Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1538091
30 FA L L 2 0 2 5 I C A S Q U A R T E R L Y organization," Thom stated, adding that we "would have a stronger voice than two separate ones." And it wouldn't even be unprecedented. Thom recounts how on Coppola's and Lucas' early movies, Walter Murch and Ben Burtt began using the term "Sound Designer," which was borrowed from live theater. "They were very much involved with every phase of those movies," Thom points out, "neither was a production mixer, [but] they kept in touch with the production mixers and lobbied in their favor." Renowned Indian sound editor and sound designer (as well as producer and director) Resul Pookutty offers yet another historic perspective. Since music has always been a fundamental element of Indian cinema, the re-recording mixer was valued above other roles to the point that a film's release date would be based on the re-recording mixer's availability. The film's entire soundtrack was their responsibility. That's where the term Director of Audiography (DA) came from, which is unique to Indian filmography. Things started to change in India in the mid-'90s when Mr. Pookutty and other colleagues, after studying abroad, became interested in recording clean dialogue tracks during principal photography. This was a bit of a revolution in a country where the entirety of the dialogue was recorded as ADR. "At that time," shares Pookutty, "virtually no films were recording production sound." That's when he decided to bring production sound back to Indian cinema. But the DA concept remains strong in Indian films. For his most recent film, The Goat Life, Resul handled the production sound, all the sound editorial, and even the music mix. The DA, shares the Oscar winner, "is a very comprehensive position." He finds that this allows the creative process to be much more collaborative, as opposed to the highly specialized roles we're familiar with in the U.S. So, who should fulfill this role? Randy Thom's thoughts are straightforward: "It doesn't matter whether the person—or maybe a pair of people—in charge of sound comes mainly from a background in production mixing, sound editing, sound design, re-recording, or a combination." What matters most, he says, is that they're able to effectively communicate with the director and other departments to "facilitate that artistic use of sound." On the production side, Thom laments that only a few PSM's have cultivated the type of relationship with a director in which they are treated "as a true creative collaborator." He says it would be "fantastic" if production mixers thought of themselves as sound designers, learning how sound functions in storytelling, to be able to have the same kinds of conversations that DP's have with their directors. So, maybe we're asking the wrong question. Rather, we should ask ourselves, "Does my director consider me a collaborator in the creative process?" If you're fortunate enough to work with a director who introduces you to the rest of the crew as their "Director of Sound," then it doesn't really matter whether that role formally exists in the industry. The more we endeavor to become that sort of filmmaker— and the more we start doing so—it will become commonplace, and soon it won't be necessary to ask the question. How do you see yourself? Resul Pookutty Randy Thom CAS