Arts Thread

My dissertation practical piece Sound Moves explored how sound design can amplify socio-political messages—Protest, Conflict, Austerity, and Pollution—through a short film crafted in Dolby Atmos 7.1.4. Abstract imagery of a chess set, rich in symbolic and cultural resonance, provided a visual metaphor for control and opposition. The film’s four sections use contrasting sound design approaches to convey distinct themes, demonstrating sound’s emotional and narrative power. Research and analysis of academic literature and media informed the techniques used, identifying effective strategies for communicating socio-political meaning through sound in audio-visual storytelling. The creative process behind Sound Moves began with my interest in how the combination of sound and image can be used to construct narrative meaning—particularly in socio-political contexts. Drawing inspiration from Soviet montage theory and experimental films such as George Lucas' Herbie, I explored how the juxtapositions in sound and imagery shape interpretations and emotional responses. I chose a chess set as the film’s central visual subject due to the game's richness as a metaphor for conflict, power and strategy, as well as its regular use throughout cinematic history in such a context. I tried to develop a series of shots/blocking for the chess pieces that would emphasise these metaphors strongly, whilst also appearing ambiguous enough when placed alongside different sounds to suggest different meanings depending on the viewer. I was sure to source sounds associated with each theme, and also attempted at times to associate sounds less typically related to themes such as conflict in an attempt to understand how they might establish more unusual meanings for a viewer. My research drew from fields such as psychology, semantics, linguistics and film theory. I engaged in analysis of real-world political and commercial campaigns—such as AIDS: Don’t Die of Ignorance—to understand how sound might be used alongside image to influence public perception of a subject and therefore provoke emotional impact. I employed a professional Dolby Atmos 7.1.4 workflow in Pro Tools, using spatial sound design—careful panning, ambience layering, and LFE—to enhance immersion and reinforce the film’s abstract imagery. I adhered to international R-128 loudness standards and used a detailed storyboard to guide production, shooting on Lumix GH6 cameras and editing in Final Cut Pro. The final film was showcased as part of the Glasgow School of Art’s Postgraduate Showcase 2024 and formed the practical component of my dissertation.