About Me
"I strive to bring narratives to life through innovative sound design; immersing the audience in a sonic experience."
My Journey
My creative journey started when I was around eight years old, creating short videos starring our toys with my best friend; editing the footage on my mother's iMac. As you can imagine, these "films" were far from quality pieces of art, but through these projects a love for storytelling was realized. I was not the only one who recognized this passion however, as when I was ten, I found myself forcibly signed up for an extra-curricular filmmaking class at the Arlington Career Center. As a timid third grader, I wanted nothing to do with this and protested adamantly; but my mother would hear nothing of it.
Despite my reluctance to participate in the class, I soon found myself walking through the classroom doors on the first day. And as soon as I picked up my first camcorder, all of the anxiety and concern faded away, and I was quickly immersed in my creative work. This was my first experience creating films with anyone other than my friend, but a common interest to create and design hurriedly dispelled any doubts, and my first team and I collaborated as if we'd worked together for years. While I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the filmmaking process, it was the editing that truly called to me. I like to imagine editing as a puzzle, but instead of there being one right way to arrange the pieces, the possibilities were indefinite.
I enjoyed my first filmmaking class so much, that I took the five day course ten more times through out elementary and middle school. I swiftly became very comfortable with Adobe Premiere, and mastering the editing software became a clear goal for me. When I reached sophomore year, I could finally take the Multimedia class for an elective credit with the same teacher who taught me for all those years. I continued to enjoy filmmaking so much, that in my senior year, I took the film class at my home high school as well as the college level Multimedia Production III class at the career center. During my time in these classes, I helped create numerous productions, many of which won various awards at the Arlington Film Fest and SkillsUSA Virginia state competitions. Through these experiences I also developed a love for collaboration with other talented and creative individuals; a love which would stay with me to today.
Film
Naturally, my extensive experience with filmmaking is what introduced me to the world of sound. It started with learning how to operate a boom pole to capture cleaner audio; then production mixing as I upgraded from connecting a mic to the camera, to using a standalone audio mixer. When I first started my filmmaking classes, I was admittedly not too interested in sound, but as I got older, and my skills improved, I quickly learned that sound effects, dialogue, and music were all extremely important for a successful film.
​
However my experience in audio editing remained at a beginner level until I got into the world of music production. First using Garage Band loops, then midi instruments in Logic Pro X, I became adept with audio editing techniques and plugins; including equalizers, reverbs, compressors, and many more. In my mind, the same creative puzzle principle was just as evident in music production and audio editing as picture editing.
As I begun my search for colleges, I was still primarily looking for film schools. But one of the main attractions of The Savannah College of Art and Design, besides its well renowned film program, was its sound design program. At the time I still knew little of what exactly sound design was, but I was interested in the possibility of taking it as a minor. It wasn't after I got to SCAD, when I talked to sound design professors and students, that I had the realization that the sound path was for me. In my second quarter of school, I switched to a sound design major, and I have yet to regret the decision.
​
With all of my past filmmaking experience under my belt, especially with production mixing, I found myself on SCAD film sets; creating connections with my film major peers that would prove invaluable in the coming years. It was in class where I first used the industry standard DAW: Avid Pro Tools. Despite having some issues getting used to the new software at first, but just like Premiere, I soon found myself editing with speed. The skills I learned in class were instantly used on more student films; designing engaging and immersive soundscapes, with my skills only getting better with each project completed.
​
By my senior year, I learned not only to design sound effects, but also to record foley and dialogue, edit music, implement audio into a game engine, and mix in not only stereo, but multi-channel as well. I completed the highest level of Pro Tools certifications, as well as the new Dolby Atmos Avid certification. The productions I worked on looked more like Hollywood sets than student films, and I strived to ensure that my work matched that level of production quality.
I graduated with honors from SCAD in June, 2023, and since then, I have used the many skills I've learned to continue to work as a sound designer for various student films and other indie projects. As I look the the future, I am excited to continue to hone my craft, and to work with such talented people. Whether it be sound design, dialogue editing, studio recording, audio implementation, or mixing; I am willing and ready to arise to the challenge, continuing to help creatives tell their story through the medium I've grown to love so much.
​
-Spencer Hill
​
​
Sound
