Today we’d like to introduce you to Spencer Hill.
Hi Spencer, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
I first got into the world of sound through filmmaking, taking weekend classes when I was a kid, and then college-level film courses through the Arlington Career Center in Virginia while in high school.
My passion brought me to the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), where I was intrigued by the sound design BFA since day one. After a lot of research and talking to professors and peers alike, I decided to focus my education on the world of sound. In my years at SCAD, I’ve learned how to create sound effects, edit dialogue, record vocals and ADR, mix, and much more.
Recently, I have established a focus on video game sound design in particular, experimenting with audio implementation software like Unreal Engine and Wwise. Now that I have finished my time with SCAD, I’m eager to get my foot in the door, whether it be through the video game, movie, television, or music industry. I believe my experience and love for sound will make me a great fit on any team, and I’m excited to work on passionate projects with talented people.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced over the years was deciding to pursue my passion as a career path, rather than something else that may be more “lucrative”. There have been several people who have questioned my decision to attend an art school, so much so that I’ve even questioned it myself.
But I have to thank my family and friends for their continuous support in my dream and my work; their guidance has been instrumental in keeping me focused and determined to make audio my career. I remind myself often that I didn’t join this industry because it would be easy, I’m here because I genuinely enjoy the work I do.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
In the sound design program at SCAD, you are taught and trained in several different audio professions, from dialogue editing, foley, and voice recording, to mixing and mastering. These disciplines are not unique to one industry. Television, film, advertisements, podcasts, music, and video games are a few examples of industries that need audio professionals, and as a sound designer, I have to decide which of these I want to pursue.
Coming from a film post-production background, I had my mind set at first on audio post-production for movies, more specifically mixing. However, after more time at SCAD, I realized I truly enjoyed creating new sound effects for characters and places: the origination of sound design as a discipline. As a novice writer, I’ve always enjoyed world-building, and sound design is my way of designing and shaping the world in which the characters live. My interest in designing sound effects steered me away from film, and more towards video games and animation; where the more fantastical nature of each project allowed me to be more creative with my sound design.
One of my favorite projects was an audio test that required me to create a sound design for a video game character. The character had four elemental stages, with each one changing the visual effects of their attacks. The tough part about this test was making the sounds of each elemental stage similar enough that they could be recognized as the same character, but different enough to make each stage feel unique. There were several different techniques I used to achieve this. Still, the one I’m most proud of was using recordings of crystal glass players to emphasize the character’s magical features.
For the sunlight elemental stage, I pitched the recordings to create a perfect 5th musical relationship, creating a bright and euphoric feeling. For the dark stage, I pitched the sounds into a tritone relationship, making it feel dissonant and cold. I realized that using critical thinking and creative techniques in my sound design was an effective way to make more meaningful and cohesive audio. To facilitate this sound design style, I begin each project by asking myself these questions: If I were the main character, what would I hear in the world around me?
If I were to watch my character move and interact with space, what would it sound like? If I lived in this story, what sounds would I recognize? What would my life sound like? I’ve found that asking these questions gives the work I do more meaning and emphasizes audio’s role as part of the story. I feel that this gives me a unique approach to sound that separates me from other sound designers.
If we knew you were growing up, how would we have described you?
As a kid, I was always very creative, even if many of my creations were unremarkable, to say the least. I tried several different mediums from drawing to photography, but film was something that I truly enjoyed.
I started off making short little stories using figurines with my friend. We would record with my father’s old video camera and edit on my mother’s computer using iMovie. The films were far from being good, but they were the reason I eventually got into filmmaking, and then sound design.
My grandmother was another key part of my childhood life. She was an AP English teacher and loved to write. She often wrote letters to me and my sister, telling us about her past and dreams for our future. She always wrote in such a whimsical style; she fueled my inspiration for storytelling and writing.
Pricing:
- Dialogue Editing and Cleanup – $50/minute of media
- Sound Effect Editing -$50/minute of media
- Mixing/Mastering -$75/minute of media
- Full Sound Package-$150/minute of media
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.spencerhill3.com/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-hill-3126801a8/
