Chris Southwell is senior sound designer at London-based music and sound house Jungle Studios. He also holds the role of creative director at sister company The Attic, a sound design studio based on the terrace level of Jungle Studios’ building in London, servicing commercials, showreels, corporate films, social content and more.

Southwell began his career at Jungle as a runner, working his way up to engineer. He then moved to Unit, where he helped to build its audio department, becoming head of audio and working on projects spanning TV, broadcast and long form.

Now at Jungle once again, Southwell aims to keep pushing the company forward, looking at new avenues within the ever-changing sound world.

Let’s talk about what your job entails.
I work on multiple campaigns on a daily basis, ensuring every job is delivered with the same care and detail, however big or small. I also oversee the day-to-day running of Jungle’s new arm, The Attic.

What would surprise people the most about what falls under that title?
As a sound designer for advertising/broadcast, you can cover many roles within the audio field. Sound effects layups, casting and directing VO records, creating music arrangements, dialogue cleanups, ADR, etc. Many of these roles would be carried out by individuals in other areas of audio post. I like to think we’re a one-stop shop of all disciplines.

What’s your favorite part of the job?
No campaign or job is ever the same. You can be repairing and redesigning sound for a film within a promo in the morning, then managing a VO record with lots of script variations and edits in the afternoon. It’s the high-pressured environment that keeps you on your toes — I love it!

Talksport

What your least favorite?
Poorly recorded dialogue from locations. It’s not always possible to clean up these aspects, and sometimes we’re not able to re-record actors. I always try to do as much clean-up as possible, but some audio is unsalvageable. It can really impact the final deliverable.

What is your most productive time of the day?
Not sure I have one, due to the nature of the job. Each day is different, and you never know what’s going to be thrown your way next.

How did the COVID shutdown affect the way your studio has been working?
For an audio facility, it was a steep learning curve to carry on working to the same level we achieve within the studio. We can work on a wide array of jobs within a day that require a quick turnaround. Systems were put in place prior to the lockdown to replicate the same working environment to deliver jobs.

Also, we gave advice to those doing voiceover recordings from home setups. We invested in sound proofing and equipment to replicate studio conditions. It was impressive how people came together and helped one another.

Do you see some of these workflow changes remaining with us going forward?
These systems have stayed in place and changed the landscape of the industry forever. It gives employees, clients, etc. the flexibility to work remotely or within the studio.

However, it’s always nice to work with people in person. It’s the best part of what we do, to be able to collaborate and bounce ideas. It’s when the magic happens.

If you didn’t have this job, what would you be doing instead?
I would be a chef or making food in some way, shape or form. It’s my other passion in life.

Specsavers

Why did you choose this profession?
I was lucky enough to get a work experience placement at Jungle while in university. I spent two weeks running here and fell in love with it straight away. The buzz of the industry, I still love it. I haven’t looked back.

Can you name some recent projects you have worked on?

• A Talksport TV campaign for Pulse Creative involving football keepie uppies around the office. There was a nice use of Foley within this film.
• One of Specsavers latest campaigns and the relaunch of “Should’ve gone to Specsavers” celebrating 20 years of the famous slogan.
• A short film for Kinosy Films called Incubus, currently playing at many horror film festivals around the world and picking up multiple awards. 

Name three pieces of technology you can’t live without.
My Sony MDR noise-cancelling headphones. They are they’re awesome. The audio plugins iZotope RX 10 Advanced and Soundtoys 5. I use them all the time for sound restoration and sound design.

What social media channels do you follow?
I use LinkedIn to keep updated with all things work-related, and Instagram for my social life. However, I need to get better at posting pics.

What do you do to de-stress from it all?
Cooking and being with my family. They keep me grounded and provide a release from daily stresses.

Finally, would you have done anything different along your path? Any tips for others who are just starting out?
I genuinely wouldn’t change anything. There have been many ups and downs throughout my career so far, but there have also been important learning curves.

I would say to anyone starting out: Work hard, always have passion and always treat others the way you’d like to be treated yourself. You will have good and bad times — keep focused and don’t let your standards slip.

I read a quote years ago: “Life is a marathon and not a sprint.” This has stuck with me, and it’s so true.