Shapeless: Watching Guide

Friday, November 6, 2026 · DAD 310: Sound Design for Film

Ivy is a jazz singer in New Orleans whose eating disorder threatens her health and singing career. The film uses body horror and subjective sound to bring us into her experience. These excerpts include the ending.

On Monday, November 9, director Samantha Aldana and sound designer Devin Lawrence will join us to discuss their collaboration on Shapeless. Bring your scene notes and one question.

Scenes and listening questions

Note a specific sound and how it shapes Ivy’s point of view. Listen for changes in level, frequency balance, space, and speech clarity. Times are approximate.

Opening: Ivy and the band · 2:10–4:40

Jazz begins; Ivy introduces the band around 2:30.

What do we learn about Ivy and her band from the introductions and after-gig conversation? How do the performance and room sound establish their working world?

Body horror · 11:40–12:50

Listen for bones cracking around 12:17.

How do the bodily sounds make Ivy’s physical experience feel threatening? What might you layer or process to create them?

Grocery store · 15:20–16:40

Checkout scanner beeps; the cashier comments on Ivy’s groceries.

Listen to the checkout scanner before and after the cashier’s comment. Does a routine sound begin to feel different? Describe the change you hear and explain what it suggests about Ivy’s attention or anxiety.

Dry cleaners, customer enters · 24:50–25:55

Dryer starts; customer enters with a door bell at about 25:16.

Follow the customer’s voice, the machinery, and the eating sounds. Which details become clearer or harder to understand? How does the mix affect our sense of the interaction?

Bar / eating sounds · 35:20–36:35

Post-performance drinks; muffled conversation and crunching around 36:04.

Compare the muffled conversation and prominent crunching with the dry-cleaner scene. What draws Ivy’s attention away from the people around her?

Doctor’s office · 1:01:06–1:03:35

Doctor enters and discusses Ivy’s vocal damage.

Track the doctor’s voice, especially around 1:02:26. Where does its clarity change or return? What does that shift let us experience?

“Everybody Knows” · 1:11:21–1:13:00

Applause, then singing around 1:11:29.

Follow the relationship between the performance, Ivy’s voice, and other sounds. Where does the sound complicate what we see?

“St. James Infirmary” finale · 1:17:20–1:23:15

Band count-in, then Addie singing; continue through the applause.

Listen for the relationship between live performance, score, and Ivy’s internal experience. Which layers can you distinguish, and where do they seem to merge?

Prepare one question for Monday

Choose one moment and write a question for our guests. Include the scene, the sound you noticed, and what you want to understand about the creative decision or collaboration.