Over half a million U.S. troops deployed since 2001 suffer from PTSD. Yet less than 20% receive the adequate care due to lack of effective treatments, fear of stigma or insufficient government resources. The David Lynch Foundation, helping veterans to overcome trauma, wanted to raise awareness and funds for their cause.

We created a film that shows what a veteran experiences in the course of a normal day. Viewers first watch various war scenes. Super: “These images are from the battlefield. The sounds are not.” Halfway through, the film cuts to everyday scenes from civilian life: an alarm clock going off, a fan swirling, a washing machine spinning, balloons and popcorn popping and fireworks going off. It turns out that the audio from the war scenes was actually recorded using these noises. Super: “Daily sounds can bring veterans right back to war”. The audience then understands that the David Lynch Foundation needs donations to help veterans overcome trauma.

Sound is 99% of the idea. We illustrated war scenes with sounds exclusively recorded from everyday life: an alarm clock going off, a fan swirling, a washing machine spinning, balloons and popcorn popping and fireworks going off. With an extremely precise mix, we managed to mislead 100% of the audience by showing them real war scenes. It delivers the message: “Daily sounds can bring veterans right back to war”. Everyday sounds were selected with the cooperation of real veterans in the aim of being as true as possible.