Nelson Ferreira is a Toronto-based sound editor who’s net worth of film credits includes Requiem for a Dream, Molly’s Game, Black Swan and more.

Nelson Ferreira runs Toronto-based sound studio Sound Dogs

Nelson Ferreira (center) accepts the 2014 DGC Award for Best Sound Editing in a Feature Film for The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

Nelson Ferreira founded Sound Dogs in 1990 with Gregory King. It is based in Toronto, Canada. In 1995 King split and started Sound Dogs USA, moving to Los Angeles. Ferreira stayed in Toronto and partnered with Stephen Barden to remain Sound Dogs Toronto. At the present time, there are three separately owned Sound Dogs companies: Toronto, Sounddogs.com and King SoundWorks (the formerly called SoundDogs USA). Sound Dogs Toronto is still run by Ferreira and has 18 total employees (including Ferreira). They are comprised of sound editors, music editors, sound designers and mixers and design sound for television and feature films. Their projects have included Molly’s Game, Requiem for a Dream, Black Swan, The Breadwinner, and the Oscar 2018 nominated The Shape of Water.

The Sound Editor Loved Working with Guillermo del Toro

Nelson Ferreira describes working with del Toro as a once in a lifetime opportunity. He was impressed with his involvement in the sound and knowledge of all of the mixing components, saying “Guillermo knows what all of the knobs on the (mixing) console do”. He was able to identify problems amid the intricacies of the mixing process while appreciating the number of details that go into the overall sound. This was not the first time Fereirra and team had worked with del Toro. They worked together on the strain, where Fereirra and team identified the sounds of the vampires in a way del Toro really loved. For The Shape of Water, Ferreira worked with fellow sound editor Nathan Robitaille and sound mixers Christian T. Cooke and Brad Zoern, to come up with the sound of the monster in the film. They ended with a combination of sounds, including both animal and human. One of the main challenges in the sound of the monster was communicating through sound the fact that he can breathe air and water. They achieved this by having someone breath in and out through a hot water bottle with a small hole cut in it. But, the secret sauce to the sound of the monster? Del Toro’s own breathing, which was used as the respiratory layer of the sound. In addition to the monster, they needed the sound to reflect the era of the film, which was set in 1962 Baltimore.

Ferreira’s Net Worth Includes Almost 150 Film and Television Credits

Since 1992, Nelson Ferreira has worked in various sound capacities on almost 150 films and television shows. This impressive number includes many well-known titles including The Breadwinner and Oscar 2018 nominated The Shape of Water. His most recent project is the thriller/horror film Our House, which is set to release in 2018. The film stars Nicola Peltz and Thomas Mann and is directed by Anthony Scott Burns. His first credit was in 1992 for the thriller The Harvest, directed by David Marconi. He has received a total of 11 awards with 35 nominations. Notable wins include the 2017 DGA wins for Best Sound in a feature film for Ratchet & Clank, as well as Best sound in a television series for Cardinal. In addition to the Oscar 2018 nomination for Best Sound for The Sound of Water, he is also nominated for a Gold Derby Award for the same category and film. He is also nominated for a 2018 Canadian Screen Award for Achievement in Sound Editing for The Breadwinner. In terms of financial net worth, Nelson Ferreira’s is currently unknown.

Nelson Ferreira and Nathan Robitaille Have History

Nathan Robitaille is a Supervising Sound Editor and Sound Designer at Sound Dogs Toronto and worked closely with Ferreira on the sound for The Shape of Water. The two met many years ago when Robitaille was a 17-year-old student recommended to Ferreira. He was planning to become a musician, and wasn’t even aware the world of sound editing and designing for film and television existed as an industry. In fact, that seems to show how good sound editors are at their job when the music takes the backseat and enhances the film but does not distract from it. Ferreira knew Robitaille would be successful because of his ability to think creatively.

Sound is Different Than Score

Requiem for a Dream

A still from the film

In an interview Ferreira did with Sharan Setty of The Awl in relation to the sound for Requiem for a Dream, Ferreira talks through some of the sound choices and confirms he managed the team in charge of all sound except for the score. The score was performed by the Kronos Quartet. Ferreira credits Darren Aronofsky for opening the door for creative sound editing in Hollywood by allowing them to maintain full creative freedom and pushing them for every idea they could come up with. This led to a lot of silence in the movie as to not distract. Ferreira also mentions in sound design that natural sound placements are usually the norm, as it can be easy for things to sound out of place. However, in Requiem for a Dream, there were many juxtapositions that ended up lending themselves well to the overall feel of the movie.