Sound Op (FX)

Again, this job seems very straightforward but there is more behind-the-scenes work than most people think. Sound design is usually forgotten, but when you want the audience to think that a train is passing into a station, stopping to collect passengers and then carrying on into the distance there needs to be some prior thought. Where should you put speakers? How can you get the signal to them? What sounds can you use to depict this situation? How can you make the sound appear to come from different places at different times? The designer is responsible for planning all of these things; he is usually also the operator, but not always.

The FX op is, just like the LX op, responsible for making sure everything happens at the right time on the night, whether cued by the SM or not. When working on musicals, the FX must also be competent in setting-up and running radio microphones (which are naturally prone to causing all sorts of problems!) There’s nothing more satisfying than getting that gunshot effect just as he pulls the trigger.

- Ben Ainsley

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