Qumra Master Martin Hernández, two-time Academy Award nominee for Best Sound Editing for Birdman (2014) and The Revenant (2015), said the art of sound lies in mapping the emotional arc of a film.
“The right sound should not be noticed; it is there but you don’t realise it; if you hear a lot of sound, it is like a bad actor overperforming,” he said.
During his masterclass at the 10th edition of Qumra, Hernandez presented audiovisual footage from his films and highlighted how he sources sounds – which could be as simple as recording ambient sounds using his smartphone.
He said it is important for sound designers to look at the emotional map of the film. “There is the geographic location and the emotional location both of which influence the camera’s position. I always tell my team to watch where the camera is – where the scene is coming from and where it is going,” said Hernandez, adding this is important to capture the nuances of the scene.
Underlining the importance of sound in film, he said: “Much of what you see is also much of what you hear. It is always challenging to find the right sound; you can never take it for granted.
“Sometimes we get it right the first time, but most often, we have to start from scratch. There is no manual to go to – and we discover and learn as we go. Our job is to translate what the writer and director have created – in sound.”
“Imagine sound editing as a platter of flavours. Like cooking, you need to put in the right ingredients and until you put them together you don’t know if the outcome is going to be good or bad,” added Hernandez.