Biography
Xu Shiheng, a new generation of sound editor mixers, was born in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, and graduated from emerson College in the United States with a major in sound. After graduating, he settled in Los Angeles and joined post-production companies This is Sound Design, Salt Audio and Summit Post as a sound editor and mixer. He worked closely with renowned mixers Rick Van der Hoist and Nathan Ruil, and won the Los Angeles Film Awards and The Top Shorts Film Festival for Best Sound Design for his short film Drift. His work has also been screened at Disney+, iHeartRadio, and major film festivals.
The first on the left is Xu Shiheng
Media: Sound editing and mixing are very important links in all films, and sound has richer layers of expression and emotional support than words. Mr. Xu, as a post-film worker who deals professionally with sound, what role do you think sound editing plays in contemporary films?
Xu Shiheng: Sound is an indispensable part of the movie, but it should actually disappear into the movie screen, it should be completely integrated with the movie until you don't realize the existence of sound. People often confuse sound with soundtrack, but in fact, the two are completely different things, music dominates emotions, and sound carries the story. Sound editing, sound design and mixing are all aimed at creating a specific sound space and strengthening the film's picture, story, and characters, thus bringing a more three-dimensional and richer feeling to the film. Sound editing is actually very similar to picture editing, except that we work in different mediums, and the ultimate goal is to tell the story better. Sound, though not figurative, is a very three-dimensional creation, and the sound that emerges at the same time reveals many different details in the story, and the mix is precisely the work done to open up the layers of these sound elements.
Media: As a well-known sound worker, what honors has your dedication to the sound cause brought to you?
Xu Shiheng received the Best Sound Design Award at the Top Shorts Film Festival
Xu Shiheng: In recent years, I have been fortunate to work on a number of very challenging and interesting projects, including doing sound editing of the crime investigation story podcast Hunted, which was run by two-time Emmy-winning Dick. Woolf produced and distributed by Endeavor Content, one of hollywood's four major agencies. I also edited the sound of the short film "Drifting", which brought together many young and talented filmmakers to participate in the production, and starred the well-known actor Han Sanming, "Drifting" was nominated for the Best Short Film Award at the 67th San Sebastian International Film Festival, won the Best International Short Film at the Reykjavik International Film Festival, and was also selected for the New Orleans Film Festival. Another short film I joined, "Huang Zhenzhen's Speech", won the Honor Award at the 68th San Sebastian International Film Festival, was shortlisted for the Palm Springs International Film Festival and was nominated for Best Short Film of the NEW ERA Youth Season.
Other projects I've worked on include editing and remixing virtual fashion blogger Lil Miquela's MV Hard Feelings, which today has 2.52 million views on Youtube. I have also served as a sound editor and mixer for Oakley's co-op with the NFL commercial. Recently, I've been working with Nike on a series of short documentaries that will also be shown on major platforms in the near future.
I have taught students how to edit sounds and mixes at Emerson College and am a resident mixer at Emerson Television. Last year, I sold my recording sound library in Shenzhen - "Shenzhen", on the top international sound library website, hoping to contribute high-quality domestic sound to film and television creators.
Media: Engaging in sound work may seem simple, but it actually requires extra care, because every sound used can neither make the audience feel the artificial color, but also play its artistic role most efficiently. What do you think is the biggest gain from continuing to invest in sound work, and what is the motivation for seemingly boring work to make you persist?
Xu Shiheng: It can be said that in addition to the technical requirements, a large part of sound work is also emotional, which largely requires you to use your own sensibility and understanding to create. I've been particularly interested in human behavior since I was a child, and I like to observe each person's different actions, words, expressions, and the meanings behind them, so I enjoy thinking about these things. Because every project I've worked on is very unique, I enjoy immersing myself in these stories, and sound production is one way I express myself in these stories. At the same time, the sound is actually more free than other aspects, because it is less specific, and I can use my imagination to do whatever you want under reasonable premise. And I enjoy working with different directors or artists in other positions, and when you work together, you often create interesting things through inspiration, which is actually very attractive to me.
