Waves

Filmed along the brutal Cornish coast, Charlie was drawn to the unpredictable nature of the sea in its present state. Such a vast amount of open water is unknown and often dangerous, this reflected in Charlie’s emotions towards the space at a time when many are risking their lives to migrate across similar expanses. Despite this treachery, the outcome of the footage is hypnotic and immersive, especially when accompanied by the soundtrack.

My score for Waves responds to the use of scale in the film. As the camera moves further away from the subject, the sound follows – moving from delicate and detailed sounds of the waves crashing against the rocks, to expansive sub bass and super wide stereo as we see the wide angle shots of the ocean.

I started by building a palette of water sounds, drawing on my own recordings from a phantom-river installation in Barcelona but also using a hydrophone to go for a swim in nearby Wivenhoe in the river Colne. Since there was no audio on the footage, I wanted my soundscape to be somewhere between diegetic and not. Synchronising with the movement of the water when the camera begins up close, but then becoming non-diegetic as the camera pans out and we’re struct by the sheer scale of the ocean and its power.