In Episode 6 of The Switch Podcast, host Chase Savage sits down with Jon Robertson, Director of Creative Technologies at the University of Evansville, to examine one of the most essential but often least visible parts of filmmaking: sound. Robertson led the sound team on location during the filming of The Switch and is also helping guide the film’s audio post-production. His class brought six students to the shoot, creating a larger-than-usual sound team so students could rotate through key production roles and gain practical experience in a real filming environment.

The conversation breaks down the structure of a film sound team, including the mixer, boom operator, and sound utility roles. Robertson explains that the mixer oversees recording and levels, the boom operator works closely with actors to capture dialogue, and the sound utility position helps troubleshoot problems, manage gear, and keep the process moving. By rotating students through these roles, the shoot became both a production day and a hands-on learning lab, allowing students to understand the technical and physical demands of location audio.

Robertson also explains the precision required in sound work. Capturing usable production audio means monitoring levels, aiming microphones correctly, managing wireless mics, taking detailed notes, and responding quickly when problems arise. The boom operator’s job, for example, is not simply holding a microphone overhead; it requires accuracy, endurance, and constant attention to the actors’ movement and dialogue. Through this discussion, the episode reframes sound as a discipline built on technical knowledge, focus, and collaboration.

The episode then shifts into post-production, where Robertson describes how sound continues to shape the film after shooting ends. Although the team captured strong production audio, additional sounds still need to be added to make the film feel complete. Door movements, plates, footsteps, clothing, and other small physical details help create a believable sound world. Without those elements, a film can feel flat, even if the audience cannot immediately identify what is missing.

That idea becomes especially important in The Switch, where sound carries both practical and symbolic weight. Because the story centers on a power shutoff, Robertson discusses the importance of building the subtle presence of electricity into the film’s soundscape so its absence can be felt when the power goes out. The goal is for the audience to experience that shift emotionally and physically, not simply understand it as a plot point. In that way, the sound design supports the film’s central metaphor as much as its realism.

Robertson also connects the project to a larger teaching philosophy. For him, the collaboration between the video production class and the sound production class creates what he describes as a natural partnership. Students are not just learning concepts in isolation; they are applying them to a finished creative work with real stakes, real deadlines, and real technical problems to solve. That applied structure gives students the opportunity to understand why professional standards exist and how individual choices affect the final product.

Episode 6 ultimately positions sound as one of the foundations of The Switch. While good audio may go unnoticed when it works well, Robertson makes clear that it is central to how audiences connect with a film. The episode expands the story of the project by showing how much care, labor, and precision exist beneath the surface, turning a student film into a more complete cinematic experience.