Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alice Wibisono. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alice, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
As a person who dwells in the art medium, I have come across this negative feeling for almost my whole life. I remember being a 4th grader, competing in a comic competition against people around the cities and instantly felt “Oh, I wouldn’t win this. All of them are so much better than me.” That thought kept existing in my head until I went to University of Southern California, School of Cinematic Arts, Film & TV Production. I was feeling overwhelmed by the level of experience and professionalism of everyone in my peers. It made me feel very discouraged and kept asking why the school admits me, and the thoughts keep going deeper and darker. At some point, it became too intense that it interfered with how I make my films. Eventually, with all the stress, I tried to look back to myself and ask “Who are you focusing on?” If the answer is myself, then there’s no need to keep on comparing yourself to other people. By separating my mind from thinking of Alice as an artist instead of Alice as a whole being. It helps me from being too personal with a lot of my projects. Happy to say, after 2 years of making sure that I focus on what I want to achieve, it naturally flourishes my creative mind and ambitions. I celebrated peoples work and constantly pushed myself for the better. I know that this is a lifelong process for so many creatives and I command you all to put in the work and be kind to yourself.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
My name is Alice Wibisono, an Indonesian born and raised filmmaker. I’m also a recent graduate from University of Southern California, School of Cinematic Arts, Film & TV Production. I have a deep appreciation for the art of storytelling. I think films are integral in our ever changing society. I have been working as a sound designer both from Los Angeles and Indonesia. My job consists of me cutting sound effects and enhancing the texture and the emotions of the film through the sonic spectrum.
I can’t be more grateful to have met amazing directors, who’ve maintained a close relationship with. They are the ones who believe in what I’m striving to do and what I’m capable of. I worked for indies films covering animation, commercials, and narrative films. In July 2022, I worked as a Post Production Intern at Palari Films where I further sharpened my skill and knowledge working in larger scale film productions.
As someone who believes in the importance of education, I helped my lifelong mentor and my previous professor, Suhail F. Kafity, M.P.S.E, in assisting an Advanced Production Class at USC. I love being able to do service for what I have passion about and hopefully produce more sound designers in the future.
Right now, I’m in the process of writing my next short films, hopefully being able to make it in the future while also working as sound designers for more amazing projects!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Three things that I kept with me everyday: First, don’t let a bad day define who you are. It’s easy to objectify yourself to one certain event and leave a bad mark on yourself. If there’s a day where you didn’t do well with your client or a project fell off. That’s normal! It’s a tough business indeed. Try to sleep it off and wake up with a new mindset.
Second, remember your peers. This is an advice that a lot of my professors keep on enunciating. In the film industry, oftentimes your peers are the ones that get you a job. Thus, it’s very important to keep in touch with your fellow filmmakers, and keep on expanding your connections. To put simply, my jobs mostly came from the mouths of my friends. A single job can echo so many future opportunities.
Third, be protective of your own space! It’s easy for starters to plunge deep to a job that you’re very passionate about. Remember that taking breaks is as important as doing your work. Balancing work and life is crucial for creatives as it keeps them from burning out and still maintaining fresh ideas.
Tell us what your ideal client would be like?
This is a very interesting question! Throughout my career, I have been working with amazing clients thus far. The directors that hold dear to my heart are the ones that include me in the very beginning, even during pre-production. For sound designers, it’s pretty normal to be included during the end of production or the start of post-production. But, I love having a passionate conversation with the director’s vision in knowing what their artistic visions are and bringing my own taste to the films. I always think experimenting is a good thing to provide possibilities of what we can do to the sonic world so, all of the directors I’ve worked with have been very positive enough to trust me to experiment with ways to create sound that works for the film.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://alicewibisono.com/
- Instagram: @alicewiwi
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/alice-wibisono-141a0b1ba
Image Credits
Ally Wang Ryan Gomez
