Stiletto
Head of Sound
‘When infatuation turns to obsession.’
Since beginning my journey into the film world, Stiletto, is one of the most sonically ambitious projects I’ve undertaken. Through my connections at the Northern Film School, I was able to receive an introduction to the director of this project, Hannah Greenfield. From communication with the director, I was able to learn more about her goal of using the soundscape as the main storytelling medium. I was immediately invested. My first introduction to creating film and media was through sound, undertaking a project where I could expand on this seemed deeply captivating.
A short story that explores themes of love, addiction and loss through a stylised music video, containing original music.
Follow Leaf as she leaves her world behind and is transported away to a place unbeknownst to anything she's ever seen, treading the fine line between pleasure and dependance.
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Tim Walker
Tim Walker
Vision
At the onset of the pre-production phase all different departments assembled for a script breakdown. These meetings would commence twice weekly as a means of staying organised and remaining true to the director's vision. From communication with the director, it was deemed a large inspiration of this production stemmed from fashion photographer Tim Walker. His photography of fashion in a whimsical and magical sense deeply inspired the vision of this shoot, best represented within the production design. As head of the sound department I took it upon myself to recreate the aforementioned feeling Tim Walker’s photography has through a sonic medium. Alongside this, Last Night in Soho, greatly influenced the aesthetic of the lighting of the piece. This in turn greatly informed the direction of the sound design. Aspects such as the use of neon lights were integral to the film’s visual aspect, applying the usage of this from Last Night in Soho into a modern setting for the club sequence placed great importance on the scenes sound design. Without the marrying of the lighting and sound design the sequence would have lacked much needed worldbuilding, leaving the setting feeling lost and out of place.
Last Night in Soho
Drawing on elements of a more classical and mystical nature from Tim Walker, the film's beginning now represented the characters' starting world, invoking a fairytale, where nothing can go wrong. As the story progresses and our protagonist falls into an obsessive nature, the sound design in turn follows this train of thought. Drawing on Last Night in Soho, the majority of the film’s soundtrack derives from the 60s to 70s. Whilst many of these tracks contained an upswinging and fast paced attitude, the sound was too reminiscent of the time period. It was instead decided to pay homage to these tracks through similar pacing and the use of psychedelic audio samples. Alongside this, particular tracks such as Neon by Steven Price greatly inspired the direction of the soundscape, using this as a guide for building the intensity and upswing in a more modern setting.
With all these factors in mind, starting the soundscape process took place. Early into production, the talented Alfie Marcantonio joined the team, with his extensive experience with composing he became essential to the project. Alongside one another, experimentation took place with different ideas that would eventually become the finished project. Some of these early iterations contain features such as long drones and ethereal synthesisers to play into the film’s fantastical nature. These different experimentations guided the purpose of the sound design in this film, many early decisions changed because of the aspects we found that did and didn’t work. For instance, in some of our earliest works the atmosphere created from the sound was too slow and melancholic. A burst of pace was needed. Returning back to our original inspiration of Tim Walker and Last Night in Soho, a new soundscape was created.
Music Experiments
Project Outcome
Stiletto has been an incredible and eye-opening project that has deepened my understanding of the power of sound in storytelling, especially when it serves as a central medium to convey a narrative. One key lesson from this journey was the importance of flexibility and collaboration in the creative process. In the early stages, our initial sound designs were too slow and melancholic for the film’s evolving narrative. However, by continually experimenting, adjusting, and drawing inspiration from varied sources, we were able to refine the soundscape to mirror the protagonist's descent into obsession. This iterative process showed me how crucial it is to remain open to change and listen to what the project needs as it evolves. Ultimately, Stiletto reinforced the idea that sound is not just an accompaniment to visuals but an essential part of the storytelling fabric. The interplay of light, sound, and narrative created a world that wouldn’t have been as effective or immersive if any of these elements had been neglected. From the lessons learned, I’m excited to continue pushing the boundaries of sound design in future projects, always striving to enhance the emotional and narrative depth through sonic innovation.
