A Catholic Sound Engineer’s Work

By: Juan Carlo Vitasa

Okay, I’m not really worthy of the title Sound Engineer, because I didn’t graduate with any audio-related degree. Well, most of us here in the Audio Post Production Industry are graduates of some other course not related to sound, and some didn’t graduate at all. So I prefer being called something else like a Sound Stylist, an Audio Surgeon, a Sound Chef, or simply...an Audio Guy.

The work of an audio guy in an audio post production house in a nutshell, is basically creating the sound that would deliver the message of advertisements, such as (but is not limited to), a radio ad, TV ad, a viral etc.—RIGHT. My boss, Mr. Raul Blay calls our work, storytelling. We do tons of recording, sound designing, mixing, editing and foley-ing. We get to work with different kinds of people, like celebrities, politicians, talents, models, producers, and rising stars. Sounds fun right? Well, not all the time.

Just like any other kind of work, there are also not so fun parts attached to it. Audio guys are like doctors; if someone needs you, you have to be there no matter what time it is. If they need you to work from 8am to 4am, you have to be there 8am to 4am. If they need you during holidays, you have to be there. If they need you on a Sunday, you have to be there. So yeah, we are like doctors, minus the saving lives part.

Before I signed the work contract they warned me that schedules get bad. And I told myself, “Okay, It can’t be that bad”. I was too complacent in a YOLO-ish way. I didn’t know that the work of an audio guy in the advertising industry would be heartbreaking. It will break your heart a thousand times a year... a THOUSAND TIMES A YEAR. Imagine this: You’ve scheduled a dinner date with your love, and you’re soooo excited. You’re about to leave work, and your date is on her way. And then duty calls saying, “You have a 7pm to 12am schedule with a producer.” BOOM! Like a thief in the night, baby. That shizzle happens A LOT. I kid you not; there was a time when I got traumatized. Every time I heard a phone ringing, I got scared. Our boss keeps on reminding us that we should have passion for work, and I agree. But when you mix being burned-out by work, with, aaaaaaaaall the heartbreaking moments, your weighing scale starts to get “intelligent” and asks all kinds of questions like, is it worth it? Emotions will consume all reason... And that leads to what I would like to call an Emotional Gluttony or a Dangerous Emo.

I’ve been doing this job for five years now. I almost didn’t make it; I thought of quitting before. So how in the world was I able to endure such heartbreaking times? Survival? If you see work as a means for mere survival, you will not last. You know there’s something wrong if you complain at almost everything that’s work related: Why is the script like this? Why is the talent like that? Why are we working so late? And a whole lot more of negativity.

 St. Josemaria Escriva said, “Sanctifying one’s work is no fantastic dream, but the mission of every Christian — yours and mine.” What does that mean? Work was eating up all of my time. What does sanctifying one’s work mean and how does it become my mission? I think St. Joseph—if not the favourite—was one of St. Josemaria’s favourite saints because he always talked about work. To understand how one can be made holy (sanctified) through one’s work, let’s look at what St. Joseph did. As we all know, he was a carpenter. But he wasn’t just a carpenter, PERIOD. He was a carpenter who accepted God’s task, to be the father of His Son. By working hard, he was able to feed, protect, and fulfil one’s duty as a father. Can you imagine St. Joseph complaining about his work saying “Oh this is too much, imma ditch this task and go on a long vacation”. But no, he carried his cross; an extremely heavy cross that involves being hunted down and having one’s son threatened to be killed by a corrupt king. The exemplary duty as a father that St. Joseph had fulfilled was not done in the name of survival; but ultimately because of his love for God.

If you do your work and offer it up to God, you will feel aligned. That’s how I have somehow managed for the last five years. One must not separate work from God. Instead, one must be a work of God. The image of God must be seen in us, and we must never forget our divine filiation (being children of God; God being our father). When we are aware of this divine filiation, we become conscious of what we do at work. Are we being God’s work if we complain a lot about work instead of doing well at it?

Work as a means of sanctification makes sense and bears beautiful and sweet fruits. If you do it out of love— because you want to earn to help out in your family, buy something for a loved one, or to help the poor, etc—you think more of the people around you, and less of yourself. It is very different from working so you can buy yourself the latest cellphone or a new gaming console. Not that it’s wrong to buy these things, but what I’m saying is that, it’s sweeter to be an instrument of charity. If you help others, you create a better environment that affects everyone. It makes sense because one’s motivation affects productivity; it’s like fuel. Whatever fuel you use affects the car’s performance. If you use the right fuel, you will perform better. As a minor plus, practicality wise—at least in my case—if you perform better, you get more work. And more work means more pay. But more importantly, perform better and you glorify God with your work. Incidentally, we also honor our parents whose name we are carrying. It’s so beautiful, honoring one’s father and mother. Jesus himself honored Mary and Joseph. Jesus never complained about being a son of a carpenter. He carried the badge of his father and became a carpenter himself!

I have much to learn about being a good Christian. The truth is that I’m struggling much to be holy just as our Father is holy. I surely have a long way to go. I am not immune to any hardships and challenges at work, but I continue to pray for the kind of work that will allow me “to spend the appropriate amount of time on each of my duties: spiritual life, family life, professional life and social relations, in a balanced way,” as the Novena for Work to St. Josemaria goes.  There is no perfect job, but I know that whatever job God gives me, can perfect my soul if done for His glory. And while waiting for His answer to my prayers, I hang on to these words of St. Josemaria, “Persevere in the exact fulfillment of the obligations of the moment. That work — humble, monotonous, small – is prayer expressed in action that prepares you to receive the grace of the other work – great and wide and deep — of which you dream.” (The Way, 825)