Staff Spotlight: Meet our Audio Team in Brazil

This week we had a chat with two members of our team in Sao Paulo, Brazil to talk everything about audio in video games development.

Bruna Ravaglio joined Keywords Studios as Audio Assistant in 2019 and before that she worked as a freelancer on several projects.

Felipe Lopes joined Keywords in 2018. Last year marked a decade since his career began, during which time he has worked with cinema, dubbing and narration.

Here's what they had to say!

Describe a typical day in your role.

Bruna: I work with the Quality Assurance (QA) of our final material, updating of the scripts, as well as managing and collating the data received from the QA personnel.

I deal mainly with the audio and script compilation, listening for and solving possible technical and linguistic problems.

What I enjoy most about my work is putting the stories together as the projects progress. It's more of a peripheral consequence of paying attention to what I'm listening to than something my role requires, yet, as storytelling has always been something really dear to me, it's always thrilling to see it taking form.

Felipe: My job is basically to record the actors and actresses. I love this part because, together with the director, we can work to improve the player's experience by bringing the greatest fidelity to our language.

My areas that I enjoy focusing on most are studio recording, post-production, mixing and mastering.

How did you get into Audio for video games? What inspired your career path?

Bruna: I got into it somewhat accidentally, to be honest. One of the job requirements was mastery of the language [Brazilian Portuguese] which is my original field of work and I've always enjoyed gaming.

I wanted a change in my career and was looking for something challenging. It's been a case of being 'in the right place at the right time'. Really fortuitous.

Felipe: I always wanted to work with games and audio but there was no market at the time. Seven years after I was in the area, I met Cristiano Prazeres [Studio Manager at Maximal], who was in need of a freelance audio engineer and I have been for three years.

My biggest inspiration is to do the best in something that I am passionate about. Being a gamer helps because I know what the final product looks like and what the community expects for the final result.

Felipe Lopes & Bruna Ravaglio

What do you like best about working for Keywords Studios?

Bruna: Working here has been a great experience - being part of such an amazing team. It's truly exhilarating.

Every day there's something new to learn and the learning curve has been rather steep. It's challenging like nothing I've done before and it keeps me on my toes.

Felipe: I really love the atmosphere and the respect among the people who work at Keywords Studios. It makes me feel welcome, in addition to feeling very good about having the best structure in the market. Here I feel valued and I was able to make many friends that I will carry forever in my heart.

What is your favourite video game and why?

Bruna: My favourite games are those in the Mass Effect trilogy. I find the story compelling.

It has an array of rich and charismatic characters and the way we can see our squad members and friends coming together, improving and becoming leaders in their own right, was so beautifully done.

Also seeing them learn tolerance and respect for that which is different is always a positive message. Life is chaotic but we shouldn't let it cheat us out of the beauty of it.

Felipe: I have two favourite consoles. Master System III that was my first and then PlayStation 3 revolutionised the market at the time. I'm a PlayStation collector but I love a Super Nes too.

Tell us an interesting fact that people may not know about you.

Bruna: I'm all for teamwork at the work environment but, most of the time, I prefer single-player games. I like to take my time exploring it and getting to know the lore as thoroughly as possible.

If a game presents the possibility of multiple endings, then I'm going to explore all of them, sometimes more than once.

Felipe: A lot of people don't know but I used to be a director of photography and analog photography is one of my passions, along with music and bicycles.

And finally what advice would you give to job seekers considering a career into Audio for video games?

Bruna: Enjoying video games is an important part of working in the field but it's not all there is. It takes a lot of hard work to bring a project to life and it can be just as stressing as any other career.

If you are a gamer, though, then you know that rage quitting takes you nowhere. Ask questions, be open to learning, try new approaches, rely on your colleagues. Don't be afraid to get yourself out there. Also, save your progress.

Felipe: One piece of advice I give to anyone who wants to get into the area is, first of all, to love it all.

Study hard and always stay connected in opportunities to meet people who can present you with an entry into this world of games. Never give up people, you are the one.

If you are interested in an Audio role at Keywords Studios, you can find current open positions on our Careers page.

See all news