Editor’s Notes:
UNSUNG HEROES is Motionographer®’s new section created to highlight the work of worldwide audio studios. Our goal is to celebrate and uplift these unsung champions, providing them with the recognition and exposure they richly deserve as a vital force in the Motion Design industry.
Story & Ethos
Hackney Wick, London
Cockney Noise & Creative Chaos
- How did Box of Toy start, and what inspired you to specialize in sound design and composition for Animation and Motion Design? How did you first get into the world of audio? What led you to decide it was time to open your own studio? What criteria do you use when selecting projects, especially pro bono work? What makes a project appealing to you?
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Box of Toys was founded in 2011 by bohemian layabouts, Chris Didlick and Ben Laver. Our introduction to audio would have been via our parent’s love of music and film, particularly for Ben whose father is an accomplished pianist. Then as we plowed through our teens and 20s we both took to playing in bands and harbouring grand delusions of rock star fame.
When that inevitably fell through we were lucky enough to find work in a small music and sound design studio based in Hackney Wick, London, where we first met. We quickly realised we were a good match and after a couple of years we decided to break away to set up our own studio. Box of Toys Audio was born! For those who don’t know, Box of Toys is Cockney rhyming slang for noise ;-).
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Chris specialises in the Sound Design side of things and Ben in music composition, but there’s definitely crossover. We’ve made music and sound together for over a decade now and while we’ve always worked remotely, we’ve developed a symbiosis in our output. There’s an instinctive understanding of who and what works best when and where.
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In the beginning the fear of failure drove us to obsession. Starting out in our bedrooms, we built our portfolio with a heavy dose of pro bono and non-commercial work. The studio stands on the shoulders of these collaborations and so we’ve always held them in high regard. This is a pursuit we’ve maintained over the years as we see these sorts of projects as more ‘artistic’ and an opportunity to be experimental. There’s more freedom in what you can achieve. Our selection process for these is very much based on what excites us and what we think would be fun to do.
The Power of Audio in Motion Design & Animation
Voodoo Ceremony is a photograph by Science Photo Library
Feel the Boom
- What do you believe is the fundamental role of audio—whether music or sound effects—in Animation and Motion Design? How does it transform the visual experience?
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We’ve always been interested in how audio affects people emotionally. And that’s probably the key right there, supporting the emotional content of a project. Particularly with music, where on a human animalistic level it serves no purpose in our survival and yet it’s so important to us. It can immortalise a moment, define a generation and therefore transcend time itself. You can boil it down to scales and numbers but it also has the ability to invoke deep emotion and for us that influence is a kind of inexplicable voodoo.
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Similarly with sound design, we find it to be a mix of the physical and emotional. It covers such a broad spectrum of diagetic to non-diagetic application, the possibilities are endless and it’s super interesting hearing how different combinations make you feel. While you can add a tangible weight to certain objects, if you get it just right you can add a feeling too. And can you dictate what that feeling might be? On some level we think we’re tapping into instinct where, for example, big booming rumbles conjure up something large and threatening or birdsong and lawnmowers make us feel relaxed and summery.
References, Inspirations & Creative Heroes
Composer Ludwig Goransson poses for a portrait at his music studio, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022, in Glendale, Calif. Goransson, along with Rihanna, is nominated for an Oscar for best original song for “Lift Me Up” from the film “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Inspired by Everything (and Nothing)
- What references and heroes have inspired you throughout your career? Do you draw influence from both the musical and visual worlds?
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Between Ben, Guoda and Chris (Guoda is the third member of Box of Toys) we have quite a mixed palette of tastes. This is something we embrace and even try to take advantage of. The studio is very versatile but there’s definitely subjects and styles that suit one member over the other and we try to use that.
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Asking the team, it seems we don’t have any stand out influences, just that we love most film, anime, TV, games and music. There’s almost not enough time in the day to consume it all but suffice to say we’re just a bunch of nerds who love what we do. In an effort to not appear completely beige we would venture that we’re all more into the darker side of storytelling! To pick out a composer who we all currently enjoy, we would say Ludwig Görranson.
Creative Process
Revenge of the Nerds, 1984
How Audio Nerds and Animators Craft That Perfect Moment
- Can you describe your creative process when tackling a new project? How do you collaborate with the animation team to achieve perfect harmony between sound and visuals?
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Our creative process is project specific as no two are truly the same. You have to approach each project with the respect it deserves and not get too stuck into routine. When you’re busy it’s easy to reach for the same tried and tested tools so we try to stay mindful of that. That said, we always start with a discussion so we can understand the vision. We want to find out who the characters are, what the overall message is, what kind of world we’re seeing, what are the key moments etc, etc.
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We often find having a WIP music track early on is useful so that (a) it has time to settle in and (b) the edit can be aligned to the structure. We like to share and collaborate on style references before we put pen to paper so that we can be sure we’re all on the same page. Audio is quite an ambiguous thing to talk about so having something tangible can ensure there’s no crossed wires. Where possible we like having the directors over to finalise a mix – this can minimise a lot of back and forth and it’s nice to be in the same room rather than talking to floating heads online. Like most of the industry, we rely on remote contact but we think you can connect a lot more in person and so we try to keep that afloat too.
