Title	NIKE SONNE
Brand	NIKE
Product/Service	NIKE GERMANY
Category	B03. Sound Design
Entrant	GRAND CENTRAL RECORDING STUDIOS London, UNITED KINGDOM
Idea Creation	WIEDEN+KENNEDY AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS
Production	WIEDEN+KENNEDY AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS
Post Production	GRAND CENTRAL RECORDING STUDIOS London, UNITED KINGDOM

Name	Company	Position
Raja Sehgal	GCRS	Director of Sound Design

Write a short summary of what happens in the film

This 2-minute film highlights the powerful story of Lebanese-German boxer Zeina Nassar, one of Germany’s best boxers. Zeina sets an example for anyone who wants to succeed in this toughest of sports. In 2018, Zeina became the first Muslim woman to win the German Women’s Elite Championship in the ‘up to 57kg’ weight category. The film is about getting knocked down, getting back up and embracing failure to keep on fighting for a future that is fair for every woman.

Cultural / Context information for the jury

As a Lebanese-German, Zeina does what she does for her family and for her communities. She helped to rewrite the boxing rule book when she helped to overturn an international regulation prohibiting women from competing in a hijab: a win for women across the world. She continues to lead the way in supporting the next generation of female athletes in Germany and beyond. The music chosen was “Sonne” written by German NDH band Rammstein but is here performed by the German singer Balbina.

Tell the jury about the elements of sound design.

The sound for this spot was as important as the picture. My goal was to create a soundtrack where the sound design and musical elements flowed as one. The soundtrack needed to have peaks and troughs; disappearing then returning to build to a climax. I did not want the compressed wall of sound throughout, typical of many boxing commercials. The opening sounds had to grab the viewer’s attention. After the knockout punch, the mood becomes ethereal. I worked with Balbina to manipulate the musical elements - instruments and vocals - placing them within my sound design, creating a fluid soundtrack. The referee’s count is the pivotal point of the spot. I mixed the count with Balbina’s haunting vocal, offsetting each sound by fractions, adding more power to each frame. The soundtrack moves from diegetic to dreamlike creating the space for the calms and the storms that express the heroine’s story.