Private Obsession: Sound
Sounds speak my mind more than words do.
Even though, I only have a superficial understanding of sound design, I meticulously listen and watch the sound of films as it is close to my mind as much as direction and cinematography. I learnt that, films made on wars, action, and science fiction have predominantly won Oscars for best sound design. It appears that such genres have maximum potential for sound designers to unleash their creativity. I wonder, why don't such genre of films are neither made nor accepted by audiences in India? With all due respect, I appreciate the preferences of audiences here, nevertheless, films of that kind are deserved to be made in our region. I hope, I'm able to do one in near future.
While some argue that academy is no yard stick to judge a work, it is still the coveted one.
My obsession with sound had been private so far. Because neither did I get an opportunity nor was I given a platform to exhibit it. Therefore, I decided to blog.
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Analog (photochemical film projection) with digital sound (DTS, Dolby) is arguably the best cinema experience.
Sound formats printed on 35mm film print. Nostalgic. I wish I could travel back in time. Not only do I hate digital projection but the so-called advancements in digital sound systems as they are not linked to film/analog.--------
My obsession with sound had been private so far. Because neither did I get an opportunity nor was I given a platform to exhibit it. Therefore, I decided to blog. Today, I'm going to talk about a critically acclaimed sound engineer Sreejesh Nair's sound renaissance project "The Mastering Project".
Incidentally, the best sounds of disruptive musician AR Rahman and sound wizard, a self taught sound engineer H Sridhar were heard or exhibited in the mono format in most of the Indian theatres. The years from 1990 through 2000 witnessed the adoption of digital sound (DTS and Dolby) by the Indian theatres. However, the adoption was not at the required pace.
It was the time period of analog projection. Theatres had to add a DTS or a Dolby reader in the film projection, which read the time code of the sound in the case of DTS (Digital Track Sound) and picked up the actual sound in a CD (Compact Disc) in accordance with the time code, processed by the DTS processor and sent to the respective tracks (speakers) inside the auditorium (theatres). In the case of Dolby, the soundtrack was printed on the film itself, which was read by the reader and then processed and played by the speakers. Dolby digital worked in a similar fashion to DTS. The unique combination of analog visual (film projection) and digital sound (DTS, Dolby) still remains unparalleled. As a sound enthusiast or for the nostalgic reasons, I cannot really appreciate the practice of digital projection with digital sound. It appears artificial, effortless and inorganic.
I'm not a sound engineer nor am I a film projectionist, but a sound enthusiast, who watched films mostly for the sound design and the theatres' ability in reproducing the sound. With my superficial understanding of sound, I have attempted to explain the working of
digital sounds in brief only to set the backdrop of what I'm trying to communicate - the paramount importance of the works of AR Rahman, H Sridhar and a critically acclaimed sound engineer Sreejesh Nair, who is working on a sound renaissance project of "The Mastering Project".
Please listen to this video with earphone, you may appreciate his efforts:
https://youtu.be/C3mwWeFRCEA
The Mastering Project:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjJY9L5Iy6MCsflooCsHfsw
Project also includes restoration works of Ilayaraja, Vidyasagar, Hindi and Malayalam.
Sreejesh Nair is in the process of restoring the disruptive sound and works of the AR Rahman and H Sridhar in the format they intended the audiophiles or general listeners to listen - stereo, DTS and Dolby. It appears that the restoration project is limited to stereo as the project is happening in a video streaming platform, YouTube. What he is doing is something exceptional and deserves recognition not only from AR Rahman and H Sridhar's acquaintances but from the sound fraternity.
Remember, I watch films mostly for three reasons: 1. Sound 2.Cinematography 3. Direction. Sound is integral. Since 1990, the moment I enter a theatre, my attention doesn't go towards the screens but the speakers. I start by counting them, brand name, digital sound placard or stickers placed at the entrance and inside of the auditorium. In the case of international films, I wait until the end credits are over for two reasons. Firstly, to honor the crew. Secondly, I close my eyes, move to the center of the auditorium and listen to the sound track.
The first Tamil film, I watched in DTS composed and mixed by AR Rahman was Rajini starred "Padayappa" (1999) in Madurai Amirtham theatre. And, the fist Tamil film, I watched in Dolby was Kamal Hassan starred "Kuruthipunal" (1995) in Madurai Deepa theatre. The first English film, I watched in DTS was James Bond's "The World Is Not Enough" (1999) in Madurai Mappillai Vinayagar theatre.
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No Time To Die Theme Video
Billie Eilish
I should've known
I'd leave alone
Just goes to show
That the blood you bleed
Is just the blood you owe
We were a pair
But I saw you there
Too much to bear
You were my life
But life is far away from fair
Was I stupid to love you?
Was I reckless to help?
Was it obvious to everybody else
That I'd fallen for a lie?
You were never on my side
Fool me once, fool me twice
Are you death or paradise?
Now you'll never see me cry
There's just no time to die
I let it burn
You're no longer my concern
Faces from my past return
Another lesson yet to learn
Authored by Balaji Thangapandian aka #BT - a spacefarer, who is also curious about film-making, connectivity technologies and military history.
mindofbt.blogspot.com
tbalajiocha@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/balaji.thangapandian
https://www.facebook.com/FilmTheorist/
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