MY EXPERIENCE OF LIFE
When I began my career I did not know with certainty in what area to specialize, the first few years I had the opportunity to dedicate myself to the live sound and a little to the recording studio, that was when one day I was presented with the opportunity to coordinate with the sound department for the filming of a fiction short film, and that’s where I discovered that this is definitely what I’m made for. I felt a total connection with the sound and that day transformed me completely.
Being a sound engineer is for me something more than just a profession. It is a whole life experience that has led me to face situations within the profession that make me improve myself, move all my emotions, excite me, intrigue me, challenge me to be better every day, it has taken me to unsuspected and inaccessible places to which I could only have come thanks to the filming of documentary films.
The sound of documentary film has given me great challenges; I never know what climatic and spatial conditions, etc. I’m going to face, and that’s precisely what makes me be well prepared (not only in the technical part) to capture the best possible sound.
Breaking the barriers of the professional fear, and listening every day with attention to every place I go. Knowing the sound of my house, an open or closed space, etc., helps me make better decisions at the time of filming. Sound is not isolated from our daily experience, at every moment we have audio/visual experiences that connect us to the outside world, all the time we can recognize people or places just by listening to a few notes and it is our task as sound engineers to capture it in a more clear, clean and transparent way. To recreate those experiences in a realistic way.
The sound in an audio/visual project is as important as the image because through it we can communicate a series of messages that would not be possible to transmit in any other way and it is our responsibility as sound engineers to fight for this. How? Give importance to each sound that we capture in location, always doing it with the conscience of how we can benefit or harm the subsequent chains, distinguishing from the source if it is a sound that helps us or not and always strive to have the best conditions to record.
One of my most recent experiences was the recording for a documentary about the Santa Martha Penitentiary Center at the CDMX. Here we had to work with basic sound equipment since you can’t enter with too much, so I had to choose the right equipment to achieve a good recording. I had the opportunity to record several testimonies which have led me to reflect on many things, to break taboos and realize that through sound I can also do social work and benefit people who are difficult situations and lack of opportunities. It was a very pleasant experience that made me grow personally and professionally and confirms my love for what I do.
So, I can tell you, if sound is your passion, you will commit with it. Do not give up, study it, know it and above all listen and enjoy having experiences beyond the visible that will make you realize how valuable, unique, and beautiful this physical phenomenon is.
Sound accompanies us day by day, so you can no longer feel it as something that is isolated from your life experience or as something that you only have to occupy when you are recording. Sound is with you all the time, it connects you with people and with surprising situations, and it is through the cinema that I (at least) can develop and grow not only professionally but also as a human being and I invite you to make the sound your life experience, discover yourself through it. Strive for better results, because you can not transmit a message that is not known or is not understood.
Remember. The sound goes beyond the word, sound transmits a message, and we are the sound engineers who must know how to interpret or translate it.
And as the engineer Joselito Rodríguez said, in his book Image of sound:
“Express yourself without words, deliver your message, and fulfill its function, even when its meaning escapes the conscience … What transcendence then acquires the word said …?
So there is still much to be transmitted.
I love sound. Nina Guadarrama
Irina Guadarrama Olhovich
Sound designer and sound designer of several films, documentaries and short films such as “Todo por Amor” Kristof Rascinsky, “Penal Santa Martha,” “La Replica” among others. She works as a product specialist for Tascam Mexico, giving direct sound training workshops and recording various projects assigned by the brand. Lecturer at various film festivals such as Shorts Mexico, and Oaxaca Film Fest. Member of SoundGirls Mexico. Read SoundGirls en México’s Blog