Whether you’re an aspiring sound designer or just love the art of it, these names should ring a bell.
Sound designers are responsible for creating and implementing the audio for a project while working in film, television, video games, and other media. This includes everything from music and dialogue to crowd noise and sound effects. In short, if you can hear it, a sound designer probably had a hand in creating it. Here are four sound designers that you need to know.
Stephen Flick
Stephen Flick is a sound designer who has worked on films like The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and War for the Planet of the Apes. He has won an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, and two Golden Globes.
Flick is known to use sounds that are recorded in real life over those generated by synthesizers or computers. When it comes to designing sound effects,” he says, “I want my work to be unique.
Michael Bower
Michael Bower is a sound designer and rerecording mixer who has worked on such films as The Big Lebowski, Magnolia, American Beauty, The Social Network, and Zodiac.
He also served as the sound designer for Pixar’s WALL-E and Up. According to his IMDb page:
- “Sound design is the process of creating audio elements that enhance the story or drama being told in an audio visual medium.”
- “Sound designers will often work with editors to identify what type of sound effects are required for specific scenes within a film and create them accordingly.
Alan Robert Murray
Alan Robert Murray is an American sound designer and mixer. He has worked on many films, including The Matrix trilogy, Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi and Blade Runner 2049.
He won two Academy Awards for his work on the Star Wars prequels: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and Episode II – Attack of the Clones.
Frank Serafine
Frank Serafine is a sound designer, composer and voice actor who has worked on many films including Tron and Total Recall. He won two Academy Awards for his work on those films and was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Soundtrack. Additionally, he’s been involved in several video games including Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II—The Sith Lords where he helped to create the game’s score and audio design elements.
Richard King
Richard King is a Canadian sound editor and design who has worked on some of the most popular films of the last 15 years. His credits include The Dark Knight Rises, Inception, Dunkirk, The Dark Knight, Batman Begins, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Max Payne, anddomestic grossing films Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End. For his work on Dunkirk and Inception, King won two Academy Awards for Best Achievement in Sound Editing.
Randy Thom
With over 150 credits to his name, Randy Thom is one of the most prolific and well-respected sound designers working today. He has worked on some of the most iconic films of the last few decades, including Forrest Gump, The Presidio, The Right Stuff, and Ratatouille. For his work on Thomas Newman’s score for Wall-E, Thom won an Academy Award for Best Achievement in Sound Editing. He has also been nominated for 11 other Oscars throughout his career.
- Randy Thom is a sound designer, re-recording mixer and supervising sound editor. He has won an Oscar and been nominated for several others.
- In 1982, he was nominated for his work on Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. He also received nominations in 1986 for Return of the Jedi and in 1988 for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Walter Murch
In a career that has spanned over five decades, Walter Murch has been nominated for three Academy Awards and earned two. He is also the only person in history to be recognized twice with an Academy Award for Scientific and Engineering Achievement.
He has worked on films like Apocalypse Now and The Conversation, which helped him earn his first Academy Award for sound design. His second Academy Award came from editing The Godfather Part III.
Wylie Stateman
Wylie Stateman is an American sound editor working in Hollywood since the early 1980s. He has over 100 credits to his name, including work on Django Unchained, Lincoln Lawyer , Ted 2 , Django Unchained Cowboys & Aliens thrillers Sleepy Hollow , Kiss Kiss Bang Bang , Gone Baby Gone Ben Affleck ‘s directorial debutand Dazed & Confused . Stateman has also been nominated for four Academy Awards throughout his career.
Paula Fairfield
- Paula Fairfield is a sound designer who has worked on several well-known films including Star Wars, Star Trek, and Alien. She won multiple awards for her work in these films and has also been nominated for an Oscar. Not only is she an expert at creating sounds that help create the atmosphere of a film, but she also has a music background which helps her choose what sounds should be used. She even went to Yale University, earning her bachelor’s degree in music!
- In today’s world of filmmaking it’s important to know about all aspects of production—from cameras and costumes to editing rooms. But if you want your movie to truly stand out from the rest then adding some good old fashioned sound design will certainly do the trick!
Ren Klyce
Ren Klyce is a French-American sound designer who has worked on some of the most popular films of the last 20 years. His credits include Forrest Gump , Fight Club , The Social Network Se7en Mr. & Mrs. Smith Gone Girl Alien: Covenant Blade Runner 2049 three David Fincher filmsand Denis Villeneuve ‘sat recent entry into thefranchise . Klyce has also been nominated for three Academy Awards throughout his career.
These Designers Are Some of The Most Well-Known and Talented Working Today
These designers are some of the most well-known and talented working today.
- Lee Rose, who has worked on more than 100 films, including The Grand Budapest Hotel and Jurassic World
- Stephen Flick, who has done sound for dozens of movies and TV shows including Stranger Things, Twin Peaks: The Return and Fargo
- Julius Robson is a multiple Oscar nominee for his work on films like Interstellar and Birdman
- Michael Bower has been nominated three times for an Academy Award (and won once) for his work on Star Wars Episodes I-III as well as Blade Runner 2049 & Gravity
- Alan Robert Murray often works with director Christopher Nolan; he’s had over two dozen film credits since 1999, including Inception & Interstellar
- Frank Serafine was the first recipient of a Best Sound Editing Academy Award in 1984; he also received one in 1990
- Randy Thom is an Emmy Award-winning sound designer whose resume includes everything from Charlie Wilson’s War to Star Trek Into Darkness
Conclusion
This list is just the tip of the iceberg. It’s impossible to cover all of the amazing sound designers working today, but these are some of our favorites who have impacted modern cinema and television. If you love their work as much as we do, check out their websites or follow them on social media, where they share tips and advice on creating great sounds!
