Welcome to the Music Thursdays segment! Each week here on Geek Alabama, Music Thursdays will feature music related content. Music Thursdays will feature an artist or band and their latest song and / or music video. People love music, and we here at Geek Alabama love featuring artists and bands!
Go behind the scenes of Project Hail Mary with Sound Designer Erik Aadahl as he breaks down how Rocky’s alien voice and musical language were created. Erik walks me through the process of turning Rocky’s communication into a believable emotional performance, using everything from ocarina, jug, contra-alto clarinet, and flute to birds, frogs, whales, and other sounds from the natural world.
We explore how the team developed a consistent vocabulary of roughly 250 words, built specific frequency patterns for Rocky’s language, and used pitch, instrumentation, and layering to communicate emotions like curiosity, irritation, excitement, and joy. Erik also breaks down individual words and moments from the film, including “oxygen,” Rocky’s real name, “amaze amaze amaze,” and the unique sound used to say goodbye.
We also hear how Rocky’s five sound-producing organs inspired a voice made from multiple simultaneous layers, and why directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller wanted his performance to feel completely organic rather than electronic or synthetic.
