Translucent is a New Cross based Horror short by directors Gabriel Plebias and Benjamin Poore.
- Location sound
- Sound design
- Composition
The films location played the primary role in the themes of the score as the DLR and overground trains were present in many scenes. Utilising train sound as a theme allowed the creation of an environmental score, one which can follow the protagonist to many locations without seeming out of place, diegetically tethering the score.
Train sound proved to be a fertile sonic material, producing tonally dynamic pads, interesting rhythms and melodic phrases. The field recordings were manipulated heavily during the scoring process, however they maintain recognisability as trains. As a result they still trigger the conceptual associations inherent to trains eg. power, danger, most importantly forthcoming.
Many of the scores textures were created by using PaulXstretch, this allowed me to accentuate tonal qualities of the field recordings and create drone textures with melodic phrases and rhythm.
Automation for tonal DLR drone in ‘Over the Bridge’ score. I created constant movement within the textures by automating tremolo and EQ, with the intention of invoking a sense of overwhelming anxiety and forthcoming.
One of the first sounds collected for the score were electromagnetic recordings of a series of digital cameras. The recordings have a harsh timbre, spanning from extreme lows to extreme highs very quickly. Using an electromagnetic microphone allowed for a sound that was partly removed from a cliche camera effect, instead creating sounds of a more musical nature while maintaining the identity of a camera.
Contextually this sound re-enforces the narrative themes of stalking and an omnipresent observer, an intrusive non diegetic sound disrupting the audiences viewing of the film, echoing the mental instability of the protagonist.
A prominent element of the score is the percussion, carried mostly by a floor tom rim phrase. I recorded two slightly differing rhythmic phrases mimicking the sound of train tracks, I then spread these two recordings wide in the stereo field. I used an AKG 414 microphone to capture the rim, and a sennheiser bass drum microphone to capture the sub tones.
