Frame from the Oorverdovend aftermovie (Vfonds 2018)
Oorverdovend (2018)
Great narrative audio has the power to take a listener to a different place. You close your eyes, listen to the story, music and sound effects, and feel like you were there. Oorverdovend puts a unique twist on this immersive power of audio. You walk around in an actual, physical space - the town of Zwolle - but are transported to a different time. Specifically, the Second World War. Equiped with a set of headphones and an MP3-player, you are guided through wartime Zwolle. Three participants start simultaneously, listening to different but interrelated storylines. Binaurally recorded sound effects and a professional voice-over take you into the mind of, for example, Jenny: a young woman who has to deliver a package for the resistance. Guided by her thoughts, you walk past several historically significant sites - meanwhile, your path and your story cross with those of the other two participants. The result is a uniquely immersive experience, that allows you to, almost literally, walk a mile in someone else's shoes.
Oorverdovend is supported by the V-fonds and produced in collaboration between Rotslab, Podgront, Stadkamer Zwolle and Zwolse Theaters. I was commissioned by Podgront, an experimental podcast production studio from Groningen, to compose music for the project. The soundtrack had to contribute to the immersive quality, but not distract from the narrative. The goal was to make a 'war movie for your ears'.
To help move the listener to a different time, I ommited any synthetic or electric sounds, and used some instruments that were popular in Netherlands during the first half of the 20th century, like the accordeon and hammered dulcimer. Below are two excepts. The first plays right at the start, when you are invited into Jenny's mind. The second excerpt supports the climax of the story, when you have to (literally!) run to make a delivery in time and stay out of German hands.
Find out more about Oorverdovend in this write-up from Podgront, or watch the aftermovie here (note: the music in the first half of the aftermovie is not mine, the music in the second half is).
Great narrative audio has the power to take a listener to a different place. You close your eyes, listen to the story, music and sound effects, and feel like you were there. Oorverdovend puts a unique twist on this immersive power of audio. You walk around in an actual, physical space - the town of Zwolle - but are transported to a different time. Specifically, the Second World War. Equiped with a set of headphones and an MP3-player, you are guided through wartime Zwolle. Three participants start simultaneously, listening to different but interrelated storylines. Binaurally recorded sound effects and a professional voice-over take you into the mind of, for example, Jenny: a young woman who has to deliver a package for the resistance. Guided by her thoughts, you walk past several historically significant sites - meanwhile, your path and your story cross with those of the other two participants. The result is a uniquely immersive experience, that allows you to, almost literally, walk a mile in someone else's shoes.
Oorverdovend is supported by the V-fonds and produced in collaboration between Rotslab, Podgront, Stadkamer Zwolle and Zwolse Theaters. I was commissioned by Podgront, an experimental podcast production studio from Groningen, to compose music for the project. The soundtrack had to contribute to the immersive quality, but not distract from the narrative. The goal was to make a 'war movie for your ears'.
To help move the listener to a different time, I ommited any synthetic or electric sounds, and used some instruments that were popular in Netherlands during the first half of the 20th century, like the accordeon and hammered dulcimer. Below are two excepts. The first plays right at the start, when you are invited into Jenny's mind. The second excerpt supports the climax of the story, when you have to (literally!) run to make a delivery in time and stay out of German hands.
Find out more about Oorverdovend in this write-up from Podgront, or watch the aftermovie here (note: the music in the first half of the aftermovie is not mine, the music in the second half is).
