June 15, 2026
Emmy Award winner James David Redding III has spent over two decades cutting sound for film and television. His credits include The Queen’s Gambit, The Americans, Carol, The Patient, and Mr. & Mrs Smith.
He made time to create a real-time video of himself creating the sounds for a fight sequence. He starts with a mute swordfight sequence and a Pro Tools session. What you see is every decision made in real time, from the first ambience drop to the final mix.
You’ll hear him talk through search logic, layering strategy, and how to make a fight feel grounded in a real environment rather than assembled from a folder of impacts. He finishes by running the scene’s background music through Enrage to place it convincingly inside a club PA system.
It’s a great watch to see how a fellow SFX designer works.
