Douglas North is an alumni of Leeds School of Arts, graduating from BA (Hons) Music Production in 2023. Whilst studying, he took part in a placement with Paramount Pictures. Here, he talks through his experience and explains what is in store for his career.

Course: BA (Hons) Music Production

Tell us a bit about yourself, why you chose to study your course and what interests you the most about the subject area?

My name is Douglas North, and I recently graduated from Leeds School of Arts with a degree in Music Production. I initially chose the course due to my interest in production and composition as well as the variety of modules the course offers, allowing you to discover other avenues of audio production. It was because of this that I discovered sound for visual media in a Post Production module, which is now my planned career path because of how much I enjoyed it.

I have been interested in films from a young age, editing videos and experimenting with editing software, so this career feels like a perfect blend of my passion for audio and interest in visual media. Designing sound for fictional creatures and entities is the most exciting aspect of post production for me. The ability to bring a fantasy or sci-fi creature to life through the manipulation and placement of sound is something I will always enjoy as it allows you to play with the viewer’s emotions, therefore is an essential part of moving pictures which is often overlooked.

Tell us about the placement you took part in at Paramount and how the opportunity came about? 

For two weeks I was given the opportunity to shadow and take part in the sound recording of a Paramount Pictures series in Liverpool. This gave me insights into the techniques of on-set sound recording, on-set terms (which were very confusing at the start), the many teams it takes to make a shoot like this happen, and the backgrounds of the professionals working there and what it took to get to where they are now.

I worked with a sound team who had a number of credits. I was able to pick their brains about everything they knew, and I got directly involved in the recording process. The placement came about from attending a talk with a company called Film Buddy at the university. Their primary goal is to aid individuals in education to break into the industry, whatever role they are interested in. They offer one-to-one meetings, CV advice, Q&As with industry professionals, and work experience opportunities. I was paired with a mentor who helped me build on my CV and later asked if I would like to take this opportunity which I was very grateful for.

What were the highlights of your placement experience?

There were a few highlights, the first being the practical experience I gained. Towards the end of the placement, I asked if I could rig a clip-on microphone to one of the actors, to which they happily obliged. During this, the most anxious moment for me was the close proximity between me and the talented actor I had been watching work for the past two weeks. This was where I learned that interpersonal skills are just as important as the practical. Communicating what you are doing while also having a light-hearted conversation with an actor eases the tension in situations such as this.

On the same day, I was given the boom microphone and entered the centre of the set to record dialogue during a take. I had to put everything I had seen and learnt to the test whilst remaining calm in amongst other industry professionals such as the director, which was also very exciting.

What have you been up to since graduating? 

Now I have completed the course, I am finding as much experience as I can by applying for various sound designer roles on short films and networking with as many people as possible through events and film festivals. I’m also searching for runner roles at a post production house which I hope will then give me a ladder to work my way up to a Dubbing Mixer role in the future.

At the moment, I am designing sound for a video game that will be entered into a game jam over the next month, which is all adding to my experience with audio. Since graduating I have credits as an ADR (Automatic Dialogue Replacement) and FX editor on a feature film which was also offered to me through the university. Although this is not on-set sound recording, I still value the experience I gained during the placement as it gave me an understanding of the process the sound goes through at the beginning before it gets to the post production phase.

What would you say to someone who is thinking about studying Music Production at Leeds Beckett? 

From my experience, the course is a great choice for people who have a passion for music but also audio in general, as you can specialise in music production while also avoiding putting all your eggs into one basket. The course offers many specialisms other than post production including video game audio, mastering, songwriting, and music for film/TV, so you can really hone your skills and interests.

There are also so many people to collaborate with. Through the university’s collaboration forum, a student can make posts looking for people with specific specialisms within the university, which again, is not only a great resource for finding people who can bring new ideas to a project but also for making connections which could be very valuable in the future. My last point would be get involved in every opportunity you can at the university, as you never know where it could lead.