Sonja Yao Berg

Hi! I’m Sonja, and I am a Chicago-based director, writer, sound designer, sound editor, and more!

My Approach

Directing

As a queer and non-binary person, telling diverse stories within the LGBTQ+ community is incredibly important to me. My style of storytelling is heavily influenced by magical realism and guerilla-style filmmaking. Films that inspire me include Everything Everywhere All At Once, West Indies, and Sorry To Bother You.

Sound

For the most part, my approach to sound will reflect the vision of the director of the project that I am working on. However, I am a believer in striking the right balance between realistic and surrealistic elements in sound to enhance the viewers deeper connection with a piece without losing clarity.

  • ProTools

    Over 4 years experience mixing and designing in ProTools, including in 5.1 surround

  • Premiere Pro

    Over 6 years experience assembling and editing in Premiere Pro

  • Education

    Graduated summa cum laude from DePaul University College of Digital Media with a BFA in Film and Television, concentrating in directing and minoring in sound design

Sound Highlights

horror_sound.wav
2024

I was the sound designer and sound editor for this horror comedy that I also wrote and directed. The main challenge posed by this project was that the entire story concept was reliant on the sound being as strong as possible, meaning any slight mistake in the audio could spell disaster.

Watch Here

Procession
2024

For this short dramadey, I was the sound designer and sound editor. This dialog and music heavy short presented an interesting challenge around mixing these elements. Matching the echo of the on set recording to an artificial echo put on the music to make it seem diegetic was a fun trial and error experience.

Link Coming Soon

Hysterical
2024

This horror-comedy required something interesting from the sound design— a murder that also reflects the mental state of the killer. The approach I went with was using theatrical, over the top sound effects to mirror the crazed actress character’s self-image.

Link Coming Soon

Directing Highlights

horror_sound.wav
2024

This project was the second time I directed something that I wrote myself. WIth only one day to film and little time to plan, this short exemplified my semi-guerilla style. A non-actor was the lead, and the crew consisted of only 3 people. My mentality on this shoot was keeping a fun yet productive atmosphere, and I think that the final product shows a significant level of care.

Watch Here

Drowning
2022

Drowning is a project near and dear to my heart as it was my first time directing something I wrote. This solidified my enjoyment of telling stories around my personal experiences as I believe it elevates the project. The main challenge for this project was directing chemistry between two actors, something I had never done before, making this project a big learning experience.

Link Coming Soon

Thalia
2019

This project being one of the first things I had ever directed was very educational. This was a very small student production, so I had to wear a lot of hats that were new to me including production designer, producer, and editor. Despite the challenges thrown at this production, including no-show actors and lawn care next to the shoot, I kept a positive outlook and came up with creative solutions.

Unavailable For Viewing

Other Experiences

Cinematographer

  • Jugs Half Full (2023)

    Dir. Meghan Shaw

    Comedy short film

Editor

  • I Do (2024)

    Dir. Noemi Ruvalcaba

    Comedy short film

  • Courtyard Curiosities (2022)

    Dir. Marin DeBernardo

    Comedy short film

More

Have done work as a grip, production assistant, boom operator, production designer, and actor

What Collaborators are Saying

“Sonja completely dispelled my fear as a newbie actor with their focus on motivations rather than specific actions —it allowed me to envision the scene better and feel more comfortable acting as a whole.”

Milo Zocher, lead actor of horror_sound.wav

“Sonja is such an amazing addition to our production team. They get their work done with an impeccable turn around time and they take notes with ease. They always bring 110% to each draft and even come up with solutions I never would have thought of for the sound design of a project. I’ve loved working with them and plan on continuing to work with them for the foreseeable future..”

Meghan Shaw, director of Hysterical

“Working on set with Sonja was especially rewarding. They were both clear about their vision and open to collaboration, with an emphasis on open communication that created a welcoming and well-run shoot.”

Noah McKay, production designer of horror_sound.wav

Get in Touch!

Want to work together on a project? Shoot me an email!