As many grads know, a year at VFS is hard. Students are put through the wringer, and come out with top-quality reels and portfolios. The rigorous curriculum prepares them to become a part of the professional community right after they graduate.

That couldn’t be more true for someone like Sound Design for Visual Media grad Craig George. Ever since he got his sound reel in front of the right set of ears, Craig’s been swamped with work. But, as he explains,”it’s a good kind of hectic.”

Q: Hi, Craig. Thanks for taking some time out of your schedule for this. Could you start off by talking about what you do as a sound professional in the film and television industry?
A: I work as a freelance contractor for a few of the studios in town. My roles vary, depending on which studio I am working for and which project I am working on. My work ranges from providing sound editorial services (SFX, Dialogue, Music, and Foley) to completing all final deliveries of a production that will eventually make it to broadcast television or into theatres.

Q: What first attracted you to this field?
A: What attracted me the most was the concept that someone would be willing to pay me to play all day. Working as a sound professional can be extremely challenging but also extremely fun compared to many careers. Also, the idea that your work gets put out into the public realm and has the ability to entertain, educate, or move people is really gratifying.

Q: For the benefit of current and future Sound Design for Visual Media students, could you talk about how you got your first gig after you graduated?
A: I was basically hired at my Industry Panel. At the end of the Sound Design program, a number of local industry professionals come to hear our final projects and provide us with critical feedback. At this event, one of the industry professionals was the VP of a local post-production studio. He asked me to come see him after graduation to discuss potential contract work. We reviewed my demo reel at this meeting and the next day I was working. [editor's note: Wow!]

Q: Are there different sound design challenges in film as compared to television?
A: There are different challenges that accompany every project but I wouldn’t say there are too many different challenges between film and television. Each generally gets treated the same way. Most of the differences you find would be during the mixing stage of the show and at the versioning or deliveries stage of the final production. I would say on larger budgets you could have more opportunities to try a more elaborate approach to a project, and therefore create more challenges. But everything comes down to budgets:  the bigger the budget, the bigger the project and the more opportunity you have to try new approaches.

Q: According to your imdb.com profile, 2008 was a really busy year for you. You worked on The Guard, The L Word, and a slew of other projects. Is your work life as hectic as it seems?
A: When the season starts you get into a habit of never saying “NO” to anyone or any project, and the pace that you need to work at in order to complete everything can be very challenging. You can be banging off 16-20 hour days 6-7 days a week when you are at your busiest. So, yes, work life can tend to be very hectic when the shows start piling up. But it’s a good kind of hectic, and you find you start looking to always be busy. Always looking for that next project.

Q: What projects are you currently working on? What’s coming up for you?
A: I just finished working on an animation for Mattel due to be released in the summer. My immediate plans are to take the month of June off and spend time at the beach, as I have a 3-month contract starting up at one of the local studios in July.

Thanks, Craig. Enjoy your summer!