Evolution & Innovative Techniques
Box of Toys’ Toys, Pt. 1
Plugins? Nah. We Build Our Own
- How has your approach to sound design and composition evolved as you’ve adopted new technologies and techniques? Is there a tool or technique that has revolutionized your work?
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As the studio has progressed over the years we’ve been able to afford more and better equipment. We started out in our bedrooms with a Mac mini and a portable Zoom mic but over time the equipment and spaces we work with have been upgraded and have incrementally improved our sound. We now dabble in a menagerie of analog modular systems, custom instruments and sound toys. In fact on our birthdays it’s become customary for the studio to buy the birthday-ee a new audio thingamajig to play with.
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Guoda is very engineer minded and has been designing and building custom microphones for us. Currently she is building a stereo guitar pickup mic that reacts to metallic vibration and movement. It even has our logo embossed and backlit on it! Previously she has also built each of us a geophone (a microphone that picks up seismic vibration among other things) inspired by Lom’s Geofon model.
Standout Projects
Everything I Can See From Here, The Line
a Knock on the Door Became a Career Catalyst
- Which projects do you consider to be your most significant, and why? Is there one that challenged your abilities or changed your perspective on the work?
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One project that stands out to us is from waaaayy back in the beginning. It’s a short animated film called Everything I Can See From Here by The Line Animation. It marks the start of a long and prosperous relationship with The Line and probably our first major success – the animation was nominated for a BAFTA that year. The whole thing was quite serendipitous. Sam and Bjorn from The Line (then called the Shadow Cabinet) were based in the same building as us and knocked on the door one day to ask if we’d like to help out on their film. It was all pro bono but the animation looked amazing, we loved the dark vibe and we were super eager to meet new people.
Obviously we said yes. It turned out to be one of the better decisions we’ve made as a studio! The launch of the film was accompanied by an event in the basement of our building where they built a replica of the spaceship from the film. Maybe we celebrated too hard, but its alien pilot was seen getting about the place too. Creatively we put a lot into the film, in particular subtly introducing more and more analog modular soundscapes as the film got weirder.
Narrative & Emotion
A Girl. A Gong. Some Random Stuffs
How to Bottle Big Stories in Tiny Audio Bites
- What role does storytelling play in your sound design and composition work? How do you convey specific emotions through sound?
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Storytelling is key to what we do. As we predominantly work in advertising there is always a story to tell and the challenge is often squeezing that story into 30 seconds. All the problems, solutions, personalities and moments must comfortably fit alongside the visual narrative but in a short and easily digestible format. We believe in the co-dependence of audio and picture so it’s not just illustrating what you see but what you should feel as well.
This is where what we said about the emotional impact of audio comes into play. There are too many examples to break down categorically but we would consider the pace, the instrumentation, the volume, the performance, the sound quality and how those things reflect the emotion we’re trying to convey. Often there are key moments that will inform a change or punctuation in the audio and this is a great way to capture beats of the story.
Collaboration with Motion Designers, Animators & Directors
Prompt: “A tender love story in a bombastic nightclub”, where a couple shares an intimate moment amidst the neon lights and vibrant energy
Treats THEY Like Bandmates
- How closely do you collaborate with animators and directors on projects? Do you have a particular approach to ensuring the sound integrates naturally with the animation?
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We think the deeper you can understand a creative vision, the more aligned you’ll be in the final delivery. To do this you need to talk, share references and spitball ideas – but not always in relation to the project. Just by getting to know a person more you can better gauge how they communicate and what they like.
We find different people share their creative ideas differently; some describe their vision via emotion, some are much more literal in what they want and it’s our job to try to understand the different personalities at play and how that translates to the sound. In this regard we find meeting in person as well as online can help in capturing what a creative is all about (and a great reason to support and attend creative events!).
Audience & User Experience
Box of Toys’ Toys, Pt. 2
Crafting Sound That Whispers, Not Shouts
- How do you think about the audience experience when designing sound for a project? How do you ensure that the sound complements the visual without taking center stage?
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Understanding the purpose and message of a project will always improve the audience experience. Are you creating sound for a bombastic product launch in a nightclub or a tender love story on social media? The sound is an important part of a larger mechanism so we like to think of all the elements working towards the same purpose.
Also giving yourself distance and seeking out objective feedback can really help. Sometimes you are just too close to the project and lose perspective – we’re often guilty of over-egging the pudding and benefit from time away to gain a fresh vantage point. As we all work remotely from each other at Box of Toys we can also share our work internally and gain insight from three different pairs of ears in three different spaces.
Future Vision & New Trends
BXFTS New Brand Identity
Surfing the AI Wave Without Losing Your Soul
- What do you believe are the next trends in sound design for animation and motion design? How do you prepare to continue innovating in this field?
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The new trend on everyone’s mind at the moment is AI. We can see this becoming more accessible and a useful tool, but don’t believe it will put us all out of our jobs. For us, music and sound design is created on the basis of the human experience so we don’t think it can ever truly compete with bespoke compositions. Also there’s the challenge of copyright and originality to surmount, where AI can only regurgitate what it is fed.
Otherwise the memetic nature of online culture is an interesting phenomena. We’re in the middle of a re-mix generation where everything is slowed down, sped up and continually repeated to the point it becomes a language in its own right. To be abreast of these things you have to be regularly engaged in social media but ultimately it’s a genre and like all genres and styles, it’s a design choice to consider.
