulate the soundtrack so that the sound is properly synchronized with the visual, we are not only able to convince the viewers that what they are seeing on the screen is real, but if the soundtrack produces a sound that is not consistent with the visual, we are able to dive into the subconscious of a character, making the sound editor responsible for the development of the character’s emotion and credibility. This type of work is why I want to learn more about sound and its power.

While I was earning my undergraduate degree in film production I was able to examine and consider all aspects of the process and early on I decided that post-production was what I found to be the most interesting. I was fortunate enough to be able to examine and research sound design while at Burlington College. I mainly focused on the theory of sound in film; specifically Walter Murch’s work on “The Conversation,” to determine how the use of diegetic and non-diegetic sound affects mood and tone, dramatic transitions, and the level of verisimilitude. More importantly, I discovered that this process is what I want to be a part of. Sound can take people to all sorts of places in their minds and produce a sense of three-dimensionality to a two-dimensional screen.

At this point in my life I am most interested in sound work in film, but I’m not limiting myself to this aspect. The more I research and talk to people in the profession the more I realize sound work is everywhere and I shouldn’t close the door to other aural possibilities. When I worked with the chief sound engineer at Vermont Public Radio and interned at one of the leading sound studios in Vermont, Egan Media, I find myself interested in exploring all types of sound work and enjoy that kind of fast paced exact work. I also find the sound work of people like Christopher Janney and Bill Fontana intriguing. Their incorporation of sound into everyday urban settings is thought provoking. What does the sound add to an urban space?

While I was putting my degree project together, which was a two semester intensive course which developed and produced a short film from pre-production to post-production, a documentary about my grandmother’s life told through her own reflections, I began some of my own. I realized that I am incredibly dedicated to the process of filmmaking. I found myself working on the project non-stop; always thinking and reformulating the film. I was able to edit about 14 hours of footage down to what became a 19-minute film; which is a typical ratio for documentary work. I was able to capture all the emotion and personality of my grandmother’s stories and present them in a way that is interesting and thought provoking to a public audience, not just my family. “Mam Maw’s Stories”, the title to my film, had its debut earlier this fall at the Vermont International Film Festival.

I find that the more I discover the more I look for. At this point I look forward to diving deeper into sound work. My research has led me to the work and theory of individuals like Murch, Thom, Janney, and Fontana. An introduction to these theories about what sound can do, coupled with my working experience at VPR and Egan Media, has guided me and I am ready to specialize my education. Savannah College of Art and Design is the perfect place for me to immerse myself in this process. The college’s devotion to the artist along with the advanced technical training is just what I deem a perfect fit.