Guitarist and producer Blake Mills can be categorized by his tasteful use of distorted and harmonic guitar tones alongside various instances of jazz and folk inspired music – whereas Oliver Tarney is known for developing emotive pillars in films through his sound design for directs such as Sam Mendes and Ridley Scott. Both artists represent the depth that is prevalent in sound that can still be promoted for commercial use and distribution. While I have been surrounded by the world of sound art, with a particular emphasis on underground varieties of non commercial use of noise that has propelled my personal practice into areas that I would have not explored, my experience working in live sound mainly for function bands (i.e. weddings, corporate events, and charity events) demands a very straightforward, understandable, and commercial use of sonic material. While both of these artist are inspiring to me, they do both lie in the relatively commercial landscape. I aspire to follow a similar sort of career to the combination of these two people (as an example) because I will maintain and grow my compositional and performative practice alongside working in audio post-production for film. Blake Mills performative presence, specifically in relation to the shows where he preformed his guitar parts for Notes With Attachments arranged by Pino Paladino, was very inspiring to me sonically and physically (in reference to his body language and minimal stage presence).

‘Once the film went to post, sound and music were the only tools that could have any effect on the rhythm and pace.‘ – Oliver Tarney, A Sound Effect interview on 1917.

1917 was the film that inspired me to get into film sound. It has a great score, done by Thomas Newman, and sound design, led by Oliver Tarney. The film is done in the style of a sigular continuous shots with disguised cuts between location sites (portrayed very close to each other, and entirely walkable – through the storyline). In an interview with A Sound Effect, Oliver Tarney highlights that because of this essentially POV style, sound and music were the only tools that could be used to change the pace of the film – and this is prevalent throughout the film. Aside from the performance of the actors, the sound acts as an integral part of the film’s sense of reality. The accessibility that the film maintained to expose audiences to the importance of sound in film was not only inspiring for my practice and potential career paths, however, it later cemented certain doubts I had on working in an industry that highlights projects on a larger scale than the short and independent films I had initially leaned towards focusing on. Now I feel more content with the idea of working as a part of a large mechanism that has the potential of producing a film such as 1917 with a large creative sonic impact, lead by Oliver Tarney and Rachael Tate.

Ideally, I begin working in audio post-production as an independent contractor, working on individual projects rather than for a single organization. I believe this would allow for diverse work environments, contexts, and project management exercising both my practice, technical ability and exposure to various working environments. Working as a freelance editor demands strong networking skills which I believe I have exercised through the last few years, working in live engineering environments, hospitality environments, and working on contract based artworks, including composing music for short films and design shows.

Forming community alongside pursuing consistent freelance work is part of the reason why I am focusing on working in New York while I can. I have a large network of friends from Los Angeles that I grew up with who have moved to New York, and from July I will be living with three of my close friends from high school who have all just graduated from art university as well, focusing on design and fashion. I believe having direct access to driven artists who also want to engage with communities, performance, and fabrication using new materials will provide a sort of symbiotic environment where we can create together and push each other in our personal and professional practices, allowing for constant criticism and support. This is one key factor that I want to use to support my freelance practice in sound editing. I believe the constant escape to be able to have access to a creative environment that isn’t relying on your personal time allocation is very important when trying to balance work and art practices, which is something that I have lacked discipline in for the last few years.

Circling back to working as a contractor in sound in New York, one of the most important factors that lies outside of the demand of networking and maintaining relationships for employability and growing your career, jobs in sound editing that are freelance require a fairly intensive amount of financial planing, budgeting, and saving – not to mention applying for unions in the United States to help with health care access and additional financial support. In preparation for this I began to grow my savings over the past year in conjunction with my university work and artist practice. Having a nest egg that assumes I could potentially be unemployed for up to six months is helping ease the financial and personal pressures of moving countries again. This perspective was built on working with contractors and crew from the sum of live sound gigs I have done over the past year with JB Sound company, setting up PA systems and doing assistant engineering work for various bands and DJs.

