April 25, 2008

April: Jonas Jansson, Sound Designer

Jonas Jansson never leaves home without his portable recorder.
- You can’t collect too much sound, he says.
That might very well be true when your career depends on the dept of your sound archives.
Meet a professional sound designer and humble collector of sounds whose wet dream include five roosters, some crickets and a moped - among other things.

When Jonas Jansson was a kid he wanted to be like the rapper Dr. Dre. Today his equally fascinated by the sound of birds and of children playing in a park as he is of hip hop beats. As a sound designer his job is to find, create and design sound - mainly for movies.

How did you become a sound designer? Tell us a bit about your background.

- I started to create music on my family’s PC when I was 13 years old. I wanted to be like Dr. Dre, but I couldn’t play any instruments so I started sampling other people’s music instead – mostly from my dad’s old record collection. It wasn’t long before I realized that I could change this ‘stolen’ music beyond recognition. In high school I started making films and after that I became a student at the Stockholm Academy of Film and Photography. There everybody wanted to become photographers or film directors. I was the only one in my class that was more into music and sound. This was a good thing though, because it gave me the opportunity to develop my own sound, which at the time mostly consisted of unbearably long and exceedingly abstract sound collages. After that I applied to Dramatiska Institutet (Swedish university of theatre and film). I didn’t get in, but one of the teachers there got me a job with Ljudligan, which is a film sound production company based in Stockholm. From the beginning my main responsibilities were limited to making coffee and doing dishes, but soon Ljudligan became my first real school. I worked with M&E’s (Music and Effects), which are kind of like mixes without dialogues. It was then I first started to appreciate ‘ordinary sounds’ and not just music.

What’s the most important thing to think about when you design the sound for a movie?

- Most sound designers would say that the most important thing is that the sound helps hold up the story. But for me the aesthetic side is just as important. It’s crucial that you choose a style and stick with it. You also have to be extremely attentive to the director, the photo, the music and so on. Sometimes we cannot contribute that much to the story, but every choice we make affects the aesthetics of the movie as a whole.

Besides being a sound editor you describe yourself as a sound collector … How do you collect sounds?

- Nowadays It’s not that difficult. You don’t need big microphones or any other heavy equipment anymore. I always carry a portable recorder in my pocket or my bag and whenever I get a chance I record. The best sounds are often the sounds of everyday life. It may be children playing or your neighbors throwing a big party, the sounds of traffic or a subway train approaching a station … or just birds. If you see me sitting quite on a park bench somewhere in town I’m probably recording something. You can never collect too much sound. The world never sounds the same twice. Most of the sounds I use professionally I’ve recorded from my balcony or on my way to work. Sound is a natural part of my life. I think about it all the time. I don’t know if that is funny or just weird.

When you work with sound you do not get as much recognition for your work as for example a photographer? How do you feel about that?

- I guess that’s both good and bad. The downside is that it’s difficult for people to understand and appreciate all the work we put into a film. Sound is something that you only notice when it’s bad. On the other hand I’ve always enjoyed being an underdog. I kind of like the thought of being the hardworking guy in the shadows.

How do you become a good sound designer?

- To be honest, I have no idea. How you perceive sound depends on who you are. Just because I think something sounds good, it doesn't necessarily mean that everybody likes it. I suppose you have to go with your gut feeling. Then again, most of the time realism is very important. If I’m working on a movie that takes place in the sixties it’s important that the sound I create are consistent with that era. On the other hand sometimes you have to overdo it a bit. If you want to create a pistol shot maybe a Smith & Wesson isn’t enough. You might have to add a shotgun or a cannon to make it work. But personally I'm no big fan of such exaggerations. When it comes to more abstract sound I often leave it to chance. It makes no sense going through 10 000 sounds to find the perfect one. I’d rather add the first five sounds that pop up and see how they work. Then I keep on adding sounds until I’m satisfied. Sometimes I get criticized for using too many sounds in my projects, but I like it when it gets a bit complex and numerous layers of sound form something completely new together.

What personal qualities do you need to have to become a sound designer?

-First and foremost you have to be a geek (laugh). No seriously … you can be good in so many different ways. But in the end it’s probably adoptability and social capabilities that are most important. You have to be flexible and comfortable with a lot of different styles. If we were artists doing our own individual sound installations it would maybe be a different story. Then the super creative individualist would be the star. But in 98 percent of the cases it’s the more professional type that does best – somebody who understands exactly what the movie needs, knows where to find the sounds and delivers on time. You might say that the best sound designer is the one that knows his own archives best.

Which of your work are you most proud of?

- The sound for the movie Låt den rätte komma in (Let the Right One in) by Swedish director Tomas Alfredsson.

Which sound is the most beautiful?

- I’ve always pictured sounds in different colors. I think the green and brown tones are the most beautiful, like rust and like the forest. I can’t explain why and I know that it sounds a bit abstract.
I remember one morning in Cuba, when I woke up to a world of sounds. It was at least five roosters … people, mopeds, horns, crickets, fans … it’s those small moments when reality beats film. That's a a sound editor’s wet dream.

And the ugliest?

- They have done som construction work outside my office – a lot of drilling and stuff. At first I thought it sounded cool and I recorded a lot of it. But after a while it turned into noise. It’s like hair - as long as it’s attached to your head it’s beautiful, but when it falls on the floor it instantly becomes dirt.

Recipe for men’s man of the month in April

Name: Jonas Jansson.

Age: 27.

Family: Girlfriend.

Occupation: Sound editor/designer.

Hometown: Stockholm, Sweden.

Town of birth: Sundsvall, Sweden.

Enjoys on his spare time: Making music and compilation tapes. Watching movies. The same things as I get paid to do at work.

Most beautiful soundtrack: Farväl Falkenberg (Falkenberg Farewell) by Erik Enocksson.

The world's most beautiful man: Adrian Brody.