First Contact
I got brought onto this one through Danilo Parra, who had this short, off-kilter film called First Contact he was getting ready to release. The cut was already locked my job was to make the sound better and re-sound design the picture. Once I dropped the edit into my session, I focused on every last detail, every breath, scrape, and movement had to sell something the audience never actually sees. I leaned into the discomfort, let the sound get intimate and unsettling, and trusted my instincts instead of playing it safe. Every little movement mattered, because if the audio didn’t feel believable, the whole illusion fell apart. That project sticks with me because it is a strong example of auditory storytelling
Client
Danilo Parra
Year
2024
Services
Sound Design, Foley, Film Mix, Film Mastering
Category
Short Film
The Situation & The Goal
Brought on by filmmaker/director Danilo Parra to re-sound design and mix a completed super-short alternative film.
The film centers on a surreal, dialogue-driven sci-fi concept involving an off-screen transformation meant to feel disturbing, intimate, and believable.
Original cut required elevated audio storytelling to:
Sell a gruesome, unseen physical transformation.
Create a cold, vintage, sci-fi tone that supported the psychological tension.
Deliver a polished, festival-ready final mix.
Goal: Use sound design and mix as the primary storytelling device to enhance realism, atmosphere, and emotional impact—especially where visuals intentionally withhold detail.
Process & Key Actions
Received and conformed the director’s final AAF edit into a custom Pro Tools post-audio film template, ensuring proper session organization and redundancy through duplicate backups.
Organized and cleaned all audio assets into structured stems (dialogue, production SFX, designed SFX, temp effects, music) for efficient post workflow.
Performed dialogue cleanup and leveling, addressing noise issues and establishing a consistent dynamic foundation.
Designed the tonal character of the dialogue using Waves Ultimate plugins, including Abbey Road King’s Microphones to create a cold, vintage texture.
Applied multiband compression and EQ to enhance clarity and low-end presence while maintaining an intentionally restrained, unsettling sound.
Introduced analog tape saturation to restore warmth and cohesion after heavy processing, balancing grit with professionalism.
Executed detailed sci-fi and gore sound design, combining commercial sample libraries with practical foley techniques (including fruit and vegetable manipulation) to imply off-screen physical mutilation.
Built audio moments frame-by-frame, using sound to guide the audience’s imagination and sell the alien transformation without visual depiction.
Results
Delivered a fully re-designed and mixed soundtrack that elevated the film’s narrative clarity and sensory impact.
Audio successfully carried critical story beats where visuals were intentionally absent, enhancing audience immersion.
The film received Official Selection at the Spring 2024 Alternative Film Festival, earning recognition in the Best Director — Super Short category.
Positioned the project as a strong example of audio-led storytelling in experimental and sci-fi cinema.
Personal Takeaways & Skills Gained
Strengthened expertise in audio-driven narrative storytelling, particularly when sound must replace explicit visuals.
Deepened practical skills in advanced sound design, foley creation, and tonal mixing for sci-fi and horror contexts.
Reinforced disciplined post-production workflows using Pro Tools for film and festival delivery.
Gained confidence collaborating with directors on experimental material where audio is a primary narrative force.