Mac Smith

Randy Thom: Designing A Movie For Sound | A Sound Effect Here's Academy award-winning sound designer Randy Thom's insightful plea for sound to be taken as seriously as visuals in film storytelling:

my thoughts were about starting to think about sound as a storytelling device from the 1st concept, writing & planning stages of a project. This essay from Randy Thom entitled "Designing a Movie For Sound" brings all these thoughts together. (2/2) www.asoundeffect.com/designing-a-...

I recently posted about how within the film industry, sound is primarily treated as an afterthought. This statement resonated with people, but many misunderstood the message. While capturing the best production sound on set and/or location is very important... (1/2)

YouTube video by Auteur Cinema How Eraserhead Changed Sound Forever

Here’s an interesting video essay “How Eraserhead Changed Sound Forever. The great Alan Splet was a sonic master & one of David Lynch’s great friends

youtu.be/euB80Y4W7F0

You are a rare breed

Sound is typically an afterthought because it’s misunderstood. It’s one of the most powerful tools in storytelling. It’s never too early to think about it. Make room at the table for your sound collaborators in pre production.

👇from Oscar winning sound designer, Randy Thom

YouTube video by Netflix The Plastic Detox | Official Trailer | Netflix

I’m the proud sound designer & supervising sound editor for this important documentary. The Plastics Detox is really eye opening. A big thanks to re-recording mixer Chris Barnett & the rest of my Skywalker Sound team for their excellent contributions youtu.be/Esd8PEWlt9w?...

I love slowing down sound recordings. They can become something so completely different & mesmerizing

But how well does this work as far as exporting sessions to other collaborators like a post sound team? Premiere still isn’t as good as exporting to Pro Tools as Avid, so I wonder how alternate options like this would work

It is bonkers… in all the best ways possible

Pretty crazy that not one, not two, but THREE movies that I sound designed are playing at #SXSW2026

Pizza Movie, Rock Springs, and Buddy

That’s a nickname. It’s called the Fitness Center

Thank you Kyle

Sonic Storytelling: Go Beyond the Gates of Skywalker Ranch to the Heart of Skywalker Sound Hidden among rolling hills and redwoods, George Lucas’s visionary retreat redefines what filmmaking can be: a creative refuge where words…

Here’s a peek behind the gates of Skywalker Ranch & Skywalker Sound; my work home for the past 25 & a 1/2 years. I do not take it for granted that I get to be creative in a truly magical place

medium.com/@SkywalkerSo...

I’m the proud sound designer of ROCK SPRINGS. This was a creatively challenging story for sound. It’s a delicate ghost story with many sparse moments. Jeff King was my sonic partner & he built an incredible sound mix to support the story & the emotion

Here’s an excellent article about the highly creative work that my colleagues did for the film “F1”. It gets under the hood & reveals the details that go into an elaborate sound job. They just received an Oscar nomination

I didn’t work on this film. I’m just cheering for them from the grandstand

Absolutely

Casper Kelly’s film BUDDY premieres tonight at #Sundance. I was the supervising sound editor & sound designer on it. I’m very curious what the initial reactions will be. Let me know if you are checking it out tonight or if you hear anything. Inquiring minds want to know!

Today I heard a great description of film sound:

The image is the body of a movie
The sound is the soul of a movie

❤️🔊

Don’t get me wrong, I love John Williams’ STAR WARS score, but the sound design in Galaxy’s Edge makes it feel real & immersive. The subtle details in the soundscape bring it to life. IMHO, this is a mistake to switch to constant music in Batuu

❤️❤️

Happy 20th anniversary to “HOODWINKED”!

This was one of the 1st animated features that I worked on. I have fond memories of being in the mix stage with a fantastic group of people. The jokes & gags in the film just kept getting funnier & funnier; definitely the sign of a good movie. Great memories

It’s an incredible film. I love how it goes in a completely different direction shortly after it starts

The top 10 films voted by the sound branch showcase 10 minutes of scenes from each film, & the sound teams for each film prepare an intro

It’s that time of year. The Academy sound bake-off at Dolby Labs in San Francisco

Sound Effects Are Emotional Narration ............. why sound design is film's most underused storytelling tool. | Randy Thom Get more from Randy Thom on Patreon

Excellent blog post from my mentor, Randy Thom: How Sound Effects Are Emotional Narration…why sound design is film's most underused storytelling tool www.patreon.com/posts/sound-...

I sure did! HNY!

2025 Year in Review. I feel very fortunate that I was able to contribute to these great projects released during this past year. A big thanks to all my teammates & the clients that we collaborated with. There’s more sonic goodness to come!

Discussing the sound of “IN YOUR DREAMS” was a lot of fun with re-recording mixers Bonnie Wild & Tony Villaflor. This was my first panel in the Stag Theater & director Alex Woo & producer Tim Hahn joined. We talked about the sonic transitions between dreams & reality, creating the sound for “bed”

Well done