Cuties - BFI

In the Spring of 2020, I was approached by Film-maker Theo W. Scott to provide sound design for his animated short-film ‘Cuties’. Funded by the British Film Institute, Cuties explores how humanity as a species will always move forward, despite having such a proclivity for destruction.

With Cuties taking place throughout many key moments in history, I had the tall task of creating the appropriate sound effects to suit each setting. Scenes that take place in the Garden of Eden use more organic sounds, which required me to record natural soundscapes of rivers and woodland areas, to create an authentic ambience for the sequence. However, the World War 1 sequence required a completely different approach to the ambience. In order to depict the chaos of the war, I scattered sounds of gunfire, aircrafts and explosions across the soundscape.

This film also allowed a lot of creativity when designing the more sci-fi sounds in the film. Each portal sound for example was constructed in a completely unique way, using a variety of sound synthesis techniques. When the protagonist first travels through a portal, the sound consists of several synth tones, layered at different octaves to create a more ominous presence. As the portal remains open, the initial sound is resampled and processed through reverb to give the sound a slightly other-worldly presence.

The portal sound that appears in the Bohemian Grove sequence uses granular synthesis when the character enters, as well as using a resonant filter sweep, coupled with a Haas Effect for when the portal closes.

Click this link to hear some of these sound effects in isolation

In December of 2021, Cuties won awards for ‘Best of the Fest - Short’, and ‘Best Short Film Animation’ at the North East International Film Festival. Cuties continues to be screened at festivals across the UK such as LIAF, Dublin IFF as well as international festivals.