My practice, when associated to engagement and community, has always been a means of experimenting with the unknown and the uncertainty of other musicians, performers, and presences (friends), and I want to continue my personal practice following graduation through collaboration and performance with my friends based in New York. Roughly this looks like composing music for a conglomerate of various visual contexts including short films, fashion shows and events, installations, and in live playing contexts. One of the new events that I would like to regularly incorporate into my weekly practice is playing in live settings. Because of how overwhelmingly busy I was this past year and a half, I have not been able to play live for audiences. One thing my friends and I want to do in New York, when I move there, is to host live events whether in a rented space or our living room, reaching out to various communities, contexts, and practices to structure new artist communities in spite of practice, interest, or day job. Local buzz through flyers and word of mouth will hopefully bring a diverse and engaged crowd. I will also push to utilize the network my friends and younger sister have made through Parsons School of Design in New York to host larger events and collective style gathers for artists and performers.

I have always utilized social media to share and expose my work however, I want to start to delve into more public audio-visual installations. This will include experimentation around the presentation, disposability, and placement of works. I am currently investigating cheap screen / speaker devices that I could potentially utilize for a series of abstract films I want to ‘litter’ around New York – displaying one of my portfolio works (BRÜN) both audibly and visually – focusing on the use of abstract animation. I have recently been incredibly inspired by Francis Alÿs’s “Paradox of Praxis 1” (Sometimes Making Something Leads to Nothing). The disposing of the artifact becomes the piece, and with proper documentation I do really love the idea of having a work so public that eventually someone takes it and almost consumes it entirely as their own. This is very contrary to the setting I will most likely be working in (audio post production for film) and this contrast is a means of expression as well as balance in my own reflection and personal development.

The main development from this last semester at University was establishing my perspective on the balance necessary between personal practice, professional practice, and maintaining financial security. I am currently set to move from London to New York in July, most likely going to work as an assistant dialogue editor with a full time contractor role (unless I work for a studio rather than a single freelance dialogue editor). The reality of pursuing my own practice in sound design for film does not inspire me, however, in focusing on learning the means established by prominent production houses in New York, I believe I can gain a more impactful insight on the ebb and flow of post production processes.

Alongside learning in a professional environment I will continue my audio-visual practices in an isolated setting (more specifically, in a setting that isn’t putting financial pressure on the output, reach, or profitability of the works). My compositional practice focuses on visual music and composition for atmospheric environments currently, and in New York I will consistently do collaborations with friends, focusing on composition for short films, fashion shows, events, and even personal live performances. I will also hopefully have the means and the time to continue jazz guitar lessons (if financially feasible) to exercise and develop my playing and hopefully lead me towards new avenues in art practice both personally and professionally. I am still consistently inspired by current and past guitarist in all contexts, whether, ambient, jazz, rock, or experimental, and I want to continue pushing my boundaries

My current plan has been laid out in previous posts, however, if the prospects of an assistant job aren’t immediately available I am planning on working in hospitality (at a bar most likely) to support my freelance practice until a viable job opportunity in post production opens up. This layout has been constructed through gathering advice from various people I have met with in the industry, and applying for positions isn’t necessarily possible through traditional online applications or reaching out for job inquiries, it comes from recommendations and offers based on the relationships you hold with people from within the industry.

In preparation for my career following graduation from LCC I spent the first quarter of the year preparing connections in the world of audio post production for film. Most of my network is in Los Angeles, because of runner positions I held during high school, however, in anticipation for my most to New York this coming summer I spent time reaching out to studios and post production companies based in New York to express my interest and seek out advice. Following a lucky phone call with a distant family friend I was put into contact with Goldcrest Films and Formosa Group which both have audio post production studios in New York and London. After emailing back and forth with various members of the team at Goldcrest in New York I was able to get into contact with Mark Kaplan the current VP onsite. I arranged a meeting for when I was going to be visiting my younger sister in New York, and when I met up with him I received some great advice, got to tour studios A and B on site, and he was able to put me into contact with other relevant figures in audio post production based in New York.

