Nylon Studios intensifies hyper-real sound design for NZTA’s latest campaign via Clems, Wellington

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Screen Shot 2014-01-22 at 7.04.07 am.jpgSydney-based sound studio Nylon Studios has completed the sound design for the New Zealand Transport Agency’s latest campaign targeting speeding drivers via agency Clemenger BBDO Wellington.

The new spot changes the conversation about safe driving by showing that anyone on the road can make a mistake and that a seemingly minor breaking of the speed limit can eliminate your valuable reaction time.

The audio brief set to Nylon Studios was to create, when the cars stop, a world of extreme isolation. This was achieved by producing a specific and unique tone that the team played with throughout the remote world, which set the emotion for this isolated environment.

Says Simon Lister, Nylon creative director: “This tone really gave the feeling of being placed into a different space. We further highlighted the drama by creating hyper-real effects for things such as footsteps, slowed down breathing, car movement and other specific sounds when in this world.”

Working closely with Finch director Derin Seale, Clemenger BBDO creative director Phillip Andrew and copywriter Emily Beautrais, Lister explained it was a balancing act to build up drama that would not overpower the TVC’s important message.

There is a dynamic change from the beginning of the spot where the sounds are realistic and natural, to the isolated world that takes viewers into a very unreal space.

Says Lister: “This huge shift in aural perception is dramatic and really throws the listener into a different headspace. Then there is the extreme change towards the end, where we go for the isolated sense of almost nothing to the high action and powerful drama of the crash.”

Every sound effect was specifically crafted and manipulated for the spot. This meant much time spent pre-producing these sounds to result in a specifically tailored sound palette.

To add further dimension to the crash, Lister shifted the point of view to that of the victim during the crash scene; again further intensifying the horror of the situation.