Plaintive metallic FM synthesis, floral and frilly pitched-up woodwind and an interesting techniques to produce bird sounds with our own voices soundtrack a super-wide, hyper-stylised short.
Animated solely in shades of orange Honour explores the absurdity and inevitability of honour and revenge from the viewpoint of an alien civilisation.
Impressed by our work on other shorts, Director Frederic Siegel approached us to create a "pretty serious style of sound". A bit of a departure for your silly friends at Skillbard but we hope it paid off.
There are two main musical landscapes within Honour. We wanted them to be noticeably different in mood, Each “otherworldly“ in their own unique way.
The Technological
Brittle and metallic FM synths pads, reminiscent of Radiohead's "Idioteque" (which sampled Paul Lansky's "Mild Und Leise"), created a sound that was alien and hi-tech, piercing, plaintive, and lonely.
Some Metallic FM Synths
The Flora
Drawing influence from the heavy atmosphere of pieces like Einojuhani Rautavaara's "Cantus Arcticus" and "Possible Musics" by Jon Hassell & Brian Eno, the bird-like trills and pitch-shifted woodwind created a”frilly”, ethereal, and luminous atmosphere.
Some Floral Twiddlies
The Fauna
To voice the birds and animals on the planet, we used a technique of slowing down recordings of real creatures. By mimicking them and embellishing, then speeding up the result, we produced natural but unfamiliar creatures.
A Jungle Made with Our Mouths
