MA Film Making

Sound

A large part of a film's meaning is carried in its soundtrack. Most directors know this but few of them know how that soundtrack is created - unless they are graduates of MA Filmmaking programme at the London Film School, where every student, whatever their preferred field, is taught the theory and practice of recording and manipulating sound.

STONE ISLAND, Graduation Film, dir: Adriana Paramo Perez

STONE ISLAND, Graduation Film, dir: Adriana Paramo Perez

It starts with the study of how we hear sound, and indeed what sound is. Next comes practical experience with Nagra V digital recorders, together with the electrical theory needed to understand how they work.

Then comes shooting sound in synchronisation with picture, also the principles behind a full range of modern microphones which are then used on location and in the studio.

From the second term onwards, all films have stereo soundtracks. In the Fifth Term, shot on 35mm colour, tracks are prepared on Protools 24 work stations so they can be mixed in Dolby SR.

At last, it might be thought, after all that acquiring of technical knowledge ‘Sound Design’ begins. Well, without technical knowledge there is nothing to design with. But imagination – hard to teach conventionally but essential to filmmaking – is always required of a student, right from the moment in their second term when they start to think how their pictures and sounds might work together to stir an audience. That audience most likely will never understand how they have been affected, but a filmmaker graduating from the school will know, since they have learnt how to work with sound and make it work for them.

One of the Pro Tools sound editing rooms

One of the Pro Tools sound editing rooms

 

The school employs a music consultant who holds group seminars for 2nd term students and is available to all students for music consultations on a 1-to-1 basis. Students are welcome to discuss their projects at script stage, seek guidance during production and post-production.

All music related matters, including spotting, stylistic choices, finding a suitable composer, working with composers and mixing, can be raised in these sessions

 

 

Head of Sound is Howard Thompson

Photography of Howard Thompson

After graduation (BA Oxon. English Lang. and Lit.) Howard worked in TV, then in cutting rooms and subsequently as a writer and sound recordist on many documentaries. He has also written three childrens' features and ran the sound department at the legendary Royal Court Theatre.

Wojciech Wrzesniewski - Senior Sound lecturer
Karen Warnock - Sound Department Assistant
Vasco Hexel is the current music consultant at the LFS. Vasco is a composer and arranger for film, TV, advertising, and pop music productions. He runs the Masters Programme in Composition for Screen at the Royal College of Music, which continues to provide a pool of screen composers to LFS filmmakers.

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