So what is it that attracts one to the movie screens, is it just the visuals, is it just the sound, is it the storyline or the star cast; well everyone attributes their pull to various reasons to watch a movie in a theatre, but if there is one thing that really needs to be experienced like something never before, it has to be Dolby Laboratories’ innovation in the field of sound with Atmos.
Atmos was a revolution in sound. It’s not just an improvement but a dramatic change from surround sound. There are other companies around that are simply enhancing the number of channels with 7.1, 9.1 and 11.1 but Dolby’s engineers were looking at a bigger picture and thus, with Atmos, it has redefined sound in two ways – one, it has gone from being mere channels to objects; and what Atmos does is to transform the sound into an object.
In order to create more awareness about sound designing, two renowned sound designers from the US are undertaking a unique teaching model along with Dolby Laboratories. The Dolby Institute, created over a year ago, is a non physical place that aims to reach out to producers and writers both professional and budding. As part of this training, Dolby Institute director Glenn Kiser and supervising sound editor Steven Cahill are traveling to various countries and are currently in India.
Currently amazed with the Indian culture as they tour film schools and broadcasters, the duo are trying to spread the word about the opportunities sound designing can provide to film and TV. In their Indian leg, they are meeting students at FTII and Whistling Woods as well as providing insights to broadcasters such as Star India, Viacom18 Network, Epic TV, Zee Network etc. “We are presenting case studies where sound was used creatively to enhance quality. The idea is to bring rich experience from outside to India,” expounds Kiser.
While students get an introduction into the sector, broadcasters will learn the aesthetics and nuances of the technique. This apart, the Dolby Institute has tied up with the Sundance Film Festival to provide aid to low budget movie producers who have the idea but not the technique to execute it.
According to them, VFX has made its mark as to how fulfilling it is for storytelling and the institute’s hope is to get sound designing to the same level. However, while sound has been created in 3D for nearly five decades, it is actually picture that has taken time to change from SD to HD. “There is anime from Japan that is really something to carefully look out for, as the studios there are exploring various avenues of improvising with better and clearer sound,” reveals Cahill.
It was in the 1990s when sound became an important aspect of storytelling but in India it is only now that some directors have started giving it a thought. “Between Indian personality driven stories and music being so overly thought of before, the chances are that they would be less apt of sound driving at the moment,” argued Cahill.
The four day workshop will demonstrate how to use sound as a budget saving device as well as script writing and directing with sound in mind. “The entire sound budget of a film could be less than five VFX shots,” reveals Cahill, adding that in the case of an Avatar sound constituted just 1 per cent of the budget.
“This is our first time in India and we realise the Indian media and entertainment industry has a lot going for itself. Not only is the visual content vibrant, there is also immense talent in professionals here. Our interaction with students at FTII (Film and Television Institute of India) in Pune earlier this week showed us the talent pool on offer and the same was reciprocated by the students at Whistling Woods as well,” Kiser said.
Action, thriller and horror lend themselves as most apt for good sound designing. Kiser adds that it is also possible to alter sounds so that the viewer can experience it from the character’s point of view. With lesser processes and people, sound can have the same narrative impact as visuals, he says. This was adapted by Pixar in its animated movies where they built a realistic audio world that could be experienced with closed eyes. And that is something that was explored by many other studios like DreamWorks Animation, Blue Sky and Walt Disney Animation.
Cahill said, “Apart from imparting technical knowledge and holding discussions on the technical nuances of sound design, I feel it is very important for new filmmakers to pay attention towards the visual component of the projects (film or television), which can always be heavily skewed against the sound component; that is something they should be wary of.”
“It’s very easy to get carried away and keep on adding layers to the visual component and keep the sound bit for the end. This means you have less time to experiment with the sound and provide finesse to the final output. You have to learn where to stop with the visual and concentrate equally on the sound, if you want to dish out good, technically sound and holistic content, especially in the age of technologies such as HD and Dolby Atmos,” he added.
However, the challenge that sound designers face is about being the last in the chain of processes. “The best works will always be when the scriptwriter and sound designer collaborate to imagine the sound during the scripting process,” Kiser expounded. Usually, sound is added once the entire film is cut so the options are limited. He added that scenes have to be thought of by the director and executed by the sound designer.
“If you don’t give sound its full due, it’s only 50 per cent good because you aren’t giving it even 50 per cent of the time or talent,” informed Cahill.
The duo seem to be elated with the response they have been receiving from India and will be looking forward to return and check some of the students’ projects to provide tips and criticism.
“We would love to do this more frequently every year. In fact, we are searching for an Indian partner to get the fellowship to India! We need someone who can help filter the projects and help us understand the context of the content; we are ready to help with the sound design,” ended Kiser.