How a sound designer gave an alien its voice (and 250 words)

In this episode of Science Friday, host Flora Lichtman explores the art and science behind sound design in film, focusing on the iconic alien voice of Rocky from Project Hail Mary. The conversation centers on Eric Adol, the film’s sound designer, who reveals how he crafted Rocky’s voice using a layered blend of real-world sounds—such as a didgeridoo, slowed-down solitaire bird songs, humpback whale vocalizations, and an ocarina—creating a rich, emotionally expressive alien language. Adol emphasizes that Rocky’s vocalizations are not random but internally consistent, with around 250 scripted words, making the alien’s communication both linguistically coherent and sonically unique. The episode also dives into Adol’s work on the 2014 Godzilla reboot, where he created a modernized roar using dry ice on metal and an elephant’s trunk blast, paying homage to the original while innovating for contemporary cinema. A highlight comes from Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life, where Adol reveals that the sound of the universe expanding was simply him breathing into a microphone—illustrating how abstract and powerful sound can be in evoking emotion and meaning. The episode celebrates sound design as a profound, almost poetic craft that shapes audience experience at a subconscious level.