How we approached the sound effects for What Will I Be Today

“What Will I Be Today” is POW Studios’ first in-house made animation, created and produced by Marie Silberstein, animated by Yuk Foo, with all sound and music done by POW. Streaming on TVNZ+ and on RNZ

Sound for cartoon animation often has many parameters to meet: to be bold, ‘colourful’ and concise. If you’ve ever watched cartoons closely, it is clear that their strength is in conveying succinct ideas extremely clearly, and quickly. Such is the rapid pace of delivery of jokes or comment, that there is no time for lingering shots, bloated scenes or general faffing around. 

I like to think of The Simpsons as one of the most archetypal. The colour palettes are extremely distinct; the voices iconic; the music perfectly crafted for irony or sympathy; and the scenes rapid and short. Everything exists only to convey a single idea in the moment; this is why in the same scene, Homer can be wearing a watch only to have it disappear in the next shot. The narrative discourse has moved on, the watch is no longer relevant, therefore it no longer needs to exist. This brutally economic approach in regard to the viewer’s attention tends to focus that attention onto the gag with maximum effect. 

Likewise, the sound effects are deliberately short and punchy. Footsteps of someone scuttling away offscreen when they are in a rush are absurdly fast-paced, much quicker than anyone could possibly run. Not only does this save time, but it reinforces the urgency of the scene, and of course adds humour. The so-called ‘establishing’ sounds – the crow squawk at the nuclear power plant; the seagull at the squidport; the sci-fi hum inside Professor Frink’s lab – set the scene, then immediately disappear. Sounds only play when crucial to the plot or gag. This frenetic approach suits the chaotic, comedic style of The Simpsons; which is at heart, social commentary on the last throes of a society in steep decline, somehow managing to hang on to some of the rays of hope and joy it thinks it deserves. 

We used this philosophy for WWIBT, though the show has a more relaxed and hopeful pace than shows like Simpsons. By far the most important part of the soundtrack is the children’s dialogue. Because the entire story pours from their imagination, all the sound must feel as though it comes straight from their minds. In this way, the sound effects are gentle and fun. Things that a preschooler would notice, in a way that is relevant to them. 

For instance the (extinct) moa bird in ep1 needed to sound big and looming, but also friendly and relatable. Likewise with the other wildlife, the old historic trope of nature being something to fear and subdue is completely opposite to WWIBT. The creatures therefore sound boisterous and fun, even if unfamiliar. The computer dialogue in ep 4, sourced from the main character’s voice, must sound a little bit robotic; but not scary or bland. In fact, many of the sound effects are embellished versions of the characters’ own vocalisations, like the spaceship bleeps and bloops in ep3, or the booming octopus voice in ep8 which sounds suspiciously like the protagonist’s dad. In this way we keep the imaginary worlds firmly within the POV of the kids. 

If this encourages new generations of little kids to dream up their own sound effects, by voice (something that should come naturally to all of us), then we couldn’t ask for a better compliment.