If you wanna get started, start recording sounds right away. That’s huge. Really have an eagerness to experiment and just try things. If you have a Pro Tools rig and you’ve recorded a bunch of sounds, start playing with those sounds. I mean pitching them up, pitching them down, and seeing what you get. Trying different plugins and everything.
One of the things I did early on when I wanted to get into sound design was I started advertising on Craigslist. I don’t know if Craigslist is like this anymore–this was like ten or twelve years ago that I was doing this. But I would pore over listings every day and I would send my résumé.
My first gig was a UCLA student film that was advertised on Craigslist. He said, “I need a Sound Designer for my short film,” and I got the gig. I think I did it for like $200 or something. I was probably making less than minimum wage because I put so many hours into that thing. But then he ended up recommending me to his classmates, and so I did another UCLA short film, and then another student film. Within a couple of years, I was doing a steady stream of student films for USC and UCLA.
Then from there … I’d get a TV pilot, then I’d get a small, independent feature film, and then I’d get another feature film. After five or six years, I was actually working pretty steadily in the independent film world. So for me, it really was a slow, gradual process.
You can go that route, but if you’re fortunate to have connections and know people in the field, I would say use any connection you have. Reach out to take people to lunch often and kind of pick their brains, ask them about things and tell them that you’re interested in getting into sound design, and maybe an opportunity will pop up.
There’s been a big imbalance in terms of gender in the industry. It’s been really male-heavy for a long time. So it’s a great time for young women to get in the field because the opportunities are really, really great. They’re trying to correct that imbalance that’s been there for so many years.
I’d encourage people to be persistent and send out 100 resumés. Don’t be afraid if ninety-five of them come back as “no” or get no response. Be persistent and keep trying. And don’t be afraid to start out on your own and just do your own independent film projects or anything that you can find.
Record a lot, work really hard. Try to have an open mind and try to think outside the box and be as creative as possible. That’s what it’s all about.