Last week, Sound Design for Visual Media students got to spend several days with Scott Sanders and Perry Robertson, whose recent credits as partners include Up in the Air, as well as countless blockbuster solo credits. As with Oscar-winning Sound Mixer Ray Beckett in June, students spent most of the week with the duo. Here, student Jesse Barden writes about the experience.

By Jesse Barden

Student Jesse Barden, flanked by Perry Robertson (left) and Scott Sanders (right)

This past week, the students of the VFS Sound Design program were paid a visit by Scott Sanders and Perry Robertson. We had been looking forward to their arrival for months, excited to meet and learn from two of Hollywood’s most prominent sound designers. These men have been partners in sound for many years, and have more recently become business partners as they founded Ear Candy Post in LA. Perry and Scott have been creating spectacular post production sound work for films such as Rambo and Up in the Air, as well as numerous other Hollywood blockbuster titles.

During private instruction with our class, Perry discussed the concept of focus – how to draw the audience’s attention to what needs to be heard. In that regard, he stressed the important role of dialogue, and that it is central in conveying the story to the viewers. He taught us how to give it clarity while ensuring that the rest of the sounds remain adequately present. Perry used Pro Tools sessions from Rambo to demonstrate these concepts. In terms of editing, Perry touched on ways to edit production dialogue with ADR – the goal being to make potentially unnatural transitions sound clean and seamless, to reduce any chance of distracting the viewer from the story.

Scott demonstrated some of his techniques in sound design, using examples from both Rambo and Jennifer’s Body. He showed us how he went about designing some of Rambo’s frenetic battle scenes, wherein he gave different weapons their own distinct sound to subtly convey the character of the user. One Pro Tools session, dedicated entirely to gunfire, was comprised of nearly 300 tracks divided into gun mechanics, discharge, fly-bys, and impacts. That level of detail was impressive, and the result is intense and impactful.

I was fortunate enough to attend a lunch held for Perry and Scott last week. This gave us some time to set aside technical practices in sound editing and talk about things such as the film production process, business, and about how these two men got to where they are today. They spoke about the chances of landing that dream job in the entertainment industry, pointing out that a certain amount of luck is always required. Still, they remained optimistic, encouraging us to “make our own luck” by working hard and being determined.

Perry and Scott were wonderfully positive and encouraging; they answered our questions before we could even ask them. They would often forget about break times or intermissions, and continued to chat or take more questions. They told us, “When you love your work, you want to talk about it.” And how true it was, as we all experienced their passion for their craft, and the enthusiasm to pass their knowledge on to us. At one point during a lecture, a student in the crowd asked Perry and Scott, “Where do you find your inspiration?” It struck me then that these men are inspiration; they are the ones who construct the emotional core of the films we all love. It is their work that we respect.

This past week was an amazing learning experience and a total inspiration. I extend my sincerest thanks to Perry and Scott – and their wives! – for taking the time to come and share their knowledge with us.