Discovery
Fortunately, I discovered a call-out from a team of animators through the weekly sound arts newsletter provided by the sound arts administrator team. A call-out looking for someone with expertise in sound design especially foley and sound effects therefore this opportunity was perfect for my skill set.
Contact
I reached out by phone number from the contract information provided and we arranged to meet the following day.
Our first meeting location took place in the LCC ‘Rostrum’ facility where they were also starting the first day of production.
Preparation
Fortunately, there was information available about the project including a video of a sketched edition. I prepared myself for our first meeting by brainstorming spotting notes exploring the realms of my imagination. By preparing I intended to leave a good first impression as well as furthering my understanding of the project to know if this was an exciting collaborative opportunity for me.
Sketched Draft
Spotting Notes
Meeting
A very successful meeting reflecting back. Being in person sparked the motivation and investment into the entire project and this was a great experience getting to know the team. Karina explained to me the project in more detail. The story was written and inspired by her personal life story. Her story explores the hardship, struggle and sacrifice of ‘Domestic helpers’ from Hong Kong. My job is to bring her imagination to life and I am very excited as well as invested in this project. I got to experience the on-set experience, seeing first-hand the behind-the-scenes process.
I was also tasked with the homework to watch ‘The Helper’ a document about domestic workers which is what the story/project is about. A personal story about the hardship of a domestic worker. Watching this helped me understand the circumstances and life experience of domestic workers therefore staying true to the story.
On Set
Seeing the set has further invested me in the project and created an exciting new experience overall for the collaborating process.
I was amazed by the professionalism and creativity of the set designs.
It was all hand-crafted by the team.
Experiencing behind the scenes also gave me perspective on the level of hard work that the team contributed to the project. I was amazed seeing the set as well as asking questions about the equipment and understanding how it would all come together.
The Next Step: Practical Preparation
I have booked out a variety of school microphones and I will begin experimenting and analysing my field recordings to further my skill set as a sound artist as well as build a library of sounds for this project.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I am proud of myself that I discovered a collaborative team. I originally thought that I’d be Sound designing the sketch draft, however, I discovered that this was the beginning of a much major scale project. I had in mind that the meeting would determine whether I would be interested and suited for this role in Sound design, the Animation, and after the meeting I knew this would be a perfect role for me and an exciting experience to be a part of. As the project will begin production as they progress updated footage will be sent to me to sound design. This will be the first time I’ve worked in this format and I’m excited to see how it will unfold.