There is no shortage of enthusiasm for sound excellence when Per Hallberg is at work. "It's still a great thrill for me when I sit in the screening room and see it all come together in the finished film," he confides. "I think of my role as a team leader, and my strength comes from working with highly creative people." A native of Sweden, where he taught high school math and worked as a ski instructor, Hallberg happened to meet Soundelux co-founder Wylie Stateman while visiting Los Angeles and became fascinated with the world of sound for film. Beginning at Soundelux in 1984, he quickly developed his signature approach to sound design and editing. "It starts when you read the script and you hear the sounds in your mind. You get ideas, feelings, emotions that can help to tell the story. We have such a wealth of material within our library to draw from, which allows us to focus on creating new, better and more spectacular sound effects for each movie. Because I am a Swede, my approach may be somewhat minimal - in many cases when it comes to sound, less is more. There is a time when sound must be huge and intense, but sometimes the subtleties or even the absence of sound can be equally powerful." Entering American film as assistant sound editor for UNCLE BUCK (1989), Hallberg's other notable credits include LEAVING NORMAL (1992), A FAR OFF PLACE, BEETHOVEN'S 2ND, WRESTLING ERNEST HEMINGWAY and BODIES, REST & MOTION (all 1993), JUNIOR and LEGENDS OF THE FALL (both 1994), THE CROSSING GUARD, BRAVEHEART, FAIR GAME and HEAT (all 1995), COURAGE UNDER FIRE (1996), THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE and FACE/OFF (both 1997), THE REPLACEMENT KILLERS, DANGEROUS BEAUTY, GODZILLA and URBAN LEGEND (all 1998), TARZAN (1999), GLADIATOR, THE PATRIOT, PROOF OF LIFE and BAIT (all 2000), HANNIBAL, TOWN & COUNTRY, EVOLUTION and BLACK HAWK DOWN (all 2001), THE BOURNE IDENTITY (2002), SEABISCUIT, MATCHSTICK MEN, BEYOND BORDERS and PAYCHECK (all 2003), VAN HELSING, THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW, THE BOURNE SUPREMACY and RAY (all 2004), KINGDOM OF HEAVEN and THE ISLAND (both 2005), EIGHT BELOW, DOOGAL and A GOOD YEAR (all 2006), and FREEDOM WRITERS, THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, THINGS WE LOST IN THE FIRE and AMERICAN GANGSTER (all 2007). His work on BRAVEHEART earned him an Academy Award® for Best Sound Effects Editing as well as a British Academy Award and a Golden Reel. His contribution to LEGENDS OF THE FALL helped the film get an Academy Award nomination for Best Sound.  Best Achievement in Sound Effects Editing 1995: BRAVEHEART (w. Lon Bender)  Nominated for Achievement in Sound Effects Editing 1997: FACE/OFF (w. Mark P. Stoeckinger)  Best Achievement in Sound Effects Editing 2007: THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM (w. Karen Baker Landers) 3 nominations, 2 Awards