Sound skills have area native up for an Emmy
BY MARY ANNE ROSS
Correspondent

Jennifer Emens

JAMESBURG - If Jennifer Emens is doing her job, you won't notice her work.

A sound engineer and designer, Emens creates audio background for TV commercials such as Yoplait yogurt, Right Guard deodorant and Gillette Mach 3 razors. She is also now working on a TV series.

Part of her job is to make sure that the sound of a door slamming or a car braking blends in naturally with what the audience is seeing.

"Basically, everything you hear in a commercial or TV or movie is put there by the sound engineer. My job is really to enhance the video," the Jamesburg native explained.

And apparently Emens is very good at her job. She's been nominated for a New York Emmy as a sound designer for "Secrets of New York," a documentary-style weekly show that appears on NYC TV. The series takes viewers on tours of the city's forgotten places. One episode is titled "Secrets of the Subways & N.Y. Above and Below," another is "Jails of New York & Secrets Unlocked." Others still focus on the history of the city or on structures deep underneath the city streets.

While the premise seems simple, it's not so easy for those working behind the scenes.

"This is the most intense and challenging work I have ever done," Emens said. "One seven-minute segment of the show takes two days of work. There is just a ton of sound effects."

Emens takes a silent video and adds layers of sounds. There is the voice of the announcer, the addition of music, and then the appropriate sound effects in each scene. It's entirely up to her to decide which effects to use and where.

"We want you to feel like you're getting inside the show. For example, when they're showing places where battles took place, I put in the sound of cannons and explosions," she said.

Emens will find out if she has won the New York Emmy at the 50th annual awards ceremony April 1 at the Marriott Marquis Times Square.

Growing up in Jamesburg, Emens went to Monroe Township High School. Though she moved to Brooklyn last year, her father, James, and sisters Lynette and Leigh Ann still live in town.

Emens has been a musician since she was 6 years old, playing guitar and bass.

"I figured it would be hard to be signed as a professional musician, so I decided to do something else with audio. I went to the Institute of Audio Research [in New York City] and became a sound engineer."

Emens recently added another "sound" dimension to her job. She is now the voice of NYC TV, the city's official network.

"They needed a new female voice for the station. My boss liked mine, so I tried out and now I have the job," she said. "It's actually a lot of fun."

Emens maintains a small studio in her home and occasionally does freelance work. While she loves her job at NYC TV, she hopes that some day she will work for a larger network or station like NBC or Showtime.

"Secrets of New York" airs Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. on Channel 22 on Cablevision and Channel 25 on Comcast.