In this animation project, the elevator functions as the core structural element that runs throughout the narrative. Rather than treating it as a physical space, I understand it as a “vehicle for the movement of time.” Therefore, in my sound design approach, I chose to work primarily with relatively realistic sound materials while constructing a sense of time through musicalised structuring.
The central component of the entire sound system is the piano.
I used each piano note as a “unit of time,” rather than treating it as traditional melody or background music. Every single sound represents the progression of time, meaning that a segment of memory has passed.
The core logic behind this approach is: Time is not a continuous flow, but a series of perceptible moments.
As a result, the piano does not function as background music within this system, but rather as a “time counter” that marks the movement and fragmentation of memory.
This approach also aligns with the concept developed by my collaborator (the animation artist Lu), who aims to explore the emotional relationship between relocation and memory.
In the initial version, I arranged the piano notes at relatively even intervals, creating a stable and consistent sense of temporal progression. This approach was closer to an “objective representation of time.”
However, after sharing the initial sound sample with Lu, she suggested that the piano should gradually slow down in order to enhance the sense of emotional sedimentation and the stretching of memory.
In response to this feedback, I restructured the temporal design of the piano:
1.The spacing between notes gradually increases
2.Time progression shifts from a “uniform flow” to a “non-linear stretch”
This adjustment transformed the piano from a “time marker” into an “emotional time structure,” where time is no longer simply recorded, but perceived as a form of psychological delay.
During this process, I became aware of a key issue in interdisciplinary sound design: Sound is not an independent system, but a structure that must continuously negotiate with visual narrative.
Lu’s requirement for a more emotionally driven rhythm directly changed my understanding of temporal design—from a uniform flow of time to an emotionally driven distortion of time perception.
This adjustment not only changed the structure of the piano composition, but also influenced all subsequent SFX design decisions, shifting the entire sound system towards “emotional time” rather than “physical time.”
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