Sound School

Film & TV Sound Training

Sound Workshops


In-person training in location and post-production sound

I teach one-day workshops for educational establishments, companies or professional associations. They fill a whole day, and are full of challenging hands-on exercises to build skills and confidence, and very specific insights into what’s expected of professional sound people in the industry. Each workshop comes with handouts that’ll be useful tools for the next real job.

As well as helping camera operators and picture editors to brush up their sound work, I’m told that these workshops fill a gap in university filmmaking and media courses, which are often only able to cover location sound shallowly, and post sound analytically, rather than practically.

Past participants range from Anglia Ruskin University, East15 Film School (Essex University) and medical videographers of the Institute of Medical Illustrators, to filmmaking clubs and individual media students.

Contact me to discuss tailoring a day to your needs!

There are two courses:
Recording Sound for Video:

Aimed at camera operators, production assistants, self-shooting directors… any crew member who might be required to record location sound on a shoot.

Course Outline

Exercises covering:
•Recording an interview
•Recording moving subjects
•Difficult locations
•Radio mics
Topics:
•How does sound work?
•The Sound Chain
•How to choose a good location
•How to choose the right mic
•Mic types and powering
•How to boom
•How to use radio mics
•How to use plant mics
•Recording to camera
•Recording with a mixer
•Voiceover recording
•Synching sound and picture
•How to listen, and
•What to worry about
•What the editor needs
•How to be a team player
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Click the slide to see sample content from the course

Post-production Sound for Film and TV

Aimed at intermediate picture editors who may need to add professional post sound to their skill set, or hand over materials in the correct layouts and formats for a post sound department to finish.

Course Outline

Exercises covering:
•Hearing each component of film sound
•Dialogue and music editing
•Creative atmos and effects
•Change the story with sound
Stacks Image 250

Click the slide to see sample content from the course

Topics:
•Phases of post-production sound
•Setting up a room for sound work
•Receiving production sound
•Synching sound and picture
•The spotting session
•Track laying - what goes where?
•Checkerboarding
•Mixing in FCP - broadcast standards
•ProTools workflow for pro editors
•Dialogue editing
•Recording ADR
•Atmos and wallah
•Foley and sound effects
•Emotional impact precision
•Sound extends the set
•Telling the story