Aeon Flux - "War" (New Original Soundtrack and Sound Design)

New original music and sound effects created for "War", an episode of the cult MTV Liquid Television series Aeon Flux, as part of a student assignment. The assignment also specified that all sound effects must be synthesized or recorded first hand using readily available materials, including weapons and machinery. This video is presented to demonstrate the impact of sound and music direction on the emotional character of visual works.
"War! Huh! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing!"
- Edwin Starr

[@MoonlightMothMedia]

This is one of my favorite of the shorts. I love how the "main character" just becomes whoever killed the last "main character".

[@kickinrocks6055]

It's a Bruce Lee parallel. Fight empty handed. Take the weapon of your fallen foe. Fight another. Take new weapon from newly fallen foe. Repeat. Maybe it was... enter the dragon? Dungeon prison break scene?

[@badlaamaurukehu]

Even the new audio?

[@loredanamassini9484]

@@kickinrocks6055 hi

[@loredanamassini9484]

@@kickinrocks6055 you Say Life s a WEAPON?

[@kickinrocks6055]

@@loredanamassini9484 no. I'm saying, know your roots. This scene is similar to a scene from Enter the Dragon with Bruce Lee. But it been translated in a way, to be original.

[@josephgover5072]

Apparently using your tongue to distract people has no effect in battle.

[@seanphillips2758]

My 6th grade math teacher was Ms. Chung, her brother wrote, drew and directed this masterpiece. Great to see it still getting love today!

[@Nikashi4021]

NOOOO WAYYYY FRRRR???

[@SmokesKwazukii]

@@Nikashi4021 he is lying im sorry

[@johnnyfountainS]

Peter Chung.

[@kanikama9579]

Oh the Chung from the Chung..

[@PrvnCoke]

​@@SmokesKwazukii hes telling the truth, my boss was big chungus he was the father of them and would always talk about his kids

[@idesmarch1]

This is the perfect representation of my thoughts years ago. How many amazing crazy stories have never been told from war, because the person ultimately dies.

[@SageLakshmi]

History is always narrated by the victor

[@justwannabehappy6735]

In war, there's no protagonist. Only a serie of future corpses.

[@93003ayo]

I call it the protagonist shuffle

[@larrylovehandle8472]

Wrong. There were four war heroes in this short, each would have gotten the equivalent of the congressional Medal of Honor, and having heroes such as this is key for the success of any army.

[@xxxshowxxxstopperxxx]

his point was that all of the people who think of themselves of good guys are only good to their prespective, war is not fought for good and evil and cannot be because good and evil are subjective and immaterial.

[@larrylovehandle8472]

luke w. It's not about being "good" per se, but about defending your people, your homeland, and your way of life. By that measure, both sides could be considered good.

[@ScottJarreau]

That’s the purest explanation of this episode that I’ve come across 🤯🤯🤯

[@brettwyatt7165]

massive nostalgia hit ... I remember seeing this when I was in my teens ... I remember the tongue ... and I didn't think they would get killed but they did

[@voli6570]

War.

[@badlaamaurukehu]

And yet you never saw the original. Live. Just this dub. Sad. :(

[@LibertyandFreedom4]

Ah when MTV was entertaining and Liquid Television was cutting edge.

[@johnyesjustjohn]

The Law of Conservation of Ninjitsu is in full effect: one cool guy can kill a thousand, a thousand cool guys can't hit the broad side of a barn.

[@dimviesel]

.....

[@zalandercalander]

What?

[@platypuslord2399]

@@zalandercalander The Law of Conservation of Ninjitsu is in full effect: one cool guy can kill a thousand, a thousand cool guys can't hit the broad side of a barn.

[@vrindasugandhi1646]

@@platypuslord2399 can you explain the last line please?

[@tyrannicalchocolate]

@@vrindasugandhi1646 it’s a reference to how in fiction the greater the number of enemies you face, the easier it is to kill loads of them, but when you face one enemy, even if he’s the same as the group, because it’s just one guy he’s much harder to kill - if 100 ninjas attack an enemy they will be shown as dying in droves, but if just one ninja attacks the same position he will be able to dodge all bullets. Aeon Flux is playing with this idea in this video by regularly swapping the numbers of enemies back and forth, to the point it becomes noticeable and distracting.

