Ford thinks of sound design as its own kind of score. Using his knowledge of dramatic rhythm as an editor, and musical rhythm as a drummer, he uses soundscapes to quicken the pace of a scene that may be dragging, or the opposite— pulling sound out to let a scene breathe.

 

Motivated by the concept of environmental storytelling, much of his sound design makes full use of the films environment— both literal, and emotional. A train becomes a mirror of a married couple’s relationship straining relationship, as the ramshackle car screeches to a halt, steam whistling under the intensity of their argument— or the sounds of scissors and paper ripping playing over images of a someone creating a deranged collage, as the creator goes insane.

 

Ford’s favorite sounding movies are Nope, Under the Skin, Gravity, LOTR, Master and Commander, Dune 1/2, as well as music that uses creative SFX (think: Money by Pink Floyd).