Sound is a critical element of film and video storytelling. Location sound, dialogue, narration, music, and sound effects all contribute to the impact of a production. And yet the importance of sound is often overlooked until an emergency arises, usually in the edit room. We think that can change. Cheryl and I are fervent believers in preparation being an important part of the creative process in our work in short- and long-form nonfiction. It is our hope that Nonfiction Sound and Story for Film and Video offers you a guide to better storytelling through sound. This book offers our perspective as two experienced content creators. We are proud to be part of a global community of nonfiction filmmakers who create millions of pieces of short- and long-form content every year for broadcast, cable, YouTube, museums and exhibitions, live events, and websites.

We’ll take this opportunity to introduce ourselves and how we came to this moment of sharing our sound and story journey with you. Cheryl is a sound designer and rerecording mixer who owns a well-regarded audio studio in the Washington, D.C. area, where she does sound design and mixing for nonfiction projects designed for every distribution platform, from broadcast and mobile to immersive installations. As a double music major at Auburn University, Cheryl started out as a composition major and then discovered audio engineering as the means to marry her scores to picture. That was the moment she realized sound design was her destiny. She got her break in the machine room of a major D.C. area post-production facility, then spent four years in New York City working on national spots. She moved back to Washington, D.C. to raise a family and there opened her own audio studio in 2006. Ott House Audio is now one of the premiere audio mixing and mastering studios in the mid-Atlantic region. Cheryl has mixed projects for PBS, National Geographic, Smithsonian Channel, TV One, and the Discovery Channel, as well as many productions for Dolby Atmos® delivery. She is very much a pioneer, being the first to implement the tools for the Dolby Atmos® Near Field Home Theater Renderer. Cheryl has been on the leading edge of the 360 and VR revolution, mastering the latest audio formats from tetrahedral, binaural, and ambisonic sources. Never to be tied to one medium, Cheryl has also worked on interactive film and unique installations for museums across the United States.

Amy is a seasoned nonfiction producer/director who specializes in biographical and social impact storytelling. Amy is a violinist, singer, and choral director, and has been called a “professional caliber musician” by many in the performance field. She began her musical education in elementary school, where she was trained in the Carl Orff method and soon began violin lessons. She continues to play violin today, and is currently the co-concert master of the NIH Philharmonia, a highly regarded civic orchestra performing an ambitious annual five-concert season. Amy got her B.A. from Yale University, where she majored in English while continuing her music studies, performing in instrumental ensembles such as the Yale Symphony Orchestra as well as singing jazz with one of Yale’s acclaimed a cappella groups. She continues to perform a cappella and also directs a children’s choir at her church. Amy discovered her love of nonfiction storytelling on an early job with a broadcast production company and then learned the ropes on a variety of commercials, documentaries, and Hollywood feature films. While working as a production assistant in the location department on JFK (1991), and with the art departments of Forrest Gump (1994), Nixon (1995), People vs Larry Flynt (1996), and Primary Colors (1998), she delved into historical records, reinforcing her love of nonfiction subjects and archival sources, including sound. Meanwhile, she used her writing skills to break into nonfiction scriptwriting, which soon led to directing and producing work. Amy ran an award-winning production company in the Washington, D.C. area for 15 years. After the birth of her second child, she launched her current media business, DeLouise Enterprises LLC, which produces multi-platform videos and provides video production workshops and consulting. Amy continues to use her music skills in every production she directs, with a focus on the importance of layered sound storytelling, sound design, and music scoring.

In researching our project, we found that most of the books now in the market address two areas: sound design for fiction/narrative film and techniques and tools for field sound recording, primarily geared towards those interested in working as audio professionals in Hollywood or on indie narrative films. There is a gap we intend to fill with this book: for documentarians and other nonfiction producers who want to make a greater impact using sound as part of their creative storytelling palette. Our goal, quite simply, is that Sound & Story becomes a real-world tool for producers and filmmakers needing a boost to their creative thinking about how sound informs story. We also offer practical strategies on how to build soundscapes, improve sound workflow from field to post, manage audio rights, and step into the world of immersive sound. We have included many stories from the field, tips at the end of every chapter to keep you focused, and interviews with experts across the industry. And we have designed some sound samples for you to hear on the website. We hope Nonfiction Sound and Story will become your handy pocket guide as you explore the ever-expanding universe of nonfiction storytelling and harness the power of sound in bringing your stories to life.