[@Finarvas]

3:16 that giddy jump lol

[@user-qr2vo8pc9b]

Finarvas hah

[@jonathandecker3183]

In a world, where leotards and submachine guns rule the earth, two factions of anorexia patients battle it out for earth's last remaining stash of dieting pills.

[@Old_Guard2]

This

[@kaiserwigglesiii2369]

This killed me

[@Mr-Ad-196]

This...........is...............good

[@thomasraahauge5231]

at least they are not running out of ammo . . .

[@MrRodQ]

You're a funny man Decker. Seriously tho 😂😂😂

[@hanchiman]

I guess this episode is pointlessness of war, not to mention there are no heroes in it the moment you die, you just die and become forgotten in the battlefield.

[@kavijackson868]

EXACTLY!!! You get it!!!

[@drlev7432]

More than the music itself I really admire the sounds of the gunshots, sword slashes, and especially the knives thrown into the throat part. Really well done man

[@badlaamaurukehu]

The Welhelm Screams... Sure.

[@badlaamaurukehu]

They think you did it! Lol! Pain.

[@wynfrithnichtwo8423]

During the blackouts we just went through because of the winter storm. I watched all of Aeon Flux on UMD on my PSP. Was happy as could be hiding under my wool blankets watching the entire series, including pilot and shorts, plus seasons 1 and 2. I had not watched this in a very long time.

[@Hchris101]

The ultimate media device

[@olympian3]

umd is like the holy grail of media format

[@emogirl89allup]

I thought the Aeon Flux main lady was suppose to be the main character, dead in the beginning lol I guess the show isn't driven by one character but the by each persons journey. i don't know...

[@postshift19]

Aeon Flux dies or is captured by the enemy every episode, but yeah, this is the only one where she dies early on and most of the episode isn't about her.

[@rampant1apart]

She died so many times and she's back next episode and they never explained it ever, haha.

[@Orange_Swirl]

@@rampant1apart The episodes she dies in are intended to be more of episodic what-if scenarios.

[@Tigerman1138]

This was a movie, early short. She is just a small character in this movie.

[@MahouHomo]

@@postshift19 In either season 1 or 2, when the episodes were still mostly shorts, it shows a Monican agent looking at a list of Aeons, implying she (at least in the shorts) was just an army of clones.

[@metalgrimm]

1:12 the guy probably scared the fuck out of her because she can produce electric guitar sound from her mouth

[@LittleMissSunshine721]

This was very, very good. Felt like I watched a hour and a half movie in five minutes.

[@JonasPolsky]

I think the world of "Aeon Flux" could be described as "Joint Punk", with its fascination and focus on joints and how objects connect.

[@njnjhjh8918]

and not just objects, the people and events

[@badlaamaurukehu]

Why isn't that simply just another Neuromancer?

[@roshinobi]

Perfect illustration of the Law of Conservation of Ninjutsu.

[@sirgraveson4568]

_When the admin enable infinite ammo on the server_

[@johnvonachen1672]

Someone puts their hand on your shoulder and says, "Son. We want you to make an animation. 5 minutes. You can do anything you want. No rules. Complete creative control." What a golden moment that was for Peter Chung.

[@-C.S.R]

I’ve thought about this more than a few times since I was a kid. Haven’t seen it since then! Still doesn’t disappoint, so ahead of its time that was!

[@Balrog4242]

This might be my single favorite short animation sequence of all time.

[@claudiafinelle7252]

I used to love this show. the movie didn't do it justice.

[@ZacHawkins42]

Claudia Finelle Agreed, now let us never speak of that abomination again.

[@tsopmocful1958]

Claudia Finelle Understatement.

[@ryanhawe8234]

Well, Kusama's movie was a PG-13 linear narrative, so it couldn't help but be very different from what had come before -- but I do believe the essence of Aeon is in the film, and said film reminds us of what made her different from visual homages that came later such as Selene or Trinity.

[@T-Jex]

2:29 when you watch raiders of the lost ark too many times

[@thedarkmaster4747]

lol!

