Storytelling through Audio at Skywalker Sound
Every sound that you hear in a film, TV show or video game elevates the storytelling. At Skywalker Sound, employees like Shelley, Bonnie and Leslie are innovating to create experiences in audio production that bring beloved Disney and Star Wars stories to life. Keep reading to learn about their roles in contributing to these iconic sounds, mixes and scores.
1. Shelley, Foley Artist
As a Foley artist, Shelley takes items from everyday life and uses them in a completely different way to make the audience believe that what they are hearing is what they are seeing. Shelley is drawn to the art of Foley because, “It is a collaborative process between the three of us on the Foley stage where thousands of experiments lead us to solutions and every idea is worthy of exploration.” Foley requires a physical performance, but its creative output remains invisible to the audience. “Audiences might feel what we have done, but it remains hidden within the context of the story.”
One of Shelley’s favorite sounds to create are footsteps for Disney and Pixar animated characters. "They provide expressive, musical accents to support dialogue,” she explained, “and they help to create the illusion of a three-dimensional space.
“I feel very much at home at Skywalker Sound. It is the people at Skywalker Sound who create an atmosphere of openness, inclusivity and creative vigor,” she expressed. “The natural surroundings also benefit us, as we can pause and step outside to gaze at a redwood tree while our creative brains have a rest.”
2. Bonnie, Supervising Sound Editor
At 16 years old, Bonnie studied nothing apart from music and music technology. From then on, there was never a doubt in her mind that she would pursue anything else. Today, in her role at Skywalker Sound, Bonnie blends the music, dialogue and effects together so that the sound supports the story without distracting the audience. She works collaboratively with everyone in the room, such as the sound designers, sound editors, Foley artists and more, to bring everyone’s work together and enhance the experience for the moviegoer.
Bonnie has a deep attachment to “Star Wars: Rebels” because it was her gateway into the Star Wars franchise. One of her favorite memories was when she was working on an episode where the composer incorporated the Star Wars theme into the score. When she heard it for the first time, she described the experience by saying, “I realized I was part of this, that this was going out to the world, and the fans are going to love this moment.”
At Skywalker Sound, Bonnie has found a community of people who love sound, film and TV and who enjoy the storytelling process. “You walk down the hallway,” she explained, “and everybody is talking about sound and exchanging knowledge…and the people you’re picking up knowledge from worked on the first Star Wars films.”
3. Leslie, Scoring Director
When Leslie first discovered her interest in audio engineering, she said, “There was something about doing sound for other people that made me realize I could have an effect on the way someone else sounded and have a positive impact on their career without actually being the person on stage.”
Now, as a scoring director at Skywalker Sound, one of her favorite parts of the recording process is having all the musicians in a room, hearing the first sound come through the speakers and realizing the grandeur of their work. And it’s even better when a composer says to her, “That’s exactly what I thought it would sound like.”
Leslie enjoys scoring for videos games because they are not a linear medium, like film and TV. There is a challenge of recording different versions for different queues. While working on “Star Wars: The Force Unleashed,” Leslie particularly loved this project because, “When I’m working with a composer who knows John Williams’ music inside and out and can take some of those themes and elaborate on them, it’s a real fun score and a great group of people to work with.”
Be part of the story at Skywalker Sound! Visit Lucasfilm.com/careers to begin a career that contributes to world-renowned entertainment and new techniques in sound presentation.
