The Work That Made Me: Hannah Webster
Hannah Webster is a freelance sound designer specialising in short form content. Alongside sound design and mix for short films, she deeply enjoys crafting foley soundscapes and conducting voiceover recordings. Picking up accolades early in her career, Hannah was shortlisted for a Young Arrow in 2023 and prior to that her and her work were showcased at the 2022 APA awards. This year she is a guest lecturer at String and Tins' 2024 No Fixed Mix programme - an important initiative creating accessibility to the industry for young female sound designers.
Today, she shares with LBB the work that has inspired her since she first cut her teeth in the industry, through to the projects that are shaping her career thusfar...
LBB> The ad/music video from my childhood that stays with me…
Hannah> I love early 2000's ads. They were wacky and memorable and I always hope that the advertising space might return to that goofy era. A couple of ads that I always come back to are the Fruit Winder and the Crusher ads. They were such a joy. I really miss that irreverent, zany commercial - they're the ones I never forget.
LBB> The ad/music video/game/web platform that made me want to get into the industry…
Hannah> When I was at uni, one of my modules involved studying parts of the film craft behind the scenes on 'The Lord Of The Rings' and it was only then I was made aware that a career in sound design even existed. That film was immense and it was the moment I knew I wanted to get into sound design.
Not long after, I was lucky enough to get a day's work experience over at the in-house audio studio at Grey London. This is where I was first introduced to short form advertising. It was the fast pace and the different creative challenges that seemed to emerge from every project that confirmed short form would be for me. I did have a brief fling with the idea of getting into game audio, but then a twist of fate saw me get a runner position at UNIT and it was there I really fell in love with this industry.
LBB> My first professional project…
Hannah> When I was still assisting, one of the guys I worked with in MCR asked if I could do the sound on a project for one of his friends who had won a competition. This guy had been given the opportunity to create an ad that would go on the Australian DVD release of 'Get Hard'. I was still very fresh to the industry at this stage but it taught me a lot about how to manage a project. I still keep it on my Vimeo page... mainly to remind myself how far I've come!
LBB> The piece of work (ad/music video/ platform…) that made me so angry that I vowed to never make anything like *that*…
Hannah> I mean, I could go political but let's not go there...
If I had to choose, campaigns like Kony 2012 made me VERY wary about the role communications and media can wield in promoting the untrue. It didn't make me angry necessarily but on reflection that was an insane time to be alive. I think it really highlights how you can 'white knight' a cause with the power of a ‘good’ advert. If it taught us anything, it was to know who and what you're working for.
LBB> The piece of work (ad/music video/ platform…) that still makes me jealous…
Hannah> An ad I'm always so jealous of is Vue Cinema’s 2015 intro. Anytime I went to Vue, I would always make sure I was sat down way before it played. It still gives me goosebumps whenever I hear it. Especially the speaker beads section. Phwoar!
LBB> The creative project that changed my career…
Hannah> I think it was the Bloody Good Period project I did with Mother. It was the first really big project that was mine. Plus it was a great cause, the animation was amazing and I did both the mix and sound design. I felt truly in my element sat in session with all the clients on this one.
Not only that, I’m so proud of how it came out. I worked on this just before Covid hit, so it didn’t see the light of day for a while but when it was finally released, I was so chuffed. It won some great awards and was shown at the APA showcase in 2022. I really felt that this piece was a pivot in how I saw myself in this role.
LBB> The work that I’m proudest of…
Hannah> I still am also proud of the ad I did for St Mungo's. This was the ad which got me shortlisted for a Young Arrow in 2023. I still see reruns and reversions of it when I am at my parents' house and they've got daytime TV on. I loved working with everyone on the project and I remember showing my head of department, Jamie at the time. I really felt like I did him proud on that one - I put a lot of effort into the soundscape, layering emotion into the piece.
LBB> I was involved in this and it makes me cringe…
Hannah> It was my first short film, I was assisting at the time and a mate of mine came along asking if I could mix his short film. He said he would give me £100 (At the time I thought that was brilliant and said yes haha!). Turns out, it was a 60-minute film that he wrote, directed, starred in and also edited. Despite flagging it was an extremely long short, I really wanted the experience and he got me on a technicality (and that £100 offer) that it actually was just under 60 minutes, so therefore a short.
I remember there was one particular scene they had shot in a bar, which was situated under a rail road track. They thought I could clean up the deafening sounds of the train going overhead when they recorded dialogue. But of course, with the budget, there was no chance of getting the actors back in for ADR and there were a lot more mishaps along the way! When I went to the screening, I watched the first five minutes and left because I was so cringed out and over critical of what I had done, I couldn’t bear to watch it through!
But, he was very happy with how it turned out and that was the most important thing (and I did get that £100 in the end).
LBB> The recent project I was involved in that excited me the most…
Hannah> I’ve just finished off a short film called 'Embers'. It’s unlike any horror or documentary work I've ever done. This was a proper fantasy-esque short where I could really get my chops into the 5.1 mix and build up the sound design. I’m excited to see it out there in the wild soon!
