Audio Production
Back to LAB main
Meet the Team: Gabriella Scanio
Gabriella Scanio joined SIDE in 2018 as Post-Production Coordinator and has recently been promoted to Head of Post-Production. Her previous experience in sound design and mixing for VR really gave her a leg up in understanding the needs of video game voice production.
Intro to audio production
“My route into the profession was quite straightforward and traditional,” she says. “I went to the University of Hull, where I studied Creative Music Technology, and soon after earned my master’s degree in Applied Sound for Interactive Media at the University of Westminster.”
Gabriella landed her first industry job at Alchemy Immersive as a Technical Runner thanks to her extensive knowledge of sound design, animation, and psychoacoustics (the psychology of sound perception). “Quickly promoted to VR Sound Designer, I found myself working on high-end VR documentaries amongst a truly inspiring development team, which brought in high-profile talent such as Dame Judi Dench, Sir David Attenborough, and Major Tim Peake.”
Becoming a gamer
It was when she began creating 3D spatial audio mixes with a variety of audio content that Gabriella realized she wanted to support the development of conveying storytelling through interactive audio. This brought her attention to game development. Trying many different VR experiences, experimenting with Unreal and Unity, and becoming a gaming influencer on Twitch, she found herself becoming a big gamer with a passion for storytelling.
“As thrilling as all this was, my contract came to an end,” relates Gabriella. “I didn’t want to forget the new skills I had learned, new interests I had made… and before I knew it, a Post-Production Coordinator role at a specialized audio provider for video games drew my attention. I had to apply. I still remember my interview to this day… I was asked if I play games, and I replied with Resident Evil: Biohazard being a favorite at the time. Two weeks later, I had joined SIDE!”
Creating solutions
Gabriella maintains that one of the best things about her working life is that no two days are the same. “Given the various ways in which I deal with urgent requests, resolve matters, facilitate resources, track costs, and manage people… I don’t have a typical workday. It rather depends on which of my hats I have on. The one thing most days do have in common, though, is where I’m finding a solution for something. Relying on ‘innovative thinking’ is very beneficial.”
“I’ve ticked this box. Now, let’s see how it supports my team... can I achieve more?” is a question she always asks. Gabriella finds she often provides herself big tasks. She starts every day mindfully and with a settled intention to work hard but also look after herself. While she does sit at her desk for long hours, she makes sure to take breaks which can involve stretching, grabbing a coffee, and thinking about what lies ahead. “Moving around, whether it’s walking, dancing, or yoga, keeps my mind active and calm when under pressure, which the job can create when last-minute requests pop up.”
Often, her position presents obstacles she has to tackle, and these can be internal or external blocks. “The single biggest challenge I’ve faced when working in game audio is localization,” says Gabriella. “Most of the world do not speak English and thus the content needs to serve those different regions.” For in-game cutscenes, dialogue in other languages needs to sync to the existing English language animations. It’s quite expensive to re-animate to match the timing of the new language. “Many voice actors are highly experienced in dubbing to overcome this and therefore are experts at matching the rhythm and flow of the visuals to the new lines, but close-ups of the face can be difficult.”
Detail-oriented
SIDE's Post team works with engineers to define a suitable workflow before recordings. “Sync-to-Picture usually involves no cropping top and tail in edit, as the engineer would have exported the file with a time stamp embedded into the file,” explains Gabriella. “In Post, we ensure the timecode isn’t shifted in any way while cleaning them up. English recordings are most often used as a timing reference so that the actors can achieve sync.” Given that some languages require more words or syllables to communicate the same line, like German for instance, this is rarely perfect. Thus, an alternative line is recorded to match the original timing reference.
“Another reason why the files need to match the exact length of the English files is so that the overall file size does not differ, which can cause problems during the implementation of audio in a game engine. As a result, in Post, it becomes a challenge to either pad the files with silence or trim as many pauses as possible without affecting the natural flow of the line.”
A history of learning
Gabriella reflects that her favorite projects have been those that challenged her to achieve something new or engaged her in some way:
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga: “SIDE recorded this in seven languages over almost a year. What was most memorable here was the fact we recorded most of this dialogue during the pandemic, while in lockdown. This forced us to find solutions in ways we would’ve never considered before, such as running home recordings. Post-Production had a creative time in cleaning up these recordings, but of course, it’s always best to record in a suitable environment first so that the strain on Post isn’t too high. It was challenging but enjoyable, nonetheless. I even surprised myself as my multi-task abilities flourished, showing how much I could achieve if I stayed focused.”
Jurassic World Evolution (JWE) 2: “I must add this one as it’s become one of my favorite games of all time. I heard SIDE was recording it, so I jumped on it from the start. Following the script during QA was not only enjoyable but also educational; the scripted content taught me about dinosaurs. Running the operations of the park in the game is like managing my department at SIDE. I can view my staff like dinosaurs: give them the resources (food in JWE) and they are content, allow them to release frustration (break fences in JWE) for their own well-being, or simply share the knowledge (research in JWE) and allow them to shine.”
Hitman 2: “When I joined SIDE, Hitman 2 was the first game I had worked on and was my first ever game credit at SIDE.”
God of War Ragnarök: “This was the first title I managed a post-production budget for and witnessed my department evolve with it. It relied on using advanced mastering techniques which led my team to improve processes and tools over time. Watching them grow and the project itself running smoothly was a joy to oversee and manage.”
Rules for success
Gabriella has learned that the successful execution of any project requires her to be at the top of her game and identify threats and risks quickly. “I have three take-aways that I always follow and teach to the rest of my team as they process multiple projects daily:
The final word
Finally, Gabriella shares what she enjoys most about being at SIDE. “While we are all hard at work, collaborating from different time zones, it’s good to always see that everyone shares the same vision and dedication towards projects and goals. Working amongst people with the same passion for video games is one of the best elements of working here. Contributing with a fast-moving, forward-thinking, and supportive team has allowed me to develop and grow at SIDE in multiple ways.
