Sound has the ability to define the space and meaning: Resul Pookutty

MIFF Campus: Addressing a masterclass on ‘Aesthetics of Sound in Cinema’ at the 17th Mumbai International Film Festival- MIFF 2022, Shri Pookutty said, “Sound generates the desired meaning in a film, as envisioned by the director.

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Sound has the ability to define the space and meaning. Camera only catches a picture, which is abstract, with sound its meaning is defined, said Resul Pookutty.

He further said that a sound designer does the selective listening for audience. “As a sound designer I select from umpteen numbers of sounds available with me and present a package to the audience, which becomes a holistic experience for them”, he added.

Narrating his experience of the Oscar award winning film Slumdog Millionaire, Shri Pookutty said, human brain processes sound in a certain way, which a sound designer must understand. “I designed sound for Slumdog Millionaire on the basic idea of how a human brain processes sound? Accordingly we recorded the sound using multiple cameras and designed it”.

Talking about different forms of sounds used in filmmaking, the noted sound designer said, “In films we broadly use five different types of sounds which are: Production Sound, Foley sound, Ambience Sound, Designed Sound, and Music.”

“While designing sound, we have to keep in mind, the context of story, vision of the director and socio-cultural aspects in which it is being set”, he said while citing the experience of the film ‘The Good Road’.

Differentiating between a dialogue and speech, he said spoken dialogue thrown into an acoustic environment, captured by a microphone with emotion becomes a speech. “When we deal with a dialogue in a film, we are actually trying to create a speech, which will set an emotional connection with the audience”, he added.

Resul Pookutty is a leading sound designer, production mixer, sound effects, foley editor and post-production re-recording mixer who has brought Indian cinema sound to a new level. Passionate about sound, he is the master of a multitude of techniques and equipment Blending technology with strong Indian aesthetics. Pookutty has recorded, edited, engineered and designed more than 90 films in a short span of his illustrious career, and won national and international recognition for his work.

Pookutty is the recipient of numerous awards and honours for his contribution to cinema including the Academy Award of Merit, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts-BAFTA and the Cinema Audio Society (CAS) awards for his work in Slumdog Millionaire (2008). His award-winning filmography includes Roar-Tigers of Sunderbans, Unfreedom, India's Daughter and Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja. He has also been conferred with the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2010.

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Every man is nothing but an untold story: Prasoon Joshi

MIFF Campus: ‘Hajar Bar Yahan Se Jamana Gujra He, Nai Nai Si He Kuch Teri Reh Gujar Phir Bhi.’ The story could have been said a thousand times before, still it can be narrated thousand more times in a unique way, because every man is nothing but an untold story, unfulfilled dream, assortment of experience. One can always tell a beautiful story from his own perspective, said Prasoon Joshi.

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He said, “It is very difficult to understand the ultimate truth, which is perceived differently by different people. Everybody has a unique and authentic vantage point. You can’t be everywhere, so you should approach the subject from your perspective in a genuine way. That will make the story interesting and engaging.”

Renowned poet, writer, lyricist, screenwriter and communication specialist Prasoon Joshi was addressing a masterclass on the theme, ‘The Art of Storytelling’ at 17th Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF).

While interacting with the cinephiles by citing the example of ‘Taare Zameen Par’, the noted lyricist said, words and metaphors always flow from our roots. “One should not disconnect himself from his roots and reality as they have immense impact on our writing styles and help us to bring in beautiful words and metaphors.”

He also discussed about the importance of first-hand truth for a writer, which sets the tone of a story. He cited his experience of approaching the subject of ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ in this context.

“Filmmaking should be easy, so that all the dreams and stories of youngsters come live. Filmmaking should not be driven by courage, but talent”, he said while responding to a query on filmmaking.

The session was moderated by senior journalist, columnist and author Anant Vijay.

Prasoon Joshi is a renowned poet, writer, lyricist, screenwriter and communication specialist whose work in Hindi cinema has won him both critical and popular acclaim. Through his long and prolific career at leading advertising agencies including Ogilvy and Mather and McCann Erickson, he has created successful brands for several national and international companies through powerful and wide-reaching advertising campaigns. As a lyricist, Joshi's work in the films Taare Zameen Par (2007) and Chittagong

(2012) have won the National Film Award for Best Lyrics. He was also conferred with Padma Shri by the Government of India.

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What magician does on stage,visual effect does on screen: P.C Sanath,Creative Director of 'Bahubali'

MIFF Campus: What a magician does on stage, visual effects does on screen. It does magic with the story and takes it to another level altogether, said P.C Sanath, VFX supervisor and creative director of Bahubali.

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He said, “When a filmmaker or technicians fail to achieve something in a film, they think of visual effects. VFX can achieve anything, as only the creator’s imagination is its limitation.”

The noted VFX supervisor was addressing a workshop on ‘VFX: An Ever-evolving tool for Storytelling’ at 17th Mumbai International Film Festival today.

Highlighting the importance of VFX, Sanath said there is not a single film in today’s age without visual effect. “The advent of new technological tools has expanded the scope of VFX, but one VFX supervisor should never be carried away by the technology or other similar films. He should always understand the essence of the story”, he said while responding to a query.

He further said, visual effects have been an integral part of cinematic storytelling from the time technologies of moving pictures were invented. As the medium of cinema evolved into the most popular medium of storytelling in the 20th century, visual effects, too, evolved by adapting new techniques and technologies, helping filmmakers tell their stories better.

This master class also illustrated the way visual effects have helped filmmakers in visualizing and realizing their cinematic dreams while also pointing towards the possibilities that VFX offers to future storytellers as new frontiers are being crossed with tools Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR).

P. C. Sanath is the co-founder and director of the Firefly Creative Studio (Hyderabad). He has been creating visual effects for the past two and half decades. He has been the VFX supervisor and creative director for blockbuster cinematic ventures including Baahubali-The Beginning (2015), Robot (2010), Eega (2012), Pulimurugan (2016) and Malik (2021). He is the winner of several prestigious awards including National and State film awards for Best Visual Effects. He is part of various industry bodies like TVAGA (Telangana VFX, Animation and Gaming Association). He is also a visiting faculty member and academic advisor at various art and film education institutes like the Film and Television Institute of India (Pune), National Institute of Design (Ahmedabad), and K.R. Narayanan National Institute of Visual Science & Arts (Kerala).

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