Backstage Interview Transcript | 81st Academy Awards
Achievement in sound mixing
CATEGORY: Achievement in sound mixing
INTERVIEW WITH: Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty
FILM: "Slumdog Millionaire"
======BEGIN TRANSCRIPTION======
Q. Question for us all, you said this was history being made tonight, and I'm wondering if you can talk a little bit more about that and what this means to you?
A. Thank you very much. Academy history, no technician from India has been nominated. I am the first Indian technician to be nominated for an Oscar and winning one. So, that's one for our history and sort of glory for me and myself, personally, and for my country.
Q. Resul, you mentioned the sacred word "Om" in your speech. Tell us why you wanted to share that.
A. Because in our tradition, we believe that Om is a word that encompasses the whole experience of the universe. Indians can just listen, can just close your eyes and listen to the pains of living just by the sound of Om. That relates to me on a very personal level, being a sound person. That's why I live for that.
Q. The sights and sound. The sights and sounds of Bombay in India have been discussed tonight, being so layered, so complicated for all of you. Was that an enormous challenge to create the fantasy and still the rhythm of Bombay?
A. Like I said, I just have to explain the way the film industry has been working, doing sound for Indian films. 12 years ago, 13 years ago, there was virtually no (inaudible) sound recorded on Indian films and myself and a couple of my colleagues have decided I would immediately start I mean, early '95, I finished my film school and I decided to work between production, sound Indian cinema and that's the only thing I wanted to do. So, to reach here has taken me me 13 years of doing production sound on Indian cinema and especially in a place like Bombay, being the fact that Bombay is extremely noisy, it's (inaudible), ordinary life of Bombay is so busy. To do a film in its professional standard was one of the most challenging jobs for this young man. So, 13 years of my work and technical skill, I had to forget for this film.
For this film, I thought I wouldn't record sound for a film. I would record the soundscape of a city. Within that city, the film is evolving. That is how I record it. Many times I have to think in terms of how human perception technically it's how that human perception has been created. And on the track that I recorded these two gentlemen, Richard Pryke and Ian Tapp, on the mixing stage, many times we had to technically recreate the human perception which, otherwise, a track which is considered to be not up to productional standard of filmmaking, you know. So, it's a whole experience of the city that's been transformed in this film. That's what we have done. I think that's what the academy has acknowledged.
Q. First of all, congratulations.
A. Thank you.
A. Thank you very much.
Q. I have actually two questions. They are both technical. One is how much of your track was recorded live and how much did you have to ADR, and the other question would be how often did you need to go to RFs to be able to accomplish your audio.
A. In the overall film we used three lines of ADR, on one scene. Probably.
A. About 90 percent production. About 90 percent production track on the
Q. It sounded very open, that's why I was questioning.
A. Thank you very much.
A. You are done. One thing I would like to say, actually, we are blessed to be here tonight, and we are missing guys as well. Sounds editors from Sound 24, Glenn Freemantle and Tom Sayers, right. And Niv Adiri, Gillian, it's a team effort, you know. Without them, we wouldn't be here tonight. So, we are blessed. And we do, do appreciate that. So, you know, thank you very, very much everybody, and pinch us, I am still dreaming. Thank you.
A. Thank you very much.
======END TRANSCRIPTION======
These transcripts may not be reproduced except as brief quotes used in conjunction with news reporting about the 81st Academy Awards®. All content Copyright 2009 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. "Oscar®," "Oscars®," "Academy Awards®," "Academy Award®," "A.M.P.A.S.®" and "Oscar Night®" are the trademarks, and the ©Oscar® statuette is the registered design mark and copyrighted property, of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Additional information regarding the "Terms & Conditions of Use" and "Legal Regulations for Using Intellectual Properties of the Academy" may be accessed online at http://www.oscars.org/legal/
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Communications Department
8949 Wilshire Boulevard
Beverly Hills, CA 90211-1972
Phone (310) 247-3090
FAX (310) 271-3395
http://www.oscars.org
publicity@oscars.org