Senior Students’ Visit to Post-Production House, Toast and Jam

Linden's senior Communications Technology students recently visited Thomas and Grant from Toast and Jam where they learned about the relationship between mastering audio quality and establishing strong visual effects, the processes of audio and video design, and the methods used to carefully balance out sounds during production.

After their visit, students were asked to describe what they learned and what surprised them. Here is a compilation of their reflections.

“We would like to express appreciation to Thomas and Grant for allowing Linden’s Communications and Technology and Media Arts students in Grades 9 to 12 to take a field trip to Toast and Jam!” - Polly

“Most post-production companies edit video or audio, not video and audio together. Toast and Jam is unique because it does editing for both.” - Sydney

Learning about Audio

“We learned how audio engineers balance music and effects for an effective soundtrack.” - Sarah

“We learned how different microphones work … and how one microphone might sound better with a particular voice than another one.” - Uma

“While in the audio room, we watched an ad, and then a version of the same ad without music, and then a version without sound effects. It was surprising just how many sound effects you could hear when there was no music. I expected there to be less.”  - Scarlett

“We learned about how hundreds of layers are used in the audio tracks of sound production. From sound effects to music, layers are individually tracked and manipulated to perfection. I was surprised to find out how many layers are used, and though it was quite impressive, the amount of care put into every small sound was fascinatingly overwhelming.” - Rory

“They taught us how you can soundproof a room easily for high-pitched sounds, but if you want to soundproof low-pitched sounds, you need at least a meter of soundproofing.” - Téa

Learning about Video

“I learned how to make a zombie symbiote effect on a video by using colour grading panels and  DaVinci Resolve editing software.” - Hannah

“I was shocked at how hours of footage are necessary for a 30-second clip, and how audio productions can have hundreds of tracks”  - Sarah

Learning About Working in the Field

“They told us that learning how to deal with technology is easy, but the ‘thinking’ and ‘creativity’ parts are harder.”  - Fadumo

“I learned how important it is to pursue careers that interest you, and how finding a healthy balance of work and enjoyment is crucial to building up your career.” - Rory

“When asked about post-secondary education in this field, Thomas mentioned that he was passionate about this career early on. He said you will have the greatest job if you are still doing what you loved since middle school.” - Paige