[@Mr-Ad-196]

But the opposite happened

[@rumtastic]

@@Mr-Ad-196 THATSTHEJOKE.JPEG THANKS FOR THE INCREDIBLE INSIGHT

[@thezec]

1:54 almost pissed myself laughing when I saw this for the first time

[@PhanFanMan]

This is the kind of weird ass shit I expect to see from early 90’s animation. Like my god I have no idea what’s going on or why but I’m entertained regardless.

[@JVncnt-mi9lf]

...Amongst the masterpieces in my life.

[@mikidymike359]

Saw this 2 years ago and I still come back to it

[@jonathantan2469]

This is basically a large Capture the Flag multiplayer map with hundreds on each side...

[@austynrose2286]

I can’t remember where I originally saw this but for about a year+ I’ve been trying to find it and I’m so happy to have found it again.

[@Producelikeapro]

Great work on the music!!

[@cerumen]

+Produce Like A Pro Thank you!

[@coryosborn]

Phenomenal sound design here. Makes it feel real.

[@adventurous3641]

This is really quite beautiful, well done!

[@derpingolatrouse9563]

Watch the part where the swordsman gets shot in x.25 speed. There's 3 frames that are brutal as fk.

[@eastweymouthchris]

Aeon FLux may have been the last cool thing that ever appeared on MTV

[@therealdonaldtrumpjr]

The Maxx was after

[@Maxphyspage]

@@therealdonaldtrumpjr Came to say the same

[@dutchcapo]

This is an actual fact

[@noeyesnocartoons160]

Cool style. Lovely. Reminds ghost in the Shell

[@potatochipjenkins]

I forgot how fucking WILD this show was. I couldn’t look away 😵‍💫

[@jamesremington8056]

his hair is so epic his helmet cannot damage his quaff.

[@troygaspard6732]

On another level, extremely choreographed violence.

[@mikidymike359]

Excellent job with the music. I like how it switches theme and instruments depending on the situation,character and the "feel" that a certain scene has. Keep up the good work

[@savasolarov8424]

I love the music added .!!

[@stevengreen9536]

One of my favorite episodes. :)

[@blastradius9136]

I forgot Aeon gets killed off in every short lol

[@fwub]

Good job! Fits it perfectly.

[@Orange_Swirl]

1:16 *_HEADSHOT_* 1:17 *_DOUBLE_* *_KILL_*

[@fawkes9370]

The less you wear the greater will your protection be.

[@dorogigabor8656]

Genial story and style!!! VERY GOOD! :)

[@kavijackson868]

THIS IS ASTONISHING!!! EAT YOUR HEART OUT GAME OF THRONE$!!!

[@ashbha4138]

Weird, the characters always die exactly when you don't expect them to.

[@falconeshield]

I'm guessing that's the point

[@thENDweDIE]

Man...(& woman) I remember this!! It blew me t f away back in the 90's...lulz I watched it when MTV was still somewhat MTV... It was so different so impacting...light years beyond anythingand ages ahead of its time!!! xD

[@quillspill6742]

Those guns just don't run out of ammo, huh?

[@VKDM8687]

Wait....YOU did this music? How--what program did you use? You are very talented! GREAT work!

[@dustybunny6716]

I remember seeing this as a child years ago. Changed my view on cartoons forever.

[@Themuseemporium]

Incredible.

[@williamvolkmann8658]

you did good on this one

[@bowman303]

1:00 made me laugh so hard

[@zacharyfindlay-maddox171]

I remember watching this on t.v. when it was brand new. First time I've seen this since 93 I think.

[@TelcomTransmissions]

Nice work! 👍

[@cerumen]

back atcha

[@BONERDONER16]

Æon flux is a masterpiece

[@danielalbertogomezcaiceros2952]

how diferent would it had been if DC Would it use and artist like this one for the killing joke, i think that this kind of animation improves the madness that alan moore shows in the comic

[@larrylovehandle8472]

Daniel Alberto Gomez Caiceros Brian bolland is stiff as a board.

[@M-E-G-A]

It’s sounds a little less violent.

