Mr death and the redheaded woman
Radio Drama
(2025)
An excerpt from the final sound design, dialogue mix, and ambience created for the student-produced radio drama.
Project Information
Project overview
Mr. Death and the Redheaded Woman is a student-produced Western-themed radio drama with surreal and emotional undertones. I collaborated with a small team to design and produce the complete audio experience, including original sound effects, ambience construction, and detailed dialogue editing and mixing.
The project required a careful balance of realistic Western environments with dreamlike tonal elements, supporting the shifting mood and pacing of the narrative.
My Role
Sound Designer, Dialogue Editor, and Mixing Engineer
Responsibilities
Created and implemented custom sound effects, ambient textures, and narrative transitions
Recorded, edited, and mixed dialogue to fit the surreal pacing and tone of the script
Layered Foley and atmospheric elements to enhance emotional and storytelling impact
Mixed and mastered the full production for clarity, spatial depth, and dynamic balance
Collaborated closely with peers to align sound design with story themes and visual cues
Prepared final audio assets optimized for streaming and broadcast playback
Creative Approach
My approach focused on building a cohesive audio environment that blended grounded Western realism with surreal, dreamlike sonic elements. Dialogue required careful editing and tonal shaping to match the emotional rhythm of the script, while ambience and Foley were layered to reinforce shifts between grounded moments and more abstract scenes.
Environmental textures, resonance, and subtle musical undertones helped guide listener focus, shaping the narrative’s pacing and emotional transitions. The goal was to create an immersive, expressive audio world that supported the drama’s unique storytelling style.
Result and Reflection
Working on a dialogue-driven project emphasized the importance of pacing, spatial mixing, and narrative clarity. The experience strengthened my ability to sculpt emotional tone using ambience, transitions, and subtle effects while maintaining transparency around the spoken performances.
Collaborating with a small team also improved my communication skills, feedback handling, and ability to integrate my sound design into a shared creative vision. The project deepened my understanding of dialogue editing, scene-to-scene continuity, and mixing for long-form audio storytelling.
Behind the Scenes
SESSION LAYOUT
Organization of dialogue, ambience, Foley, and narrative elements within the project timeline.
Mixing and Processing
Final mix view featuring EQ shaping, dynamic control, de-essing, multiband balancing, and transparent limiting.
