José Luis Morales from Arrecife is a candidate for nominations in the 'Best Sound' category at the 'Goya Awards', with the two films he has worked on, '21 paraísos' and 'Un largo viaje'. On November 30th, the nominations will be announced, and the sound technician specialized in film will know if he is finally nominated for the Academy Awards and attends the gala. The 38th edition of the most anticipated ceremony of Spanish cinema this 2024 will be held on Saturday, February 10th in Valladolid.
The 42-year-old from Lanzarote left the island and moved to Madrid in 2000 to study a 'Higher Technical Module' at the age of 19. But what really caught him was the 'Direct Sound in Film Module', which he started in 2006.
During all this time, he has managed to make contacts and friendships that have pushed him to become a sound technician in film, television programs, advertising, and series. Specifically, for platforms like 'Netflix' and 'Amazon' and also brands like 'L'Oréal' and 'Carolina Herrera'. Although he declares himself specialized in the 'Direct Sound Module' in the field of fiction, he told La Voz. "Fiction is the field in which I like to work the most," he confessed.
Morales has been a member of the Film Academy since 2021 and it is not the first time that he has been on the list of candidates for the Goya nominations. He was already in 2018 for the short film 'Baraka', in which he provided the sound for the story of two brothers separated by the war in Iraq. In addition, in 2021, he won the award for 'Best Sound' at the 'Medina del Campo Film Festival', for his participation in the short 'Chaval'.
He received the news of the candidacy through an online message sent by the Academy. "I opened the email and, as I am a member, they had sent me the notification," he revealed to the newspaper.
'21 paradise'
His main task in the films is to "get the sound as clean as possible", as he has done in the feature film '21 paradise'. A film shot in 2022, which will be released in theaters on November 21st. For Morales, it has been "a great challenge" to work on the film. "It was the first film that was not in digital," he pointed out. In addition, a tough experience that he had to face alone, "I was the only sound technician," he revealed.
A film in which he experienced one of the most surreal anecdotes that has happened to him. "The kitchen of the apartment we were filming in started to burn," he told the newspaper. A "good scare" in which "almost all the material and the film burned," he assured.
In 'Un largo viaje', the film released in theaters on November 10th, was shot in a motorhome in the south of Madrid, in which the technician had to face doing his work in motion. A difficulty to which are sometimes added outdoor shootings, with complications of the environment such as people, rain, wind and sun. Therefore, his professional value consists in trying to keep "the dialogues of each interpreter clean". "When we shoot outdoors, my function is that the dialogue is understood without having to go to dubbing," he explained. Afterwards, it is ready to go through post-production.
Six years without visiting Lanzarote
Due to his profession, the arrecifeño has been six years without being able to visit Lanzarote. Work issues have been the main reason for not being able to get close to his land. Since he left 23 years ago, he has occasionally moved to the island to visit all his family. His professional career in the cinematographic field on the island has not been very extensive. He reveals that he worked for several years with the late film director Roberto Pérez Toledo, also born in Lanzarote.
