FEST participants were welcomed to five-time Latin Grammy winner Salomé Limón’s Training Ground Masterclass “Sound Design and Mixing for Fiction and Documentary Films” on 27 June. Limón, a respected sound designer and engineer as well as composer, invited the audience to participate in a conversation about sound design in film. 

For Limón, “sound design means emotion.” Whether working with documentary or fiction, the mixing should enhance the emotional truth of the story being told. When creating the soundscape of a film, Limón shared that she takes inspiration from the sounds of her own life—for example, she added recordings of her own dog panting and barking to her library to lend greater variety and authenticity to the sounds she can use in her work. 

Learning the language of sound is an art form and career in itself, but Limón noted that a basic understanding of sound and how it can complement the narrative is useful for filmmakers to be able to better communicate with their sound design team. Technical savvy is not necessary—even creating an audio mood board with references from other films can be enough to convey one’s idea.

Maintaining open communication between the director and sound team helps Limón to crack the character of the scene and produce a stronger sonic backdrop. For those wishing to follow in her footsteps and enter the world of sound, she emphasized that networking is the most important means of acquiring new projects. But above all, Limón recommended taking a light-hearted approach to the job—“Have fun! Be professional, but don’t take it too seriously.” 

-          Alexandra Rongione