Speaking of the success of their recent venture Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru , sound engineer duo, Sachin Sudhakaran and M Hariharan, say it augers well not just for them, but the industry at large.
Sachin says, “Much of the credit should go to mixing engineer Rajakrishnan, whose work in the opening frame was stunning. Dolby Atmos helped enhance the sound of the rain, and was blended in the right proportion. The device is slightly more expensive than the standard ones, but directors like Karthick Naren understand the importance of it in a crime thriller. The support of the music composer is also imperative, as it is a team effort. ” Hariharan adds, “The idea is to give real-time sounds equal importance, like the background score creating a perfect blend to give the best impact in a scene. In Maya , the chilling sound effects when the character is talking in the background rattled the audience.”
Movies like U Turn in Kannada pushed us to the limits, says Hariharan. “In a dark film, we had to create drones and synthetic electronic sounds to enhance the mood of the film. In the forthcoming Vikram Vedha , we are trying to make a sound script ready to help the editor retain the sound. Nowadays, our services are required even before the idea is germinated. In Nenjam Marappathillai , a horror psychological thriller, the antagonist will be heard throughout.”
Hariharan says the emerging crop of directors are a welcome change for sound engineers. “They keep the importance of sound in mind, just as they do for music or cinematography. Horror films ruled the roost for a long time, and we found a platform to showcase our potential.” Among the bunch of horror-centric films which have come their way, Sachin picked Maya as the one “which was rich in content and had the right sound design to whet the appetite of horror-drenched fans. The best frame was the one in which the power turns off and there is a famous yesteryear song of Chandralekha. The violent orchestral sound was good enough to rattle the house. Likewise, there are frames when we have to keep in mind the change from a song playing on the radio to one on television. The continuity has to be maintained, without giving any inkling to the audience.”
Hariharan says it’s up to the sound engineers to set the mood of the plot in scripts designed to unnerve the avid movie buff. “These are days when viewers have the opportunity of viewing Hollywood movies and famous English television series at the tap of a button. The good news is that they understand the difference between the sound emanating from merely dropping a heavier item, and the efforts that have gone into bringing in the actual sound.” one. That possibly explains the importance of the sound engineering department. Now we are heard in the right channels, loud and clear.”
From a humble start in the company Sync Cinema, the duo have moved ahead with quality work. “We started with Pizza, and thankfully, the flavour has found enough admirers,” they say.
