Herezie Paris Play Unexpected 'Sounds of Trauma'

Working with a trans-continental team including a French agency, a Canadian production company (Morrison Films) and a shoot in New York and Montreal, the agency have produced an ad of two parts exploring the power of sound for the David Lynch Foundation, which advocates the use of transcendental meditation among other practices in the treatment of various groups.

Directed by Yan Dal Santo, Sounds of Trauma begins with footage of war, with what sounds like the usual sounds of conflict; the crashing of bodies, bursts of gunfire, the whizzing of rockets. In the second half, however, these sounds are reconfigured, with the ad revealing that they were actually sounds from everyday life, the crashing of bin lids, bursts of balloons and fireworks whizzing.

This, however, is more than just audio trickery from sound designers Apollo Sounds, with the commercial making a serious point. Just as David Lynch himself uses sound to transport viewers into the weird worlds of Eraserhead or Twin Peaks, everyday life is full of sounds that can transport a veteran right back to the front lines of a conflict.

"We really try to show the power of sound. The memories and emotions it triggers are so strong" said Herezie ECD Baptiste Clinet. "For soldiers who come back from the battlefield, some everyday sounds in life put them right back there." 

Click here to see another great ad for the David Lynch Foundation by Herezie.