Doing sound design is a talent. It cannot be developed overnight, or unless the person doing is extremely talented. Doing foley, putting and doing effects takes a lot of creativity. The artists must be able to translate what they see on the screen into effective aural interpretations to support the visual elements effectively. Look at the sound of the dinosaurs. Nobody has ever heard a dinosaur's roar, yet it took some very creative guys to put together various sounds to represent that of a T-rex or whatever. The same with the space ships in Star Wars or Star Trek (although there should be no sound as in space there is no air).
What we have been doing with our trainees in one network is to stir up their minds and imagination so they can put together some meaningful effects on their programs. One aspect that we make them do is to be more "sound" sensitive and observant in their environment - being able to tell different ambiances, for instance. But it should be understood that not all sound elements in the environment can be used as ambiance or effects in a visual situation (remember KISS - the simpler, the better). Only those that would help or accentuate the visual elements or those that convey the mood of a scene are usable. Furthermore, there is still music to be used to set the feel or pace. As sound designers, they should be aware of all these elements and put them into effective use. Being able to do that takes time and experience. We have tried to start our trainees from somewhere. Hopefully, their training will be put to good use and that whatever they have learned will spark them to have the initiative to learn and advance their knowledge or craft to the next level.
The state of this field? More training, learning and experience needed.
FWIW