The main takeaway I had from this meeting with Mark at Goldcrest was his emphasis on network. Not seeking out jobs and opportunities, but just making gaining contacts and establishing potential friendships that can help you out in the industry. The form of a blog post limits my ability to explain my current perspective in an academic context, however, I learned that it is more likely you will be sought out to fill a position if you aren’t driven by desperation searching for a job, but rather exposing an eagerness to learn and to be taught. Advice can be given out for free, jobs and careers cannot. The caveat is, and this is in the most positive sense, people love to give advice, especially in this industry. I have emphasized that I would like to eventually work for an established post production studio alongside my freelance practice because of my fascination of the film process as well as the appeal of the environments that I have been exposed to around this field. Current positions that I am discussing right now with Mark as well as other studio techs and studio directors mainly lie in the realm of assistant work alongside dialogue and music editors, as well as sound designers. I am very focused on the idea of starting as an assistant and learning the necessary professional skills tailored to a specific audio post production studio not only to eventually work as a lead sound designer or composer eventually, however, I also want to learn how to transfer knowledge in efficient and practical ways, so that I know how to articulate my own practice in professional contexts.

Following graduation in July, I will be moving to New York City to work in audio post production for film. Alongside working within a rigid studio environment, I will maintain my own practice and personal artistic development through personal projects as well as collaboration with friends I will be living with in Brooklyn.

The draw to New York came from visiting friends consistently throughout the last four years I have been in London, and from this draw I was able to develop additional connections and relationships with new people in the field of audio post production for film. On my most recent visit in March 2025, I had spent the previous two months reaching out to various film sound studios, composers, ADR mixers and recordists, and sound designers to eventually build a list of people to meet with throughout my six day trip. People I met with included Mark Kaplan, the executive vice president of Goldcrest Films New York, Jesse Ehdret, former sound designer and current director of technical operations at the Formosa Group, and Marcello Dubaz, who is a freelance sound designer and dialogue editor who is affiliated with multiple post studios in New York and Los Angeles. I also got to tour studios A and B at Goldcrest while I was there, as well as the Formosa Group space in Tribeca in Manhattan. I learned a lot and received some very great advice through these meetings, the most reoccurring advice emphasizing the importance of network and connections. I received a promising assistant dialogue editor position that will most likely open up by September this year. Financial planning from the last six months has allowed me to save up enough funds for rent / living expenses for the worst case scenario which assumes I will be unemployed for six months, however, it will hopefully only be a month of unemployment.

Personal practice is equally as important to me as professional development, and with my network of friends in New York I will be able to maintain my practice in composition for short films, installations, fashion shows, and live sound practices. For the past year I have been working with the JB Sound Company run by Joe Barker who specializing in live sound and lighting around the UK. Through this experience I have not only had the means to make enough money for additional savings as well as living expenses in London, however, I have also been able to learn a variety of consoles and PA systems, deal with stressful environments and problem solving under public and performative pressure, and apart from engineering I have been able to have a few jobs as a stage manager providing me with irreplaceable experiences dealing with artists and other managers. This is all experience very subjective to the live sound world, and I can carry these skills and personal developments not only through my personal practice, however, I believe they will also help my technical and social ability in studio environments. For my degree portfolio I have focused on composition in music and visual music, and will continue building my library of compositions for personal and commercial use.

Listening in personal and live contexts have shaped my personal practice, most notably this year I have been influenced by visual music dating back to the 1920s through the 1960s including works from Len Lye, Jordan Belson, Viking Egeling, and Stan Brakhage. Musical artist influence has still predominantly stayed within the bounds of jazz, acid rock, and a lot of r&b from the 1950s through the 1960s. Sam Gendel, Sam Wilkes, and Blake Mills have been extremely influential in my improvisational practices and mixing/production. Following my move to New York I hope to continue recording as well as performative practices, scheduling conflicts with work and university have limited my ability to perform live in London during the past three years, and I am hoping that when my schedule opens up by August I will have more time to organize events and perform at different venues my friends are associated with.