R

Checkmate is a twist on a conventional audio visualiser.

This audio design project started as creating an audio visualiser from an original audio composition. Conventional audio visualisers are normally done by creating a reactive animation of coding plugged to an audio file.

However, this short-film fits more into the category of an "analogue audio visualiser". Checkmate visualises music through special effects that are complementary to the main story in a way that is not "automatised".

Furthermore, the short-film explores the narrative capabilities of audio scoring. In fact, the film builds a whole argument between two characters exclusively using audio.

I chose the chess theme as it relates with the musical concept of counterpoint, which is an imaginary dialogue between two musical parts over the same rhythm. Since chess is a game about war between two players, composing a musical piece based on counterpoints could easily portray the non-verbal tension of a chess game.

The audio composition was entirely done with MIDI instruments in Logic Pro and assembled in Adobe Audition.