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Balancing creative vision with the practical demands of leading teams and shaping entire soundscapes, Lucien’s work spans everything from dialogue through to final mix.
In this conversation, he reflects on his approach to the craft, the challenges facing sound teams today, and why sound deserves a seat at the table from the very start of any production…
MASA: What first drew you to sound and how did you find your way into supervising sound editing as a career?
LUCIEN: I started in music as a little kid. But in my mid-twenties, I made the jump from music to post production as a Sound FX Editor. Over the years I fell into many roles, including Dialog Editor, ADR and Voiceover Recordist, and finally Re-Recording Mixer. I became a Supervising Sound Editor almost accidentally. I built a dub stage in Los Angeles, Toolshed Audio Post. As I brought in shows, I became the one to handle all the work, from sound design to scheduling; hiring editors, booking ADR, etc. I still thought of myself as a Re-Recording Mixer. But after a few years, before I realized my editors were calling me a Supervising Sound Editor, I had become one without realizing it! What started as necessity turned into something I really enjoy.
MASA: For those who may not know the specifics, what does your role as a supervising sound editor involve across a typical project?
LUCIEN: A Sound Supervisor is as much an administrative role as a creative one. It starts in early talks to a Director or Show Runner. Initially we discuss creative intentions and show budget. The next step is choosing and hiring the right crew to execute the creative plan. Then the work starts: Dialog Editing, Sound Effects, Foley, ADR sessions, spotting with the Composer and Music Editor. Finally, mixing, notes, more notes, final mix, and deliverables. Then for independent films, I often continue to stay involved with the festivals and screenings.
MASA: Can you talk us through a recent project that was particularly interesting from a sound point of view and what made it stand out for you?
LUCIEN: One of our recent documentary features, Summer 2000: the X-Cite Story, won the Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature at SXSW 2026. It had a unique and challenging score, so I took on the Music Editing duties. It was a story about teenage girls that wrote and recorded an album in their living room during the summer of 2000. The filmmakers wanted the entire score to be the original material they recorded back then. There were some mono stems available, but for others were old VHS recordings. I used an AI stem separation tool to dig into the layers, and we were able to recut new arrangements to fit the needs of the film. Only one music cue was from a library, and we had to ‘dirty’ it up with cassette deck emulation so it fit with the rest of the 25+ year old recordings. The whole film was a ton of fun and I can’t wait for the world to see it.
MASA: When you begin a new film where do you like to start in terms of shaping the overall sound world?
LUCIEN: I always start with the Dialog. Dialog is king. Then we move into world-building; background FX and textures to build on the seen and unseen. I feel that creates the ‘baseline’ that music and sound design will interplay with. As a Re-Recording Mixer, I prefer to do that before even listening to the music and sound design. Unfortunately, we’re sometimes in too much of a rush to have that luxury!
MASA: What do you see as the biggest challenges currently facing sound teams and where do you think the most meaningful improvements or solutions are needed?
LUCIEN: The biggest challenge by far is not having a single person responsible for sound involved in a film or series from day one. I am a huge proponent of the movement to bring back the role of Director of Sound. George Lucas said, “Sound and music are 50% of the entertainment in a movie.”, but unfortunately, it’s sometimes treated as an afterthought, and we’re left to ‘fix it in post’. Sound Recordists during production aren’t often given enough clout to make important decisions for the sound. There are so many issues involving Sound that could be improved if only there was someone there from the first table read. I always encourage filmmakers to send me scripts before they shoot. Unfortunately, it doesn’t happen often enough. Newer generations of filmmakers are being required to take courses on sound in college, so I’m hopeful that continues as a positive trend towards awareness of the importance of sound.
MASA: When you’re judging the Music+Sound Awards, what will you be listening for, and what, in your view, makes a piece of work truly award-worthy in sound?
LUCIEN: I am a huge fan of texture and world-building. Anyone can make a gun shot or explosion sound good, but immersing the audience in a carefully crafted soundscape and transporting them to a different world – that’s a skill. Sound should be felt, not always heard. I love the use of subtle textures to subconsciously change the mood of a scene. I think an excellent example of world-building was ‘Adolescence’, the 2025 MASA winner for Best Sound Design in a Series. James Drake and his team did a masterful job at enhancing the feel of the “oner” continuous shot. Sound was a huge part of the success of that show and highly deserving of last year’s award. I can’t wait to hear what the 2026 entrants have to offer!
