Even though many of our graduates will have progressed in their careers since completing a case study, they are still of interest to students who wish to gain an understanding of the world of work.

As a sound designer and composer, the main responsibility is the final mix of all the elements that go into the soundtrack. Sometimes this involves music composition, other times more sound focused work. But generally having responsibility for the soundtrack of the piece of film is the main role, and how all the sonic elements (sound design, foley, voice, music etc) interact.

It is a client facing, service industry, so my time is booked by clients by the hour usually. What I do in that time is always pre-defined with a goal for the end of the session so the project keeps progressing. This might be, ‘finish first pass on sound effects and send wip’ or ‘come up with three musical directions to then develop’. I spend all day in a studio completing the work.

Every day is different. We work on a lot of a short form projects with quick turnarounds so the work is intense for a relatively short period, then we move on. It’s great to be able to explore all aspects of sound, from orchestral writing to conceptual sound design.

Definitely the client management side. This is something you only learn through experience and isn’t taught at university. Creating something for someone else’s piece of film can be incredibly rewarding, but you are dealing with personalities and often very creative people who have a particular idea in their mind that might be very difficult to realise. Thick skin can help from time to time!

I always wanted to work in a studio and composing to picture always appealed. Sound design was something I explored at university in a more abstract sense through electro-acoustic music and I became very interested in the line between sound design and music.

For me, my degree really helped me explore sound more broadly as a career path. Specifically, through the study of electro-acoustic music it opened up a world of creative sound that I don’t know if I would have pursued otherwise.

2012 -2015 eclectic music (music and sound design company);
2015-2016 freelance year;
2016-present String and tins.

I’d love to continue doing what I’m doing working with great people. Installation work is something that interests me for the future.

Just focus on doing good work. Try not to get too bogged down in a linear way to get to where you want to be. Just concentrate on the work and present it well and things will happen...

Jay    MA Composition (2017)
Technical Services Coordinator  (Charity, community and development work)

Accepts questions from students about their career