Sound Design - Job Functions and Career Paths
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Sound designers are audio professionals responsible for everything an audience hears whether in live performances, film, television, radio or music recordings. They rely on their in-depth knowledge of acoustics, sound reproduction systems, sound editing tools and sound reinforcement techniques to give artistic direction, create sound effects and musical soundtracks. |
They are used in the design of new facilities and are brought onboard during the post-production stage of a film to create a sound effect or soundtracks that will manipulate and/orenhance the narrative and thematic needs of the film. In theaters, the sound designer develops the soundrequirements of each new production, in much the same way as lighting designers.
The terms “engineer,” “technician” and “operator,” are often mistakenly interchanged. Part of the confusion may arise out of the project or event driven nature of the industry. A person may serve as a designer on one project, an engineer on another and an operator on still another. Engineers implement the sound design and define the technical conditions that must be met for the successful completion of a performance or an audio product. They also supervise the technicians and sound operators. Technicians run the wires for sound
in the theater and on the film set. Sound operators run the sound board during the theater performance.
There are many career paths available to sound designers. Sound assistant or sound operator positions are generally the entry positions to the profession. Beginners learn their skills through apprenticeships, internships or volunteer work. An apprenticeship of one to two years is often followed by two to three more years as assistant to a designer. Many successful designers begin their careers as sound mixers for Broadway shows. Others start out working for an established designer as sound assistants or assistant designers before making the
progression to designer. In regional theatre, they generally begin their careers as sound operators or as assistant designers, progress to Head Engineer and once experienced, they attain the position of Audio Master. Because theatre, film and corporate work are very specialized, professionals rarely move from one to the next, but the basic skill sets are transferable.
Educational Requirements
Sound design is a highly technical field requiring strong training in music, engineering or physics. In the past, audio professionals mainly received on-the-job training. Today, most sound designers hold at least a bachelor’s degree (BFA) and many have a master’s degree (MFA), only about one fifth receive on-the-job training exclusively. Interested students often follow an interdisciplinary curriculum based on music, engineering, theatre or film. There are no standards guidelines for sound design programs.
Programs are found in colleges and universities, as well as private technical schools, but often only a portion of the training is devoted to sound design. The accrediting agencies that oversee audio training are numerous.
They include the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT), New York State Education Department, Middle States, City University of New York, the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST). Accreditation depends on the school’s particular specialty.
The Industry
Sound design is a highly competitive field and in many ways a closed environment. According to the professionals interviewed, experience, reputation and contacts are indispensable to employment because most of the work is freelance and professionals move from project to project. Job availability is mostly learned through word-of-mouth and referrals. The traditional employers of audio professionals have been the film, radio, television, and live entertainment industries. Therefore, certain geographical areas have easily been identified with audio activity primarily because they service the entertainment and broadcast industries.
Jobs in radio are found in virtually all cities and in many small towns. The highest paying and the most specialized positions in television are concentrated in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, DC, the centers for most of the network programs. Film production jobs are concentrated in Los Angeles and increasingly in New York, where several hundred sound designers are employed in post film production. Theater is also concentrated in New York but less than one hundred designers find work in this industry. The
rest are associated with corporations, industries, studios and manufacturers.
Industry Outlook
Entertainment is a growth industry, the expansion of which is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. Overall employment for technicians is expected to grow about 10% to 20% in the next few years. According to the New York Mayor’s office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting, New York City is experiencing its fifth consecutive year of record growth from the production of films, television series and specials, commercials and music videos. Direct expenditures data confirms this projection. Expenditures totaled $2.57 billion in 1998 compared
$2.37 billion in 1997, a growth of about 11 percent. Further analysis showed an 11.7 percent growth for feature films and 10 percent for television productions for the last year.
Compensation
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees union (IATSE), which includes the Theatrical Sound Designers Association, has made contractual provisions for remuneration of sound designers working in feature films, theatre productions, television broadcasts and commercials. Compensation in this industry depends mainly on experience, reputation and varies with the duration of the project. Often, the best talent commands union pay whether or not they have IATSE membership. But like others who work in theater and film, both as
performers and supporters of performers, many sound designers find between jobs and must supplement their income by teaching or going into sales or other related corporate work.
A sound designer working Off-Broadway on a two-month project may receive $5,000 to $10,000, a less lucrative fee than union pay. IATSE recommends weekly fees of $ 1,315.86 to $1,693.77 for dubbing and editing work done on television commercials and feature films respectively. According to a survey conducted by the National Association of Broadcasters and the Broadcast Cable Financial Management Association, average earnings for
technicians in radio were $30,251 a year in 1996, and operator technicians in television earned between $16,422and $45,158 a year. See Appendix C.
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