Today we’d like to introduce you to Karthik Mohan.
Hi Karthik, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I come from Chennai, a South Indian coastal city known for its rich musical and cultural traditions. I have always been fascinated by percussion instruments right from a young age and also learnt to play the Tabla and Mridangam. This vastly helped me build a strong sense of pitch and rhythms. But I think it was my interest in storytelling that brought me towards cinema. I used to read a lot of books and stories based on history and mythology were my favourites. I also enjoyed watching action movies in theatres with DTS and Dolby Digital. While in college, I was awestruck by a Kamal Haasan film titled Uttama Villain and decided I wanted to become a filmmaker. I joined a film club and started making short films. It very quickly dawned on me that good sound could help us achieve that part of storytelling that we couldn’t execute visually. I got so interested in the sound that I began sound designing short films for friends and started recording sounds for my own sound library. At Sync Cinema, one of the biggest sound studios in Chennai, I got to shadow the best sound editors and observe their process. Attending a workshop conducted by Randy Thom, Director of Skywalker Sound, was the turning point for me. I decided to take up sound as a career and completed my MFA in Film Production with an emphasis in Sound Design from Chapman University. That prepared me to work with the best in Hollywood and here I am doing what I love!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As a sound editor/designer, my main aim is to translate my director’s vision into sound. But, a sound on its own has no value. The context in which a sound is presented is what tells a story. That context varies widely with each country and culture. This was the biggest challenge for me. Getting used to a completely new way of life and culture was the first step in the US. Everything was very different here starting from something as small as the direction in which switches are turned on and off. Film school introduced me to a highly diverse group of people and that was a very exciting time. I was fortunate to make great friends and meet great mentors along the way who continue to support me every day.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I specialize in Sound Editing/Design. Often what we see is not what we hear when it comes to cinema. A lot of different sounds are layered to create a single sound effect. The process of choosing and creating these sounds can get very interesting and that is what I specialize in. There is no single recipe to produce the perfect sound because each scene is different and can impact the audience’s experience at varying emotional levels. The fact that sound is an invisible art is what makes it even more interesting. There is no limit to how creative you can get while designing a sound. To make the audience feel a certain way while keeping them immersed in the story is the hallmark of a successful soundtrack. I have worked on a variety of feature films, short films, documentaries, commercials and digital content. Some of my notable sound editing work includes projects like the Indian blockbuster Mahaan, Indie thriller The Girl on the Mountain, digital content for shows like The Wheel of Time and Hanna, all of which are available on Amazon Prime. I have also worked on recent festival hits like Iravin Nizhal and Four Samosas. Additionally, I have worked on a web series titled A Grunt’s Life: Season 2 for Vet TV. I have also worked on digital content for Samsung, Levis and Hailey Bieber’s Rhode Skin. My work in Las Escondidas has been nominated for a Motion Picture Sound Editors (MPSE) Golden Reel Verna Fields Award while I won Best Sound Design: Honorable Mention at the LA Film Awards for Saudade.
What matters most to you?
There is no glamour or glitz associated with post-production sound. The only reason one would want to do sound is if they absolutely love the sound. And, no matter how big or small the production is or whichever language it is in, my process and efforts as a sound editor remain the same. So what matters most to me is to enjoy this process and make it smooth for my directors and the rest of the team involved. That will ensure a free exchange of ideas and open communication which will in turn help us create the best possible experience for the audience. This will also help me build long-term relationships with all the people I collaborate with. Coming to my philosophy, I am not emotionally attached to my work. That helps me stay open to ideas throughout the process and take any criticism constructively. Overall, the film has to win and the audience has to be happy.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kamo_fx/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karthik.mohan.7712
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8408260/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0
