Sky 3D - DNA

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Sky 3D - DNA

Original Score, Bespoke Sound Effects and Sound Design by Radium Audio

When Sky Creative tell us about the new series of Sky 3D Channel idents they are making to commemorate the 1 year anniversary of Sky 3D channel and offer us free rein to create the soundtrack, we are really excited to get involved.

Director Jon Yeo talks about the real life stereoscopic action shoot they will opt for in preference to creating all the effects digitally, using vibrant, colourful powders subjected to various physical stressors and shot in midair action, to showcase in the finest and most beautifully rendered detail the enhanced spatial depth and movement, and vivid, tangible and immersive experience of 3DTV – expressing, in effect Sky 3D’s “DNA”.

When we attend the actual shoot and observe the process right from all the logistical challenges of creating the original visuals through to the rough cuts of the onscreen rendering, we begin to understand that much like the visual piece, the sound will need to evolve organically, underpinning, wrapping round and swelling out of the journey we see the DNA particles take onscreen, like an explosion into being of a newborn galaxy of sound, music and colour.

We immediately think of small sound particles twinkling and sparkling, akin to the “music of the spheres” starting with the tiniest elements to sonically express the DNA particles, and building and layering our soundtrack from there. Glass is to play a major part in the creation of this piece – as we decide in the end to use it to express both the microscopic and the more expansive elements in the sound design. We design and construct an eight foot wind chime from wood and high spec scientific glass which we have cut to exact measurements to produce the timbres we need for the project. Then we obtain a variety of instrumental beaters to experiment with the sound colours we can make from the chimes, and have fun playing until we find the right tonal hits to layer into the piece. Additionally, we bring in specially selected scientific glass offcuts and purchase glass beads to record and manipulate with the software we’ve written inhouse for exactly that purpose, to be sonically sprinkled throughout the piece, dancing and shimmering across the soundscape.