A sound supervisor, also known as the supervising sound editor, is an audio professional who works in theater, television, or movie production. Many audio processing tasks must be performed before a film is complete and ready to be released. These tasks are typically coordinated by a sound supervisor, who manages the sound staff needed to complete the audio for a film project. A person working in this position is mainly responsible for organizing and managing the way sound is handled in post-production. In some cases, a sound supervisor might also work on-set during shooting.
Sound supervisors need to be able to produce audio, manage people, and coordinate scheduling. This job requires knowledge and skill in sound recording and processing as well as management and organization skills. Sound supervisors are responsible for making sure the audio for a film is created, edited, and processed correctly and efficiently. A sound supervisor would be responsible for assigning audio editing tasks to the members of his editing team.
Common members of an audio editing team include recording engineers, sound designers, and sound editors. The sound supervisor is also responsible for scheduling the tasks needed to prepare the audio for its television or film release. Sometimes, a supervising sound editor also hires the audio staff that will be working on sound for the project.
Part of a sound supervisor's job is to make sure that the right sound worker is scheduled to work on tasks required to prepare sound for movies and film. When sound effects need to be found or created, he would most likely schedule the sound designer. A sound editor should be on hand to synchronize and adjust recorded sounds so they sound good and fit in with the movie. This includes making dialogue line up with the actor's moving lips. When sound needs to be recorded or re-recorded, it often involves a recording engineer in addition to a sound editor.
The sound supervisor mostly works on audio after a movie or television show has been recorded. Sometimes, a sound supervisor will also be present on the set of a movie or film to make sure that the sound is recorded properly. This can help ensure that errors in sound recording during production do not cause problems for the audio team during post production editing. Problems that can occur during recording that might negatively affect post production audio editing include audio interference, unintelligible dialogue, or incorrectly placed microphones.