Sounds of Mumbai

For the past 6 months, I've been in a filmmaking program at BDFI, during which I've produced 2 short films and have a 3rd in production. I also got to work on numerous others to learn the various crafts of writing, casting, shooting, directing and editing. It's an amazing process and I've become very aware of how difficult it is to take an idea for a film through production and get something resembling your idea out the other end. One of the more intriguing aspects of filmmaking is sound design. The production sound that gets recorded during shooting typically only includes the dialog, so a lot of work has to be done in post production to add sound effects, music and create atmosphere. This sound design really ends up being the glue that holds a film together, providing depth and continuity. We've learned to listen and think about the sounds that will give life and help tell the story. New Years Day, I woke and lay listening for 15 or 20 minutes to the dense layers of sound. It starts with the sound of an aviary, with dozens of species of birds. People are talking, sometimes yelling, sometimes singing. A few TVs are going. Some dogs are barking. The motors and buzzing horns of rickshaws and motorcycles add another layer. Then there's the pounding, heavy pile driver like pounding that occasionally drowns out the usual hammering and beating. Sometimes it's rhythmic like drums... and it might be, but usually it just seems like constant construction, which it probably is. I'll record some and post it when I get a faster Internet connection. Peter said, 'What noise? This is the quiet part of Mumbai.'