Imagine yourself sitting through a movie that has absolutely no audible sound. What if you could only see and not hear? This would probably ruin your entire movie experience. Without these sounds, all actions in movies or video games seem futile. And with an augmented need to meet the requirements of quality sound production, India is fast moving towards a rushed era of sound engineering, paving way for more creative avenues.
Nakul Kamte, a renowned sound designer, says, "Initially, the industry preferred dubbing. But gradually it realised the importance of sound and therefore ambient sound and dialogues were recorded on location. This had created a need for trained professionals." A sound engineer can dabble in many things at the same time, including films, video games and television acoustics. The basic job requirement is to record, edit and mix sound. "A recordist captures on location sound which is followed by its editing. Here each frame is matched with its ambient sound and dialogue by an editor. But all this requires dedication and will," says Kamte.
Movies in the 1960s concentrated less on actual sound and most of it was pre-recorded. This led to a similar sound replication in several films at a stretch. But with the advent of sophisticated sound consoles and acoustics, the era of pre-recorded sound changed to on-location records. The number of sound engineers in our country, however, could not match this fast technological development. "Most sound engineers did not go through formal training. They learnt from what they saw and this led to an augmentation of untrained professionals," says Kamte. The need of the hour has changed. Today, most good production houses prefer trained professionals as opposed to street smarts.
A fairly new face in the field of sound engineering, Nimish Chheda says formal education enables aspiring sound designers to understand the field before dabbling in it practically. "A film is given at least three months on the sound table. Cleaning the film off unwanted sound is done during this time and all of this happens only after the film is wrapped. So in order to finish work faster and efficiently, it is important to know the fundamentals of mixing and editing," he explains.
To become an audio engineer, one can study any of the audiography, sound recording and sound engineering courses. Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) offers a three-year full-time postgraduate diploma course in audiography. While the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) offers a two-year postgraduate diploma in audiography. "Students are taught physics and aesthetics in the programme.
Under physics we teach sound recording theory and acoustics, and under aesthetics, we teach how to train oneself in hearing, music listening and designing of sound for films. They are also taught recording music and songs, recording sound on location and recording sound for post-production practically," says Debasish Ghosal, professor, audiography, SRFTI.
An audio engineer has the freedom to choose between cinema and other branches of the field such as acoustics, video games, live broadcast and recording. Those working on video games and animation movies create everything from background music to explosions and gunshots, from character voice-over and their expressions to ambient sound such as noise, vehicles or rain. "Dubbing and sound selection are the two aspects of sound designing in animation. The former involves production work, where actors provide a voice over for each character.
The track is then sent to the sound effects team who animate to lip sync. The latter involves sound production giving the animation a real life feel," says Chedda, who worked for the Indian animation film Maruti Mera Dost. "Since there is more work, sound designers can demand 15 to 20 per cent more," points Nimish.
Creating a soundtrack for a game or an animated film is a complex process. These are non-linear, interactive experiences and therefore formal training is beneficial, particularly the ability to compose music and the knowledge of some instruments. Knowledge of relevant software packages such as Logic Audio, Sound Forge and Cool Edit Pro is also useful.
A sound designer can easily earn up to Rs 6 lakh per project, while a sound editor can bag Rs 4 lakh per project. Also, a sound recordist can earn up to Rs 20,000 per day. A trained professional can work as a sound technician for serials, boom operator, dialogue editor, effect editor and Foley editor.
Nakul Kamte: Sound designer
I started my career as a musician and gradually moved on to sound designing. Initially, the Indian film industry preferred dubbing over live sound recording and that made me stay away from it for a while. After a few years in the music industry and some experience in the advertising world, I bagged Bhopal Express. And in 2000, I worked for Lagaan.
This field is unconventional but requires a lot of creativity and dedication. It is important to have first-hand information about the technical aspects of sound engineering before dabbling into the practicals. Those interested in audio engineering must take up a course. It is often seen that people learn from what they see; they work under a sound designer and try to pick up techniques from there.
But this restrains creativity and learning. Our field is such that instant sucess is not possible; you have to keep at it in order to suceed. One does not need to be a noble literate, but certain amount of interest and fondness to play around with sound is necessary. The industry is fast-paced, so aspirants must learn all the tricks of the trade.
Interview: Resul Pookutty
Resul Pookutty, 39, is the only Indian sound designer to be honoured with an Oscar, Cinema Audio Society Award, BAFTA and the prestigious Padma Shri for his work in Slumdog Millionaire. His creative endeavours forced the Indian film industry to stop and take note of an unconventional profession and pay due credit to the hard work. Having won many hearts after a dedication of his work to his countrymen and with more than 26 films in his kitty he is an icon for many aspiring sound engineers. In a telephonic interview with Deepshikha Punj, Pookutty spoke about the industry, his love for music and success. Excerpts:
Q. What prompted you to choose sound engineering as a career?
A. It was accidental. I wanted to become a physicist but while I was pursuing higher education I read an advertisement and applied for an audiography course. I soon realised that my natural interest lay in sound and so enrolled myself at FTII, Pune. During my three year stint there learnt quite a lot. Sound was not just about music and effects, it was a part of an art, a wide plethora that cinema offered.
Q. What is it that a sound engineer does?
A. A sound engineer in India dabbles in sound recording, production sound mixing and re-recording mixing which is the final mixing. All of this is to further the vision of the director. The final mix is readied on the basis of the nature of the movie. An audio engineer's job is not just about understanding sound, but also enhancing the performance of the actors where visuals and audio works in tandem.
Q. What changes did you want to bring in the industry?
A. There were two aspects of filmmaking that I wanted to change. First, to bring live recording to the forefront and make it a specialised job. Secondly, to create a sound library, building a ground for quality work to take place. The Hindi film industry still has a long way to go in terms of exploring the full potential of sound. But with technological advancements we are almost at par with the international standards: only the attitude towards the medium needs to be changed.
Q. What does it take to be a successful audio designer?
A. Only an ability to listen. If you are a good listener and can make quick decisions on what sound needs to be included or excluded, you can easily become a successful audio engineer. Cinema is a craft and only by appreciating all its facets can one truly understand its technicalities.