MASA: Thank you so much for your time, Lucien, and for being part of this year’s jury. Your insights are really thought-provoking. Here’s hoping the industry does indeed move more towards involving sound at the earliest stages of the creative process. We’re very excited to have you on board and can’t wait to see what work stands out to you this year!
MASA: What first drew you to sound and how did you find your way into supervising sound editing as a career?
LUCIEN: I started in music as a little kid. But in my mid-twenties, I made the jump from music to post production as a Sound FX Editor. Over the years I fell into many roles, including Dialog Editor, ADR and Voiceover Recordist, and finally Re-Recording Mixer. I became a Supervising Sound Editor almost accidentally. I built a dub stage in Los Angeles, Toolshed Audio Post. As I brought in shows, I became the one to handle all the work, from sound design to scheduling; hiring editors, booking ADR, etc. I still thought of myself as a Re-Recording Mixer. But after a few years, before I realized my editors were calling me a Supervising Sound Editor, I had become one without realizing it! What started as necessity turned into something I really enjoy.
MASA: For those who may not know the specifics, what does your role as a supervising sound editor involve across a typical project?
LUCIEN: A Sound Supervisor is as much an administrative role as a creative one. It starts in early talks to a Director or Show Runner. Initially we discuss creative intentions and show budget. The next step is choosing and hiring the right crew to execute the creative plan. Then the work starts: Dialog Editing, Sound Effects, Foley, ADR sessions, spotting with the Composer and Music Editor. Finally, mixing, notes, more notes, final mix, and deliverables. Then for independent films, I often continue to stay involved with the festivals and screenings.
MASA: Can you talk us through a recent project that was particularly interesting from a sound point of view and what made it stand out for you?
LUCIEN: One of our recent documentary features, Summer 2000: the X-Cite Story, won the Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature at SXSW 2026. It had a unique and challenging score, so I took on the Music Editing duties. It was a story about teenage girls that wrote and recorded an album in their living room during the summer of 2000. The filmmakers wanted the entire score to be the original material they recorded back then. There were some mono stems available, but for others were old VHS recordings. I used an AI stem separation tool to dig into the layers, and we were able to recut new arrangements to fit the needs of the film. Only one music cue was from a library, and we had to ‘dirty’ it up with cassette deck emulation so it fit with the rest of the 25+ year old recordings. The whole film was a ton of fun and I can’t wait for the world to see it.
MASA: When you begin a new film where do you like to start in terms of shaping the overall sound world?
LUCIEN: I always start with the Dialog. Dialog is king. Then we move into world-building; background FX and textures to build on the seen and unseen. I feel that creates the ‘baseline’ that music and sound design will interplay with. As a Re-Recording Mixer, I prefer to do that before even listening to the music and sound design. Unfortunately, we’re sometimes in too much of a rush to have that luxury!
MASA: What do you see as the biggest challenges currently facing sound teams and where do you think the most meaningful improvements or solutions are needed?
LUCIEN: The biggest challenge by far is not having a single person responsible for sound involved in a film or series from day one. I am a huge proponent of the movement to bring back the role of Director of Sound. George Lucas said, “Sound and music are 50% of the entertainment in a movie.”, but unfortunately, it’s sometimes treated as an afterthought, and we’re left to ‘fix it in post’. Sound Recordists during production aren’t often given enough clout to make important decisions for the sound. There are so many issues involving Sound that could be improved if only there was someone there from the first table read. I always encourage filmmakers to send me scripts before they shoot. Unfortunately, it doesn’t happen often enough. Newer generations of filmmakers are being required to take courses on sound in college, so I’m hopeful that continues as a positive trend towards awareness of the importance of sound.
MASA: When you’re judging the Music+Sound Awards, what will you be listening for, and what, in your view, makes a piece of work truly award-worthy in sound?
LUCIEN: I am a huge fan of texture and world-building. Anyone can make a gun shot or explosion sound good, but immersing the audience in a carefully crafted soundscape and transporting them to a different world – that’s a skill. Sound should be felt, not always heard. I love the use of subtle textures to subconsciously change the mood of a scene. I think an excellent example of world-building was ‘Adolescence’, the 2025 MASA winner for Best Sound Design in a Series. James Drake and his team did a masterful job at enhancing the feel of the “oner” continuous shot. Sound was a huge part of the success of that show and highly deserving of last year’s award. I can’t wait to hear what the 2026 entrants have to offer!
MASA: Thank you so much for your time, Lucien, and for being part of this year’s jury. Your insights are really thought-provoking. Here’s hoping the industry does indeed move more towards involving sound at the earliest stages of the creative process. We’re very excited to have you on board and can’t wait to see what work stands out to you this year!
