WWF’s Stunning Stop-Motion Film Spotlights Devastating Impact of Ocean Heatwaves

Twelve Decibels has been invited back as music and sound supervisors for an unbelievable project for WWF. ‘In Hot Water’ aired on the opening day of COP29 and marks the fourth in a multi award-winning series by NOMINT. As the title suggests, the film focuses on the rising sea temperatures, specifically ‘ocean heatwaves’ which are causing widespread devastation and happening all too frequently thanks to the continued burning of fossil fuels globally.  

Each year, the team at NOMINT creates something truly beautiful and powerful with their art, using techniques that push what's creatively possible. For COP29 they set themselves their biggest challenge yet: shooting a stop-motion animation entirely on a thermal camera.

For the music and sound, Twelve Decibels’ role was to match the beauty and devastation that the director was creating. Radiohead quickly became a firm favourite, with “No Surprises” capturing the message with its beautiful lyrics. The team then wanted to take the track deeper into the world the director was creating, partnering with another iconic artist and thrilled that Neil Barnes of Leftfield was equally enthusiastic about the concept and challenge. Neil used his experience and incredible unique sound palette to transform “No Surprises” into a magical underwater realm before ultimately shifting the track into much more troubled waters.

Neil Barnes, Leftfield, comments, “We were so honoured to be asked to play a very minor part in this. Beautiful images, a beautiful song with a very powerful and urgent message. It's so moving. Art can be so powerful.”

Loving how the music was sitting with the whole concept, Twelve Decibels turned their attention to the sound design, seeking to collaborate with the right sound studio to further immerse the listener in the film. Sine Audio crafted the final result, bringing additional layers of magic and chaos to the film’s contrasting scenes. The final mix beautifully enhances both the visuals and the story, and highlights a powerful collaboration of creative talent at every stage. 

Matt Lee, music supervisor and co-founder of Twelve Decibels, comments, “This project is incredibly important to us. Not only is the creative mind-blowing, and the production team a joy to work it, but the cause is something we’re all passionate to support. It’s vital the message of the film should reach as many people as possible, and if we can play even a small part in this, then it’s the most valuable job we’ve done all year.”