HECKLER SOUND MARKS SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF PIONEERING PROJECTS THAT REDEFINE SOUND PRODUCTION
The majestic journey of a cormorant, spotlighting Australia’s offshore detention centres and a film about a South Sudanese runner’s pursuit of his Olympic dream were just three, of many, landmark projects delivered by Heckler Sound over the past 12 months.
Celebrating its second birthday, the specialists in music composition, sound design and sonic branding for film, TV and digital media, are marking another highly successful year of partnering with leading agencies, brands, composers, sound artists, directors and production companies to once again raise the bar in sound production.
Sister agency of international award-winning VFX and post-production house Heckler, Heckler Sound’s leadership team – partner and creative director, Johnny Green, head of sound, Dave Robertson and executive producer, Bonnie Law – work collaboratively and independently of Heckler to deliver creative exceptional audio across a diverse portfolio of projects.
To mark its second anniversary, Heckler Sound has released a new showreel highlighting just a small sample of its outstanding work.
Says Green: “Heckler Sound was born from the idea of bringing together production, post, music and sound services under one roof. While we are a small, but perfectly formed team, we draw on the expertise and specialisms of some of the world’s leading talent in music and sound. That capability has seen brands, agencies and production houses turn to us in ever greater numbers, which is a strong endorsement of what we produce, whatever the brief.
“Unlike creating that difficult second album, year two has been a transformative one for Heckler Sound. We continue to push the boundaries of innovation in sound and deliver a broad scope of work across film, TV and sonic branding that speaks for itself.”
Some of the key Heckler Sound highlights over the past 12 months include working on Tim Main film – and contender for the 2024 AACTA Short Film Awards category – Black Wing. Centreing on a cormorant bird in rich Australian bushland, the film follows its journey through an ever-changing landscape, giving a deeper understanding of how adaptable and abstruse the creature is. Heckler Sound crafted the sound and music combining a haunting narration with music and sound design that are interwoven between the realistic and the magical.
Working alongside Howatson+Company, Heckler Sound helped highlight the inhumane conditions of Australia’s offshore detention centres for Maurice Blackburn’s ‘Exhibit Ai’. All the voices were scripted, cast and recorded from hundreds of actual transcripts of witness accounts. Futuristic in sound, juxtaposed with emotional chordal modulation, the score complimented both the intensity of the Ai imagery, and the confronting nature of the narrated dialogue.
The Right To Race follows the journey of a South Sudanese runner, Dominic Lobalu, and his pursuit of his Olympic dream. Aired on TV in Europe and directed by Richard Bullock from Hungry Man UK and Revolver AU, it is sponsored by On Running and launched in Cannes 2023 on World Refugee Day. The original score, written by Heckler Sound’s California-based composer Dustin Lau, encapsulates the narrative while echoing the complexities, challenges, excitement and life-moments faced by Dominic in the world of elite running.
The past 12 months has also seen Heckler Sound grow its sonic branding portfolio. Working directly with KPMG, they completed a sonic brand overhaul of multiple assets across KPMG’s respective applications. In addition it has worked with Allianz Insurance, MYOB, Quilton, Minderoo Pictures and Australian Retirement Trust to build their own audio brand identities.
Adds Law: “Across music composition, sound post production, sonic branding, broadcast mixing and voice over, Heckler Sound works with a roster of over 30 unique musicians and artists to ensure every project we create is delivered by the best talent from around the world.
“As we enter our third year of operation, we plan to further build on our successes to date, collaborating closely with partners and continually developing outstanding production in sound.”
For project inquiries contact bonnie@hecklersound.tv
