Sync + Supervision
I’m Rory, a creative working across music and image.
Coming from a background in photography, graphic design and creative direction, I approach music as part of the narrative structure, focusing on pacing, perspective and emotional impact rather than genre alone.
I offer freelance music research and alt-track support, including:
scene-based track exploration and replacements
early tone building and reference playlists
editorially-aware selections that work with dialogue and picture
contrast-driven choices that reframe or shift how a scene is read
consideration of licensing feasibility from the outset, aiming for ideas that are both creatively right and realistically clearable
This is a speculative portfolio of supervision projects, showing how I apply music to narrative in practice.
Rescores
(Film, 2021) Aksel + Julie, ‘world at still’ connection
Function: Reframing emotional read through contrast
Music Direction: Lyrical vs instrumental counterpoint
Use Case: Dialogue-light scenes, internal perspective shifts
In this film, Joachim Trier ensured a range of emotional interpretations were always possible. Both of my approaches reflect that. The first makes us of the largely dialogue-free sound design and is led by two contrasting lyrical styles revealing Julie’s complex state-of-mind, the second is an instrumental choice, which provides tonal reinforcement to the scene driven by its structured build in both emotion and momentum.
(TV, 2026, S4E7) Harper + Yasmin, club sequence
Function: Controlling energy and perception within a scene
Music Direction: Club-driven rhythm with tonal contrast
Use Case: Nightlife, power dynamics, psychological tension
A rescore of Industry Season Four’s Harper and Yasmin club scene, exploring how music controls space, energy and perception within a club setting. Rooted in club culture, the selections move between euphoria, detachment and psychological tension, building on the counterpoint of Daft Punk’s Veridis Quo while using shifts in rhythm and texture to reframe both character and environment.
(Film, 2017) car scene, Ray recounting eventful night
Function: Building tension through density and fragmentation
Music Direction: Layered, sound design-led approach
Use Case: Confined scenes, dialogue-heavy sequences
This dialogue-heavy, memory-fragmented cut from the Safdie brothers’ Good Time unfolds inside a car, with Ray and his bloodied face in the back telling Connie (Robert Pattinson) about the night before. Tight, unconventional framing and quick cuts to Ray’s anxious expressions are used to build pace, as fragments from his flashback cut abruptly across the screen.
My approach here is not to compete with Daniel Lopatin’s original score. Instead I explore the emotional story it tells, and show how music can be used to alter perspective and ultimately change how the viewer responds to what is an unavoidably tense scene.
(Ad, 2023) campaign montage with voiceover
Function: Supporting voiceover without competing for attention
Music Direction: Warm, familiar, contemporary tonal palette
Use Case: Campaigns, charity, emotionally-led brand work
The original campaign is emotionally strong with personal, real-world imagery and is led by a powerful voiceover. This rescore approach steps back, allowing the voiceover to carry the weight, while the music reinforces Cancer Research UK’s more modern and optimistic tone. The focus was on finding cues that feel authentic and distinctive, sit comfortably in a commercial context, keep pace with the campaign’s dynamic editing and use familiar musical language without veering into a generic sound.
(Film, 2019) opening titles sequence
Function: Shifting tone from tension into chaos
Music Direction: Vocal-led hip hop with strong rhythmic drive
Use Case: Opening sequences, youth-led or comedic tone pivots
This rescore of Get Duked!’s opening title sequence explores how hip hop can reshape the transition from controlled threat into immature chaos. As the scene moves from the teacher’s ominous briefing into animated titles and minibus banter, each selection uses rhythm, vocal presence and attitude to frame character, perspective and perceived confidence. The palette leans UK while maintaining hip hop as a core language, with tracks chosen for repeatability, editorial flexibility and a clean cut back to silence.
Concepts
Function: Building a cohesive sonic world
Music Direction: Organic, process-led, texture-focused
Use Case: Sci-fi, large-scale narrative, world-building
Dune survived its David Lynch detour because Herbert’s timeless story imagined a distant future which refused technology. Rather than leaning on established blockbuster sonics, this rescore concept imagines Dune through a sonic language grounded in organic sound and system-driven processes characteristic of Herbert’s world-building, with contemporary elements providing a subtle sci-fi edge.
(Video Game) three-stage identity development
Function: Driving progression and escalation
Music Direction: Electronic, structured build in intensity
Use Case: Sport, montage, performance-driven storytelling
Here, the sound of racing video game series, Gran Turismo, evolves through three distinct stages: a refined opening reinterpreted for the modern day, a controlled and electronically driven progression defined by its restraint, and finally a propulsive, future-focused conclusion built on pressure and tension.
(TV) slow-burn investigative tone
Function: Sustaining tension through restraint
Music Direction: Minimal, textural, atmosphere-led
Use Case: Crime, slow-burn TV, psychologically driven scenes
A speculative, music supervision approach for an upcoming psychologically-driven crime drama, based on the novel of the same name. This concept prioritises restraint and psychological tension, using music sparingly to support atmosphere, momentum, and emotional residue rather than traditional scoring.