MUSIC/SOUND DESIGN
Drawing on a vast knowledge of repertoire in all genres of music we help advertising and film companies find the perfect music to accompany their projects. If the music is integral to the visual message we can work with you achieve a perfectly balanced result. Alternatively we can come in at a later stage and help find that elusive music score that you have been looking for to enrich your visuals.
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BOUND
"A cloth holds her pieces together but also
binds her into labels."
Kathy Geritz, UC Berkeley
A lyrical story of a young Chinese British woman who undertakes a symbolic journey of self-discovery. Incorporating elements of poetry and dance, it explores one woman's attempt to reconcile the past with
the present
as she confronts the complexities of her cultural identity.
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THE IRAQ WAR BY NUMBERS
This documentary marks the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, Rageh Omaar returns to the country to discover the human stories behind the vast number of statistics generated in five years of conflict. The programme uses archive footage and eye-witness accounts to illustrate the effects of the war on civilians and military, participants and observers, Iraqis and non-Iraqis.
The music for this piece took 3 drafts to
get right - getting simpler and simpler each time. Eventually the
music took shape in a sombre and sparse recording on grand piano.
The style was a mix of classical and Arabic, using a light EQ set to
make the piano sound reminiscent of an Iraqi santour - a traditional
stringed instrument struck by hammers.
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I4I - 3 Minute Wonder &
Channel 4 Dispatches
Director: AJ Nakasila
Production: Truevision Films
Broadcast on Channel 4 on March
3rd - 6th 2008
This series of six short films looked at
the theme of revenge in youth gangs. This production was special in
the sense that the director AJ was only 17 and a product of the very
environment he was trying to document.
After one day in the studio AJ became
the voice of the first soundtrack. He proved to have lyrics and
vocals that perfectly matched the intention of the films, and
eventually featured on 5 of the 6 submitted to Channel Four.
Later on that evening, we decided to
take sound recordings and pictures on location in (omitted), and
there was one of the strangest moments of our lives when we scared
an old lady half to death kicking benches and bins in the heart of
one of London's roughest estates.
We walked her home, AJ in tears at
her story. The sound of her telling her story, of our feet swishing
through the leaves on the ground, the sound of our director thumping
his fist into his palm and the tube on the jubilee line all
eventually became features in the soundtracks.
The soundtracks have now to been changed into their own standalone songs due to overwhelming requests from the immediate community.
NEW DAWN FADES
Set in the East End of London, this gritty emotionally charged tale intricately links the lives of a young Bengali girl, Shaz, and her heroin addict brother, J. Shaz's world is torn apart when J is exiled from the family home. In her efforts to save their relationship, Shaz unwittingly finds herself immersed in J's world. ‘New Dawn Fades' follows their transgression as they find themselves having to sacrifice more than their values to survive a nightmarish freefall.
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CHICKEN SOUP
Jiao leaves her life in China to live in London. As nostalgia sets in, she seeks solace in a small noodle bar. An unexpected romance develops between her and Ho, the waiter. The chicken soup he serves feeds her imagination for home and comfort. ‘Chicken Soup' is an intimate passage of a young Chinese women to find a home away from home.
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INTERACTION
Tom has a new girl in his life. If only she knew he existed. Day and night he sits alone, hypnotised by her web-cam web-site. As compulsion becomes obsession, he gradually slips into a routine of
suffocating monotony and his flat degenerates into squalor. One day Tom sees an intruder in her bedroom and decides to investigate. But darker forces
are at work and as he travels deeper into her world his worst fears are confirmed and his mind begins to completely unravel.
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EVERYTHING
When a man visits a London prostitute nine times in nine consecutive days, without once soliciting a single sexual favour, Naomi becomes, by turns, wary, uncomfortable, suspicious and intrigued. But Richard’s motivation is both stranger and more moving than ever she could have guessed.
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Various projects for the steel industry giants, following the company’s progress post merger.
This is an example of our ability to emulate musical styles on
demand at a high turnover rate. Our client required music at a rate
of one or more per day in a variety of styles.
The briefs included tracks evocative of Sigur Ros, Oasis and African trumpets; another was to produce music reminiscent of Miles Davis at his best. Other styles emulated included Madonna, Arcade Fire and Bjork.
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Logixx 8 Campaign
Director: Russell Parrett
Production: Redshark TV
Nationwide In-store DVD Campaign
2007
The approach that instantly won favour in
this soundtrack was building rhythmic layers almost entirely from
the sound of water.
One of The Logixx 8 washing machine’s
features was the use of ‘raindrop technology’. We decided to go to
town on this and recorded the sound of water in various
environments, for instance, bathroom taps, sticking microphones
underwater to record gurgling plugholes, leaning over the Thames and
even wading into the fountains in Trafalgar Square.
Kimi Takesue - director of BOUND
Livestock produced all the music and sound design for Kimi's multiple award winning film.
TECH TALK
This was an especially challenging job as we were required to not only re-create the haunting sound of the Japanese Shakuhachi but the fluid traditional playing style. The Shakuhachi tone was created by Yamaha's sound designer Neil Larsen on a specially customised Proteus World while the fluid playing style was achieved using a Yamaha breath controller to trigger the midi.
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ITV & Al Jazeera
Rageh Omaar presents
The Iraq War By Numbers
Director: Nick Read
Editor: Dana Trometer
Broadcast on ITV March 17th 2008,
Al Jazeera 20th March 2008