In this piece, I’ve taken a pivotal scene from Denis Villeneuve’s masterful Sci-Fi film Arrival (2016) – the moments spent in the communication chamber (or ‘shell’) interacting with the heptapods – and completely re-designed the audio. My goal was to delve deeper into the atmosphere of mystery, the alien presence, and the delicate, groundbreaking process of attempting communication with something utterly unknown. Listen closely to how the re-worked environmental sounds of the shell and the unique sonic textures associated with the heptapods and their language contribute to the scene’s tension, wonder, and otherworldliness.