Film
Water
Sound Designer
Illness strikes; Jan and his mother's life is changed forever. Eight-year-old Jan spends his days caring for his mother, meticulously sticking to a routine. When the outside world threatens to shake their make-shift sanctuary it throws up difficult questions about their situation
For this short film, I approached the sound design with the aim of creating an intimate and emotionally immersive world around Jan and his mother. With much of the story centred on their confined domestic environment, the soundscape became an important way of reflecting Jan’s perspective and the routines that give him a sense of safety and control.
I used subtle environmental details, room tones, domestic sounds and carefully chosen moments of silence to build a sense of intimacy, while allowing the outside world to gradually feel more intrusive as the stability of their routine begins to unravel.
Director
Yilmaz Ustunkaya
Centaurs
Sound Designer
Over the course of one evening in a garden restaurant, three fractured relationships begin to unravel: a daughter and mother trapped in resentment, an employee under the grip of her CEO, and a couple on the edge of collapse. As control, power, and emotional toxicity intensify, their conflicts converge in a grotesque, surreal feast where love becomes possession, intimacy turns violent, and destruction becomes the only bond that remains.
For this film, I approached the sound design by creating a world that gradually shifts from the familiar and natural into something increasingly unsettling and surreal. The garden restaurant provided a rich palette of environmental sounds, which I used to establish a sense of normality before allowing subtle distortions and heightened details to creep into the soundscape.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt44535679/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_1_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_centaurs
Director
Stella Michael
Aydan & Evan
Sound Designer
As Aydan tries to unravel his romantic feelings for Evan, we are submerged in his recollection of one night; a space caught between memory and fantasy.
For this piece, I approached the sound design as a reflection of Aydan’s emotional state, creating a space that sits somewhere between memory, fantasy and reality. I used intimate environmental details and a restrained soundscape to make the world feel close and personal, while gradually introducing subtle shifts and abstractions as the boundaries between what happened and what Aydan remembers begin to blur.
The sound was designed to feel subjective rather than purely observational, allowing the audience to experience the night through Aydan’s recollection and the uncertainty surrounding his feelings for Evan.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13579856/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_1_nm_7_in_0_q_aydan%20and%20e
Director
Elizabeth Jane Cassidy
Whispering Feathers From Afar
Sound Designer
A psychological, surreal short film about faith, art, and healing.
For this film, I approached the sound design as a way of exploring the psychological and surreal elements of the story. I wanted the soundscape to move between the familiar and the abstract, using subtle environmental details, texture and silence to reflect the character’s internal journey.
As the film explores faith, art and healing, I used sound to create moments of uncertainty and emotional disconnection, gradually building towards a more immersive and heightened sonic world. The aim was to make the sound feel less like a representation of what is happening on screen and more like an expression of what is happening within the character.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt39206767/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_3_nm_0_in_0_q_whispering%20feather
Director
Omar Yousaf
Burn the Clock
Sound Editor
A sex, drink and drug-addled love story with a twist...for the lovers in question are 70 years apiece. Laura Poliakoff's funny and moving script, starring the touching talents of Gawn Grainger (August, Love and Death on Long Island) and Gemma Jones (Harry Potter, Bridget Jones's Diary, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger), celebrates the enduring power of sex and love, and asserts that growing up is not about age.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3003684/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_7_nm_0_in_0_q_burn%20the%20clocl
Director
David Tucker
Chicken Dhansak
Sound Designer
A romantic takeaway for two becomes spicier than planned when the heat moves to the en-suite instead of the bedroom...
For this film, I approached the sound design with a playful and intimate tone, using everyday sounds to build the comedy and chemistry between the characters. The takeaway, domestic environment and subtle details of the en-suite became part of the storytelling, allowing the soundscape to heighten the awkwardness and intimacy as the evening takes an unexpected turn.
I used carefully timed sound effects, perspective and moments of silence to support the humour while keeping the relationship between the characters at the heart of the scene.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2807768/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_1_nm_0_in_0_q_chicken%20dhansak
Director
Luke Bellis
Moshpit Moves!
Sound Mixer
Moshpit Moves! is a darkly comic animated short exploring the chaotic relationship between rock stars and their devoted fans. Through an energetic heavy-metal spectacle, it satirises fandom, obsession and the power of the performer over the crowd.
I’ve worked with Jake for many years, so I know just how much creativity, energy and imagination he brings to his work. Moshpit Moves! is a perfect example of that.
Working on the sound often meant knowing when to rein things in and bring the levels down, while still preserving the intensity and energy that runs through Jake’s work. The challenge was finding that balance — shaping the chaos without taking away from what makes it exciting.
It was about supporting Jake’s vision while allowing the sound to match the pace, humour and sheer energy of the film.
Director
Jake Pemberton
Apollo
Sound Designer and Composer
Apollo is a 2010 German animated short film directed by Felix Gönnert that tells the imaginative story of a young boy in a world of identical adults who becomes captivated by a toy rocket.
For this competition entry, I created the sound design and music composition for Apollo, approaching the film from the perspective of its young protagonist.
I wanted the soundscape to capture his imagination and sense of wonder, particularly through his fascination with the toy rocket. I used detailed sound effects and an original musical score to transform the rocket into something much bigger and more adventurous than it physically is, contrasting the playful energy of his imagination with the uniform world around him.
The project was a great opportunity to experiment creatively with sound and music, using both to enhance the emotion, humour and sense of escapism within the film.
Director
Felix Gönnert