Special Forces

Audio Design

Client:

Ministerie van Defensie

Medium:

Podcast

Awards:

Golden Spin, AMMA Gold and others…

About:
Below the radar, above yourself is a podcast of the Dutch Special Forces (or in Dutch, abbreviated, KCT). They operate in the deepest secrecy. This podcast is the first to give a glimpse into the personal and work life of the operators working within the Special Forces.

Our share
We were asked to help tell the stories of the people behind the missions. Who are they, what does it take to become an operator of the Special Forces and what is their professional take on the missions. We designed the audio to support the human touch to every story told, to guide the narration, emphasize the buildup in emotion and give life to these personal stories.
Check out the full theme track here.
And check out the full project here.

The works
Designing the sound for this podcast series was a massive field trip. We visited the official training grounds and military base for some field recordings. Treading on the heels of the operators, even strapping their special forces dog with mics.
The combination of field recordings and synthesized sound design gives context to the storylines, and is vital to elevate immersive storytelling.
Crucial to both the portraying of emotions and the buildup in suspense is the addition of music. We composed several pieces as part of an immersive audio world.
To recreate the point of view of the operators we chose for immersive (binaural/3D/8D) audio.
These three ingredients ensure listeners feel they are amidst the story and part of the mission.
“Below the radar, above yourself” is part of the KCT’s internal branding campaign focused on recruiting and profiling and contributes to the visibility, company pride and sense of belonging.

Awards

2021 was a good year for Below The Radar, Above Yourself. The podcast series won several awards such as:

Lovie Awards: Bronze in the category of Best Branded Podcast.

Dutch Podcast Awards: Best Branded podcast.

ADCN Dutch Creativity Awards: Gold Spin.

Adformatie awarded the series podcast of the week.

AMMA Awards: Gold.

 

Follow us on Instagram for a special behind the scenes series on this podcast.