This thesis analyses and investigates possible strategies in designing sound for a science fiction film. I have studied various sonic approaches from the likes of Delia Derbyshire and Walter Murch, whose innovative methods have provided an invaluable reference for applying a similar ethic to sound on the film Planet Hora, practical examples of which I will outline in greater detail. The context of my research has its basis in the complex and continuous process of listening and reciprocity, that which is shaped by circumstance or a sonic landscape that expands and extends beyond merely the functional aspects of sound design. This creates an evolving multiplicity of possible worlds, temporal spaces and unexpected occurrences from which I can speculate, extract, reconstruct and articulate a coherent and creative sonic vision. I will highlight practical compositional and sound design examples from Planet Hora. I will also discuss more subjective modes of creation in my own personal practice and how this relates to sonic interpretation and aesthetical choices. The central motivation of this research is two-fold, to propose a non-linear paradigm for thinking about sound in film and to advocate for a more intersectional methodology in sound creation.
