Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1538144
BY MARK LANZA MPSE M OT I O N P I CTU R E S O U N D E D I TO R S 63 Game Audio & Foley Craftsmanship ith a career that bridges both film and interactive entertainment, Caron Weidner MPSE has contributed to a wide range of high-profile projects, including The Matrix Resurrections, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, and Dead Space 3. Her Foley work is known for its subtlety, precision, and emotional nuance—grounding characters and environments in realism while enhancing storytelling in this Q&A. I spoke with Caron about her journey into sound, the crossover between film and game audio, and the evolving role of Foley in nonlinear formats. Together, we explored her creative process, the tools she relies on, and the philosophies that continue to shape her work. "Hearing what could be done with those beep sounds to express the personalities of the droids really blew my mind at a young age." Mark Lanza MPSE: How did you get into sound? What were your schooling and early career choices? Caron Weidner MPSE: I was very influenced by Star Wars, which is the first movie I remember seeing (and hearing) in a theater. Star Wars had a lasting impact on me and has stayed with me to this day. (My full-circle moment to be able to work on a Star Wars game comes much later on.) I had fallen in love with R2-D2 and C-3PO's sounds and the lightsabers. I even bought a remote-controlled R2- D2 and remember being disappointed as a kid that the beeps didn't sound like they did in the movie! Hearing what could be done with those beep sounds to express the personalities of the droids really blew my mind at a young age. I also took a computer games course in junior high school (which I was able to repeat three times with permission from the teacher!). Believe it or not, for the entire class, we just sat and played video games! Several of us in the class that year were also chosen to be placed in a special computer programming course. I really enjoyed that early computer class, as it blended both my gaming and programming interests. During those years, I was also going to arcades all the time to play Pac-Man and Frogger until I ran out of quarters! Looking back, there was so much originality in those games considering the limitations of the technology at the time. I originally wanted to become a recording engineer for pop and rock music and almost didn't go to college. After visiting several LA recording studios and hearing from studio managers that most entry-level hires came in as runners—not graduates from expensive schools—I decided to pivot. I applied to a competitive TV production program that included an audio component and was fortunate to be one of just 24 students accepted that year. While the program W R2-D2 droid, Comic-Con 2013.