A Hidden Craft: Sound Editing

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“Excuse me, what do you mean by the sound is added afterward? This is a wildlife documentary, not a Hollywood film. This is factual, it’s real. Right?”

I reply patiently “Nope. Sorry to lift the curtain, but that lion roar matching the slow-motion phantom shot wasn't filmed at that exact moment. In fact, it most probably isn’t even that lion’s roar. It might be from a library that was recorded 10 years ago... “

Their jaws drop.

“You’re joking?”

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I take a breath, knowing that this reply will reveal the logic behind it. “ No. Most of the footage doesn’t even have sound, if it did, it would be filled with the camera crew’s movement while handling the camera, talking and vehicles moving into place to film the wild animals.”

Shocked they would reply shaking their heads “Nee.” (Which means “no” in Afrikaans)

My final blow “The sound of the crickets chirping at sunset, an owl calling in the distance, elephants gently wading through water, lions stalking their prey through the tall grass, an impala snorting as a warning call... it’s all added in later. The sound editor will add in all of those sounds after the picture is locked.”

Apparently, I have ruined wildlife documentaries for a few family members and friends. Somehow they thought that it was all “real” or rather in the moment. I didn’t even get a chance to explain to them what the foley artist do. It was just too much too soon.

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Is anything on tv really “real”? Over the ages, the general public has become more aware of the building blocks of making a film or tv series. All thanks to aunty Google, social media, and behind-the-scenes documentaries. Even though there is still some confusion as to what an “editor” actually does. Most people know they exist.

Sound editing, on the other hand, is an even more hidden craft. A credit that is seen on screen if you watch the credit roll, but not quite understood by most.

In fact, if done correctly, sound editing shouldn’t be noticed at all. In my opinion, that is what makes a good sound edit. When the audience believes that the audio was captured on film. That it sounds so real that they feel like they are transported to that very location.

As a sound editor, I aim to be completely hidden. The sound needs to be realistic. I pay special attention to the time of day, perspective, behavior, and timing. The sound should be subtle, it should aid the picture, and not disrupt the audience. A jarring sound that is miss-placed can ruin the “reality” of the scene.

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I had my first encounter with sound while working on a documentary called Soul of the Elephant. It was the first wildlife documentary that I worked as an edit assistant, and eventually, as a sound edit assistant. Candice Odgers was the head editor and sound editor. She was also my mentor and invested a lot of time in helping me grow into the editor I am today. She introduced me to this hidden craft.

I will never forget the day that she showed me how she used a sound clip of a football player being tackled (from an SFX stock library) and used it over a shot of a big elephant bull digging for and breaking salt crystals from the hardened dirt.

Usually, this sound would be recreated by a foley artist in a studio. But if we don’t have the budget or time for this, why not search for similar sounds and use them?

I was in awe. It worked. It sounded like the sound was baked into the picture.

Screen shot from Soul of the Elephant

This was the moment that I fell in love with sound editing. It is extremely time-consuming. I will spend hours on scenes, building layer upon layer of audio. I'll close my eyes and listen to the story unfolding. Then go back and refine, and refine again.

Sound layers on my Final Cut Pro X timeline for Jade Eyed Leopard

The end result is very rewarding. Not rewarding in the sense that everyone will congratulate you on your work, but rewarding in the sense that they didn't even notice your work. The reward is in that moment that you realize that you managed to "recreate" the soundtrack of nature.

In all honesty, it won't ever compare to the real deal, but I sure can try to get it as close to it as possible.

In my next blog, I’ll share a little bit more about my workflow and how I approach sound editing on nature documentaries.