Sound as a Storytelling Tool with Marc Sander Montant
Sound designer Marc Sander Montant shows how dialogue, music, sound effects, mixing and psychoacoustics can shape a story from pre-production through post.
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Sound as a Storytelling Tool
CCC Shenzhen · Saturday, October 24, 2026 · 1 to 4 PM
Sound is half the picture, yet it is often treated as an afterthought.
This October, sound designer Marc Sander Montant joins CCC Shenzhen to show how sound can be designed as part of the story from the beginning, not simply repaired or added after the pictures are finished.
Whether you work alone or collaborate with a full crew, Marc will offer a practical framework for thinking about dialogue, music and sound effects across pre-production, production and post. He’ll also introduce the principles behind mixing and psychoacoustics: how sound can shape emotion, build tension and quietly direct an audience through a scene.
Join us on Saturday, October 24, from 1 to 4 PM at TEQUILA COYOTES in Sea World. Entry is free; order food or a drink and help support the venue that supports Shenzhen’s creative community.
Keep in touch on WeChat
Not in the Gatherings WeChat group yet? Scan this code in WeChat and ask to be added to the Gatherings group.
Sound From the Beginning
It is easy to think of sound as something added after the pictures are finished. In reality, it begins on set and continues through every stage of post-production.
A footstep can tell us how a character feels. A room tone can make a location believable. The right silence can carry more weight than an explosion. Dialogue, music and sound effects all have their own jobs, but the real craft lies in making them feel like one world.
Marc will unpack that process in plain language, giving solo creators and larger crews a practical map for integrating sound into the storytelling process before problems become expensive or opportunities disappear.
What Marc Will Explore
- Why sound needs to be considered during pre-production rather than left until the edit
- The three core elements of a soundtrack: dialogue, music and sound effects
- Where ambience, Foley and designed effects sit inside that larger structure
- How production choices affect what is possible in post
- Fundamental mixing principles for clarity, focus and emotional impact
- How psychoacoustics can shape emotion, build tension and serve the story
- Ways solo creators and larger crews can build sound into their workflow from the start
Marc’s spotlight will run from 2:30 to 3:45 PM, including Q&A.
Dialogue. Music. Sound Effects.
Dialogue
Dialogue carries information, performance and intimacy. Marc will look at what helps dialogue survive the journey from location recording to the final mix, and why clear does not always mean emotionally flat.
Music
Music can establish rhythm, scale and point of view before an audience consciously registers what it is doing. The question is not simply where to add it, but what job the story needs it to perform.
Sound Effects
This is the broadest part of the toolkit: ambience, Foley, designed effects, transitions and the details that make a scene feel physical. Used well, effects do more than illustrate the picture. They can create tension, reveal perspective and suggest an entire world outside the frame.
Mixing Emotion
The mix is where those elements negotiate with one another.
Marc will introduce the principles behind balance, clarity and focus, along with psychoacoustics: the ways our perception of sound can influence emotion, tension and attention. It is not about making everything louder. It is about helping the audience hear what matters at exactly the right moment.
About Marc Sander Montant
Marc is a Canadian sound designer, born and raised in Mexico City and now based in Shenzhen. Across more than 15 years in audio, his work has moved between production sound, audio post-production, feature films, documentaries, advertising, branded content and video games.
He is the founder and sound supervisor of Magic Stone Sound Design, a 7.1 audio post-production studio in Shenzhen. His experience covers sound editing, re-recording and mixing, game-audio asset creation, dialogue editing, Foley, music editing, sound restoration and sonic branding.
Marc has worked with teams and projects connected to companies including Tencent, DJI, Huawei, OnePlus, Hasselblad, Insta360, SCMP and Mandarin Oriental. He has also taught sound design at Shanghai University and represents Big Foot Studios in China.
See more of Marc’s selected work at marcsanderm.com.
How the Afternoon Will Run
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 1:00 to 2:30 PM | Gathering and mingling Meet the community, order food or drinks, and settle in. |
| 2:30 to 3:45 PM | Marc’s spotlight, including Q&A Sound as a Storytelling Tool. |
| 3:45 to 4:00 PM | Conclude and wrap up Official 4:00 PM wrap, so Neto and the team can prepare for the dinner rush. |
The gathering runs from 1:00 to 4:00 PM on Saturday, October 24, 2026.
The gathering will be conducted primarily in English. Local and international creatives are equally welcome.
Event Details
- Date: Saturday, October 24, 2026
- Time: 1:00 to 4:00 PM
- Spotlight, including Q&A: 2:30 to 3:45 PM
- Entry: Free; attendees are encouraged to order food or drinks from the venue
- Venue: TEQUILA COYOTES 墨西哥餐厅, Sea World
- Address: Shop B05, plaza behind the ship, Sea World, Nanshan District, Shenzhen
- 地址: 深圳市南山区招商街道水湾社区海上世界船后广场B05铺
Venue Partner: TEQUILA COYOTES
A deep thank you to TEQUILA COYOTES for welcoming CCC Shenzhen and giving the city’s filmmaking community a place to gather, learn and meet one another.
Providing the space makes these afternoons possible. Ordering food or a drink is a simple way for attendees to support the venue that supports the community.
Finding TEQUILA COYOTES
TEQUILA COYOTES is at Sea World in Nanshan, in shop B05 on the plaza behind the ship. The map and navigation buttons below point to the current B05 location.
Look for the restaurant on the plaza behind the Sea World ship. The map and navigation buttons below point directly to shop B05.
Come Listen Differently
You do not need to be a sound specialist to get something from this afternoon.
If you direct, shoot, edit, produce or simply care about why one scene feels alive and another falls flat, this is a chance to understand the half of filmmaking we too often leave until last.
Meet the community. Bring your questions. Leave listening a little differently.
Keep in touch on WeChat
Not in the Gatherings WeChat group yet? Scan this code in WeChat and ask to be added to the Gatherings group.
Venue
Location
TEQUILA COYOTES 墨西哥餐厅
Shop B05, plaza behind the ship, Sea World, Nanshan District, Shenzhen 深圳市南山区招商街道水湾社区海上世界船后广场B05铺Google Maps · venue pin