Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1490686
40 I M PS E . O R G context, environment, reactions, artifacts, and limitations of the recording setups each added something "real" to the recording. Not "real" as in reality, but a compelling benchmark that acts as a target—"that is great we have to make it sound like that in game!" Which not only speaks to the sound design of the assets, but also the implementation, the mix, how it Chris Sweetman. Cornwall, UK Csaba Wagner LA, US influences other sounds, drives VO reactions and maybe also dictates and drives other disciplines like animation, VFX or lighting, as well as haptics and camera shake, for example. CS: The work of Gary Rydstrom, Randy Thom, Ben Burtt, Harry Cohen, Jim Shields, Tim Walston, Csaba Wagner, Jay Jennings and a myriad others are always an inspiration to me. I love authentic, natural sounds used in clever ways, and am not a fan of synthetic sounds. I'm very much a "How did they make that" person, and a "I need to work it out" kinda chap. As a child of the '70s and '80s, I'm a huge fan of Star Wars, Total Recall, Raiders, Jaws, Star Trek—you name it! I started trying to mimic and recreate the sounds I heard in movies and I still do!! CW: For films, Terminator 2, The Phantom Menace, Transformers 1, The Matrix, The Fast & the Furious, Oblivion, and most recently, I was really blown away by the sound of Top Gun: Maverick. In my work, I'm all about style, punch, size, energy, and movement, and I feel like Maverick really managed to deliver the most impressive design and mix I've heard in the past five-plus years. SJ: These days, my inspiration doesn't particularly come from the content of other media at face value but more the creative approach and thinking behind it. Not so much wow, but more why. I find the mindset of other creators fascinating, everyone approaches a problem differently based on their experiences from both the personal and professional. CM: Who are your mentors, and how did you connect with them? BM: My first mentors, and the group from which the majority came/come from, are all my work colleagues over the years working at Acclaim, Criterion, EA, DICE, and now Sweet Justice. Beyond this, it was initially reaching out to mailing list groups across the industry—first the UK-based VGM mailing list, then the Yahoo Sound Design group and then after a few years, social media made it easier to see what people were up to and to just reach out and ask questions. Today there is so much to learn from all the talented folk at Sweet Justice and I also help out with the VGM STHLM Game Audio group with events like Ljud Jul and 'the thing,' which helps keep a connection to local activities and knowledge. Everyone I have ever worked with has taught me something and I am eternally grateful to them all. CS: The three most influential people in my career have been my father Brian Sweetman who was a 50-year veteran of the film industry. He gave me the passion for sound and introduced me to the industry at a very young age. I used to go to work with him in the summer holidays in the heydays of British cinema in the '70s and '80s at studios like Cinelingual and De Lane Lea. I have fond memories of sitting in the dubbing theatres as a small boy watching the mixers at work. Jim Shields was the first editor to really ignite a curiosity for sound editing and design in me. He used to visit us at the Sound House and we'd spend weeks playing with 4¼ tape machines all running at different speeds playing different sounds.