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Traithep Wongpaiboon A s the clos<strong>in</strong>g credits rolled, the realisation occurred that this film experience feels different. Scenes <strong>of</strong> walk<strong>in</strong>g, movement, fall<strong>in</strong>g leaves or even breath<strong>in</strong>g became more dist<strong>in</strong>ct and the precise tim<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> the musical score enhanced my enjoyment. Yes, there’s narrative, act<strong>in</strong>g and visuals – but this time, sound effects really registered, unlike before when I paid less attention. Because Fah Thai had a chance to talk with a renowned sound master recently, every auditory facet <strong>in</strong> the movie became important. Top A recent sound design work <strong>in</strong>cluded See You Tomorrow, a romantic comedy. Bottom ‘The Grandmaster’ featured rapid kung fu movements that required sound syncronicity. Traithep “U” Wongpaiboon, a sound and music lover, avid v<strong>in</strong>yl collector and the manag<strong>in</strong>g director at Kantana Sound Studio, po<strong>in</strong>ts out that except for dialogue, the rest <strong>of</strong> the sounds <strong>in</strong> a movie have to be created <strong>in</strong> the studio. With more than 20 years <strong>of</strong> sound and music experience and as a band member <strong>of</strong> the Kidnappers, a Thai 90’s <strong>in</strong>die electronic pop band – he is no rookie <strong>in</strong> the sound <strong>in</strong>dustry. His job as a re-record<strong>in</strong>g mixer deals with post audio production. Once the movie is shot, sound effects, foley sounds and music get <strong>in</strong>tegrated accord<strong>in</strong>g to a director’s specifications. Consequently, Traithep is responsible for the whole soundmix<strong>in</strong>g process. It’s a technical process but results <strong>in</strong> a film with an artistic soundscape and the viewer absorbs the narrative without notic<strong>in</strong>g the sounds as a storytell<strong>in</strong>g companion. While his client roster <strong>in</strong>cludes mostly Asian film studios, his portfolio <strong>in</strong>cludes Thai and foreign films rang<strong>in</strong>g from ma<strong>in</strong>stream to <strong>in</strong>dependent ones. One <strong>of</strong> his masterpieces is “The Grandmaster,” the action drama directed by filmmaker Wong Kar Wai, which won Traithep a Hong Kong Film Award for best sound design and a Golden Reel Award for best sound edit<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> 2014. It took him six months to f<strong>in</strong>ish Wong’s project and while the work was not easy, it paid <strong>of</strong>f. His work<strong>in</strong>g relationship with the Hong Kong director spans 10 years. “Work<strong>in</strong>g with him was tough and exhaust<strong>in</strong>g because he is quite a perfectionist. Everyth<strong>in</strong>g has to be perfect. And he loves experiment<strong>in</strong>g,” Traithep expla<strong>in</strong>s. “For The Grandmaster, I did several versions and it was so tir<strong>in</strong>g then,” Traithep rem<strong>in</strong>isced with a laugh. Recently, he worked with Wong Kar Wai aga<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong> “See You Tomorrow,” a romantic comedy film produced by Wong and released <strong>in</strong> Hong Kong last December. Traithep recognised his audiophile lean<strong>in</strong>gs early <strong>in</strong> life and chose to study sound eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> 42