Sound design
Sound design is everything audible in a film other than music and speech: footsteps, doors, wind, fabric, the click of a latch, the room itself. It creates a credibility nobody notices on purpose, and its absence is noticed immediately.
Why sound matters more with generated images
Filmed material brings its own sound. Even when it is replaced later, there is a recording from the place: the acoustics of the room, traffic outside, a jacket rustling. Generated scenes arrive silent. Without sound they feel like a screensaver, however good the image is.
So sound is not a final step for us but part of the planning. The question of how a scene should sound comes up at the styleframe stage, because the answer sometimes changes the image.
What a sound track is made of
- Atmosphere: the base sound of the place, usually continuous and barely noticed.
- Effects: single sounds tied to a visible movement, placed by hand against the picture.
- Design elements: things that do not exist in life but work on screen, such as a low swell before a cut.
- Music: licensed, in our case through Artlist and Soundly, documented per project.
- Speech: a voice artist or an AI voice, with its own level against everything else.
How we work with it
The mix follows a simple rule: speech has to stay intelligible, including on a phone speaker on a tram. Everything else gives way. For ads we also mix a version that works without sound, because most videos in the feed start muted, and there subtitles carry the message.
Frequently asked questions
What does a sound designer do?
A sound designer builds the audio layer of a film: atmospheres, individual effects and design elements, plus the mix with music and speech. The aim is not volume but credibility and legibility of the scene.
Is music alone not enough?
For short mood pieces sometimes, for everything else no. Music carries feeling but no spatiality. A scene without effects feels flat even with well chosen music, which most people only notice in direct comparison.
Can AI produce the sound?
Voices and music yes, at usable quality. Individual effects that match a visible movement are still selected from libraries and placed by hand, because fractions of a second decide.
Related terms
Read on: All terms in the glossary • Who does this with us • Pricing
Sound is half the film
In the offer we list music, speech and sound design separately. Ask about it in the first call.
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