MASA: What first drew you to sound and how did you find your way into supervising sound editing as a career?
LUCIEN: I started in music as a little kid. But in my mid-twenties, I made the jump from music to post production as a Sound FX Editor. Over the years I fell into many roles, including Dialog Editor, ADR and Voiceover Recordist, and finally Re-Recording Mixer. I became a Supervising Sound Editor almost accidentally. I built a dub stage in Los Angeles, Toolshed Audio Post. As I brought in shows, I became the one to handle all the work, from sound design to scheduling; hiring editors, booking ADR, etc. I still thought of myself as a Re-Recording Mixer. But after a few years, before I realized my editors were calling me a Supervising Sound Editor, I had become one without realizing it! What started as necessity turned into something I really enjoy.
MASA: For those who may not know the specifics, what does your role as a supervising sound editor involve across a typical project?
LUCIEN: A Sound Supervisor is as much an administrative role as a creative one. It starts in early talks to a Director or Show Runner. Initially we discuss creative intentions and show budget. The next step is choosing and hiring the right crew to execute the creative plan. Then the work starts: Dialog Editing, Sound Effects, Foley, ADR sessions, spotting with the Composer and Music Editor. Finally, mixing, notes, more notes, final mix, and deliverables. Then for independent films, I often continue to stay involved with the festivals and screenings.
MASA: Can you talk us through a recent project that was particularly interesting from a sound point of view and what made it stand out for you?
LUCIEN: One of our recent documentary features, Summer 2000: the X-Cite Story, won the Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature at SXSW 2026. It had a unique and challenging score, so I took on the Music Editing duties. It was a story about teenage girls that wrote and recorded an album in their living room during the summer of 2000. The filmmakers wanted the entire score to be the original material they recorded back then. There were some mono stems available, but for others were old VHS recordings. I used an AI stem separation tool to dig into the layers, and we were able to recut new arrangements to fit the needs of the film. Only one music cue was from a library, and we had to ‘dirty’ it up with cassette deck emulation so it fit with the rest of the 25+ year old recordings. The whole film was a ton of fun and I can’t wait for the world to see it.
MASA: When you begin a new film where do you like to start in terms of shaping the overall sound world?
LUCIEN: I always start with the Dialog. Dialog is king. Then we move into world-building; background FX and textures to build on the seen and unseen. I feel that creates the ‘baseline’ that music and sound design will interplay with. As a Re-Recording Mixer, I prefer to do that before even listening to the music and sound design. Unfortunately, we’re sometimes in too much of a rush to have that luxury!
MASA: What do you see as the biggest challenges currently facing sound teams and where do you think the most meaningful improvements or solutions are needed?
LUCIEN: The biggest challenge by far is not having a single person responsible for sound involved in a film or series from day one. I am a huge proponent of the movement to bring back the role of Director of Sound. George Lucas said, “Sound and music are 50% of the entertainment in a movie.”, but unfortunately, it’s sometimes treated as an afterthought, and we’re left to ‘fix it in post’. Sound Recordists during production aren’t often given enough clout to make important decisions for the sound. There are so many issues involving Sound that could be improved if only there was someone there from the first table read. I always encourage filmmakers to send me scripts before they shoot. Unfortunately, it doesn’t happen often enough. Newer generations of filmmakers are being required to take courses on sound in college, so I’m hopeful that continues as a positive trend towards awareness of the importance of sound.
MASA: When you’re judging the Music+Sound Awards, what will you be listening for, and what, in your view, makes a piece of work truly award-worthy in sound?
LUCIEN: I am a huge fan of texture and world-building. Anyone can make a gun shot or explosion sound good, but immersing the audience in a carefully crafted soundscape and transporting them to a different world – that’s a skill. Sound should be felt, not always heard. I love the use of subtle textures to subconsciously change the mood of a scene. I think an excellent example of world-building was ‘Adolescence’, the 2025 MASA winner for Best Sound Design in a Series. James Drake and his team did a masterful job at enhancing the feel of the “oner” continuous shot. Sound was a huge part of the success of that show and highly deserving of last year’s award. I can’t wait to hear what the 2026 entrants have to offer!
MASA: Thank you so much for your time, Lucien, and for being part of this year’s jury. Your insights are really thought-provoking. Here’s hoping the industry does indeed move more towards involving sound at the earliest stages of the creative process. We’re very excited to have you on board and can’t wait to see what work stands out to you this year!