Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1521562
66 S U M M E R 2 0 2 4 I C A S Q U A R T E R L Y M E E T T H E W I N N E R S It was another stellar year for the CAS Student Recognition Award (SRA). This is the tenth year it has been presented and I cannot help but marvel at the quality of the submissions— which leads me to believe that sound for picture is in good hands for the future. We had applications from a diverse group of students, and it is encouraging to see that many were from women who seem to be embracing this profession more and more. This year's recipient was Yushu "Doris" Shen from the University of Southern California. Aura Sound & Color sponsored the award, and prizes were given in the amounts of $5,000 to the winner and $1,000 to each of the other finalists. New this year was the presentation of a physical CAS Award to the winner, similar to those given out in the other categories. Additionally, all finalists received a valuable collection of software and other gifts from our very generous sponsors, including Acon Digital, Apple, Avid, Ginger Audio, Halter Technical, iZotope Inc., K-Tek, Krotos Audio, Lectrosonics Inc., McDSP, Sound Particles, ShotDeck, Todd-AO/Absentia DX, and Zaxcom. As a member of the SRA Committee and on behalf of the CAS, I would like to thank all the CAS members who gave up their time to judge the applications and the finalists' videos. So that our membership can get to know our most recent SRA winner, I sent some questions to Doris. What brought you into sound and specifically sound for film? My early childhood experience singing and performing for the Beijing Philharmonic Choir and around the world is what first sparked and ignited my interest in capturing sound and creating sounds of various types, whether in the studio or on location recording production. My curiosity with the technical craft behind the art of storytelling is what ultimately pushed me to pursue an education in sound design and sound recording. Sound design and recording then became my primary motivators for continuing to the next stage of my education as an audio engineer. This ability to create new sounds and relate them to stories and emotions connects with my early background experience as a musician and young artist. Ultimately, the power to affect an audience, whether through music or sound design, is where I seek to explore and expand my skill set and craftsmanship. What's your favorite part of the sound for film process? The beginning. When the image has no emotion to it yet, and the vacuum of sound acts as a blank canvas for me to create and fill with color. The beginning is where the artists collaborate on the idea, the intended effect, and the end result. It can go anywhere at that junction point, and the focus being shifted back to the artistry excites the technical side of my creative process as a sound designer. I then get to exercise my technical skill set as it then becomes the translation tool that I use to give these ideas life on the screen. When the first sounds begin to blend and stick, watching the image begin to CAS STUDENT RECOGNITION AWARD WINNER YUSHU "DORIS" SHEN b y P e t e r K e l s e y C A S