MADRID, Spain.- The world of cinema is a symphony of images and sounds that intertwine to tell stories. Behind every step, every door that opens, every glass that breaks… there is a sound artist, known as a Foley artist, working in the shadows to bring each scene to life. In the case of Cuban cinema, for decades, the person behind this task is Sergio Luis Marticorena García, a talented Foley artist who has left his mark on the industry.
Throughout this extensive period, Marticorena, as he is called in the media, has been responsible for creating sound effects for both the films of the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC) and for the Animation Studios of the ICAIC itself. television series, thesis from the San Antonio de los Baños Film School and independent productions.
In exclusive conversation with CubaNet, Marticorena shared details of his job. “This work is part of the film’s soundtrack,” she explains. “It is a process closely linked to the soundtrack designer. He and I agree on what is needed: footsteps, the sound of clothes, doors opening, glasses breaking, falls, blows, crashes; In short, a good part of what has sound in a film.”
Marticorena details the meticulous process he follows to bring each sound to life. From an overview of the film to a precise analysis of the sounds, your goal is to find the resources to then recreate these sounds in an authentic and natural way. In addition, it highlights the importance of synchronizing them with the emotions and actions of the characters to achieve an immersive cinematic experience.
“We are alert all the time, because we can use anything that is nearby,” adds Marticorena. “For the steps I have to look for all the types of shoes used by the characters, which, depending on the number of actors, can be up to 20 pairs of shoes.”
Regarding this close collaboration that he maintains with sound recorders, editors and designers on the film soundtracks, he specifies: “The first thing we do is watch the entire film and I write down what is missing. There are many effects that are done off-screen and you don’t see them on the screen, but the director or the soundtrack designer tells you that they want a off-screen sound to be heard in a certain place.”
He also talks about the importance of collaboration with the sound recordist and editor, who work closely to ensure the quality of the sound in the film. From selecting the right costumes to recreating manual effects, the process is painstaking and requires close attention to every detail.
Regarding his beginnings in this world, going back more than four decades, he says that he began his career on the radio, where he delved into dramatic programs and children’s programs. Later, in the eighties, he moved to the TV Dubbing Studios, where he participated in the creation of soundtracks for national and international productions and in dubbing of foreign series.
Among the numerous national productions for television in which his ingenuity intervened, he mentions soap operas such as Sol de batey, Tierra brava, The orphans of the Obra Pía and adventures like Shiralad. Of the international ones, to name a few, name the Castillo Rá-Tim-Bum.
Since then, he has contributed to the creation of soundtracks for a wide range of feature films, collaborating with renowned directors such as Fernando Pérez, Mario Rivas, Ernesto Daranas, Juan Padrón and many more.
The work of this Foley artist extends to the world of animation, where “he puts sound to that material that does not have any type of sound and you have to create a more imaginative one,” he details. His work on multiple productions at the ICAIC Cartoon Studios includes the short films Elpidio Valdés, 20 years old, More vampires in Havana, History of the runaway black man and the series Fernanda.
His vast experience has extended to the International Film School of San Antonio de los Baños, where he has contributed to the creation of soundtracks for numerous degree theses.
“For several years,” he comments, “I have been working in the Foley studio set up by sound engineer Boris Trueba, who is both a recorder and editor, with whom I have achieved a great rapport that favors what we do. Although I also work with other very good sound engineers in that same place.”
“Creativity is essential in this type of work,” emphasizes Marticorena. “For example, sometimes the director tells me: ‘I want you to make me that pigeon that is passing by there, on camera.’ We are not going to catch a pigeon and release it. So, for example, with some strips of cloth or paper depending on the size of the dove or the bird that flies by, I can make the flapping motion. You have to have a lot of imagination, it is essential in this.”
Among the more than one hundred films in which he has worked, in addition to those mentioned, are Havana boccacceríasby Arturo Sotto; Giraffesby Enrique Álvarez; Wedding dressde Marilyn Solaya; Suite Habanaby Fernando Pérez; Little fingerby Ernesto Padrón, and one of the latest has been The wild womandebut feature by Cuban director and screenwriter Alán González, premiered at the Toronto International Festival in 2023 and at the end of that year won the awards for Best Film, Best Sound and Best Lead Performance at the Ceará Film Festival in Brazil.
When asked about the most challenging films he has worked on, Marticorena believes that more than the films as a whole, it is certain sequences or specific effects that present the greatest complexities.
“In general, all films are difficult,” he explains. “You have to constantly be creating and looking for sounds that do not exist in the effects library or that would take a long time to adapt to what you want. Cartoons are very complicated, they require great concentration and creativity; You have to build the sound from scratch. There is no direct sound and everything is invented.”
Noted for the complexity of his Foley work Havana Suite, Martí the eye of the canary, El Mayor y Sergio and Sergio. In Suite Habanathe sound was another protagonist, which required great precision and detail; Martí the eye of the canary due to the complex situations of many scenes, The oldest due to the large number of battles and use of weapons. About Sergio and Sergio He relates: “We had to look for sounds outside, we entered an old alcohol distillery to imitate the sound of aerolites colliding with the spacecraft, we used large tanks ─as you can see in the photos─ and we threw stones at them with microphones inside the tank to record a similar sound. It was an experience that I enjoyed, also because I was with great friends.”
When investigating why few venture into this profession in Cuba, despite the importance of Foley’s work, Marticorena points out the lack of training in this field in the country. She explains that there have been attempts and that some young people have approached him to learn the trade, but that the complexity of the work and the need for great imagination and creativity discourages many.
“You have to have a lot of imagination, ear, creativity and, fundamentally, you have to like doing this job,” he says. “You are constantly creating sounds, inventing, searching, and that is the problem.”
Marticorena remembers that in the past he shared space with another Foley artist, Manuel Marín, until he finally found himself alone in the field. “There was a time when we were two Foley artists,” she says. “But Marín was also an actor and there came a time when he couldn’t do both and then I was left alone working in the television and film dubbing studios.”
The truth is that for these reasons and due to the lack of calls and specific training programs for such a specialty, because there has not been a forecast, a call to prepare talents for this type of work, he has been the maker of the majority of the foleys. in Cuban films for many years.
Behind the meticulous work of Sergio Luis Marticorena hides a deep passion for sound and great artistic sensitivity. His work, although often unrecognized, is essential to creating the cinematic experience.
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2024-05-04 01:24:18
#effects #Sergio #Luis #Marticorena #Cuban #cinema