Animation, more than any other medium, demands meticulous planning. But our collaboration with Alex Grigg on his influential experimental short Born In A Void proves that there’s still room for an improvisational touch.
Alex' sentiment "I knew I wanted to try different techniques and experiment with different ways to tell a story" mirrored our own approach to this project—and all projects, for that matter. His vision was to capture the tension between solitude and the yearning for connection. He recognized that, in such an abstract piece, music and sound would need to do a lot of heavy-lifting to convey the story.
Experimentation
Taking cues from the kinetic energy of Alex’s sandpit animatic, we embraced a play-first approach. Avoiding screens, which would inevitably draw us into structural thinking, we jammed on hardware devices to create beats and textures that captured the essence of Alex's experiments.
Using this initial, unfiltered, creative flow as the blueprint of the score helped anchor the film's soundscape in a sense of genuine, spontaneous expression. We wanted to build on that.
Our Initial Jam
Improvisation
Prioritising raw emotion and instinct over practised precision, we enlisted the talents of a drummer who hadn't yet seen the film. With the film projected onto a large screen and our own wild gestures serving as a conduit, he delivered an improvised performance that energetically mirrored the film's emotional arc and textural variety.
Building on a our drum foundation, we found more atmospheres and textures with a diverse range of percussion.
Cultivation
Sound design and music functions interchangeably. Synthesised sounds, traditional foley, and creative treatments were all employed as and when it felt best for each moment and story beat. We still avoided looking at the screen where possible, opting for hardware synths, samplers and manipulation tools to maintain a live-band vitality.