Media: Mr. Xu has worked closely with many well-known Hollywood film and television artists, what have they cooperated with, and what are your unforgettable experiences?
Xu Shiheng: I've always worked closely with Nathan Ruyle, the founder and remixer of This is Sound Design, and almost all of Nathan's films have won some places at top american film festivals. Nathan was actually my first master, and what I remember most is that he was particularly familiar with today's technology. Most of Hollywood's sound directors and mixers are older, unfamiliar with and somewhat resistant to new technologies and ways of working. But Nathan was one of the few mixers I'd ever seen to be at the forefront of the times, and now the Avid S6 mixer is standard in professional mixing rooms, and Nathan was one of the first mixers to start using it. He also knows and bought the most plug-ins, so I also benefit a lot from audio knowledge.
I worked with American Academy member and mixer Derek Vanderhorst on the short film Innocent Goodbye. Derek started making sounds in the '90s, and he was one of the first people to start using a sound digital workstation. He is very experienced, has a very good intuition, and just by looking at the pictures and stories, he already knows very well what the film needs. In addition to his skill, Derek is also a very humorous and casual person, often telling me about his past in Fox remixes, and how he used to switch from band to post-sound. He made me realize the importance of temperament, sometimes even more important than the knowledge reserve of voice. He explained to me that his popularity is also very good because of his easy-going nature, and his popularity has brought many unprecedented opportunities for cooperation.
I've also recently worked with a company called Brud, the transmedia studio behind Lil Miquela. Lil Miquela, in fact, is a virtual avatar, known as the first CGI fashion Icon in history. I'm honored to work with Brud on Lil Miquela's latest MV, Hard Feelings. This process is also very special, to make it out of thin air with CG to match the picture with sound. At this time, there is a lot of room to play, so it is also very challenging, but my favorite part is also to be able to work with a new generation of artists at the forefront of technology and art.
Media: What do you think is your sound editing and mixing style?
Xu Shiheng: Every project I am involved in is actually very different in style, content, and genre, so the script and video genre have a great influence on my style every time, and I think the sound style of each film should be in line with the temperament of the film itself. Either project, I try to fully understand the background of the story, the narrative of the story itself, the transformation of the characters, and all the other dramatic story underpinnings. Because the story drives everything, including the style of the voice, it has a decisive influence on the principles and standards of sound I make every time. I feel that if it is not fully studied, neither sound editing nor mixing is soulless.
At the same time, I want to create a different sound space for each project, so I feel it in my head and have a lot of imagination in advance for each movie. Because I think the space created by sound is particularly important, it can make the audience more involved in the story. There will also be focus in the space of sound, and by mixing and editing to change the focus of sound, I can control the audience's experience when watching the film and thus attract the audience's attention, selectively presenting messages with emotion. Sound workers often deliberately use sound to divert the audience's attention, but sometimes sound is also invisible. I will constantly immerse the audience in the story through the sound of "zoom" and let them shift their attention to different narrative points.
Media: As a veteran sound editing mixing teacher, what do you have to say to post-wave sound lovers and practitioners?
Xu Shiheng: I think that as a sound worker, or even a filmmaker, reading is a very important basic quality. Because in the process of our work, as a creator, you must have your own ideas and understanding of the film, and only if you have a deep enough understanding of the film and a certain understanding of the film genre, history, genre, and style can you begin to have your own creative view. At the same time, your communication with the director or the producer will be smoother, because you can constantly find a feeling that is closest to each other's ideas by discussing other films, and it is actually difficult to describe a sound when you describe it in words, but when you use the film as an example, it will be very easy for others to understand. In addition, the sense of music is also crucial for sound workers, many Hollywood mixers will play music by themselves, although this does not mean that you must have much musical knowledge to engage in sound post-production work, but sound editing and mixing is actually integrated with making music, rhythm and melody for film and television sound is also the top priority, and these will require you to have a good sense of music. Another point is that practice is very important. If you do not apply theoretical knowledge to practice is also useless, it is very important to do some sound clips every day and practice different projects, and you must have practical experience to understand what different processing methods to apply in different situations. Of course, mistakes can be made while practicing, and this is often the best opportunity to learn.