The Department of Communication and Design (COMD), with support from the United States Embassy in Turkey, hosted the Sounding Off 2023 event at Bilkent on May 6 and 7 in the COMD media production studio. The purpose of the event was to motivate and provide guidance to women who have an interest in sound design and music composition for visual media.
The event was broadcast live online through COMD’s YouTube channel. Through an application process, 15 women participants were selected to attend the event in person. They had the opportunity to attend seminars, talks, panels and workshops by leading instructors and industry professionals from Turkey, the US, Germany and Bulgaria.
Parallel to the spread of streaming platforms, sound and music for film and television has become a rapidly developing field in Turkey and worldwide. This development, however, is not reflected in terms of gender equality. According to data from institutions such as the Audio Engineering Society and Women’s Audio Mission, the proportion of women in the audio and music industry has remained at roughly five percent since the early 2000s. This rate decreases even more regarding sound and music for post-production purposes. The Sounding Off program aims to inform future female sound designers, sound engineers and film score composers about the workings of the industry and to contribute to their professional advancement.