[@Hey_MikeZeroEcho22P]

DO You KNOW........How M A N Y (B) YEARS (B) it has been looking for this particular episode....... The beginning shots of Aeon Flux where she gets the rifle ( with UnLimited number of bullets ) shot out of her hands and the enemy troop shoots her - turns around quickly - to shoot the Other guy!!!! Many, MANY years!!! Thanks for the posting........now I can Rest!!! 😉

[@you2angel1]

Thank you °~•.☆.•~°

[@Mariotorres808]

nice work fella

[@manniefaces]

Absolutely beautiful

[@nestorgumble56]

una obra de arte

[@sethleoric2598]

Love how Flux just friggin dies within the first few minutes, in fact, she dies a lot in these earlier shorts.

[@davidbelen7199]

Dam yo... the music is real cool and all don't get me wrong what they did wit the sound track is dope. But the original takes me back, kinda like the songs u heard in highschool do. I recorded the episodes and would play them all the time over and over. I can't find the cassette but it was like time travel. The sound of the flute, the the echo of the switch when he swings his sword, and that metal door squeaky sound at the very end. It's playing in my head now and I'm here at home and grabbing my board and its summer and my crush wants to chill and blaze. Life.... Aeon, love it. Again please don't get me wrong. this was dope, and mad fun to watch I got such a deep conection wit it living it.

[@4luc42d]

The legend of plot armor. If you kill the one with plot armor you gain the plot armor.

[@johnnyfountainS]

The Ninja guy with a daughter was cool. Swordsman with a long pony tail.

[@mariseladiax320]

Nostalgia

[@Michael-pf8we]

This show is cool.

[@felci0s]

Even If I didn't see the original I can tell that you did a great job explecially from the music part

[@benjaminroger5693]

Used to watch this when I was in middle School

[@Oggar0912]

No hate, i love that you are helping keep this short on KZbin, one of my favorites! However the old soundtrack had this mystifying feeling to it, it felt alien and retro futurstic at the time. Im afraid it cant be replicated.

[@cerumen]

It’s all love

[@johnhancock2574]

Any way to listen to the music? Its awesome

[@garcia207]

This gives me Heavy Metal vibes.

[@likeandsubscribe926]

The original music for this short was brilliant on its own, and totally set the mood not only for each of the "heroes" but for the whole show in general! Your soundtrack is OK, I guess, but I just couldn't listen to it, as I was expecting the original. What infuriates me is that THIS is the top result when I search for it, and no other posts on youtube have the animation with the original music!!!! Yeah, there are soundtracks posted, but the one for "War" only has the Aeon Flux music and the Monican music! I yearn for the over-the-top vocals and orchestral score of the Breen guy's segment!

[@mattsmith7245]

это невероятно и неожиданно

[@happy543210]

guns never run out of bullets...i love the future!!

[@terciofelipeoliveirafrance2228]

1:14, damn this is no simp

[@JhonatanAsalas]

Hace años no veía esto.

[@alack3879]

Handsome jack is so based off the first dude

[@2BAPerformer]

What software did you use? I'm back in school for audio engineering at the moment. Plan on going into game/film sound design. Love it! :D

[@cerumen]

Logic Pro 9, though it was basically crashing constantly and losing me hours of work, so I'm not sure I'd recommend it...I was admittedly doing it on a laptop so Your Mileage May Vary.

[@acamsred]

1:25 was that a dead baby?!

[@reydolla]

Unfortunately yes.

[@steelguru]

I first saw this in Target. An employee had in playing on a TV in the electronics area.

[@abatosart2163]

Amazing. Perú

[@waltzleafington363]

In the beginning, I really thought the guy was going to not kill her. I like how it ended. Also, the guys in black wearing very little only had two people good at fighting.

[@DeathGrunt666]

even though i know i'm gonna get stonewalled bc the lore isn't the point, I still wanna know the lore lol. Between the two factions, I think some are legit clones

[@ZumbieGuy]

@@DeathGrunt666 haven’t seen the series in a long time but from what I remember, this short isn’t canon to the lore. There’s two countries, one where it’s an a very morally correct technocratic dictatorship run by the lover of the girl in the first scenes (Aeon) and there’s another amoral nihilistic anarchist society who preach peace (but actively try to sabotage the other country). Aeon is one of the agents from the anarchist society who tries to sabotage and destroy the other. They fight just to fight all the time and Aeon gets caught up with the fighting through her missions

[@NohuHeXe]

Every frame is so french. Nice

[@quitecontrary.]

Cool

[@honeybadger0895]

This is good

[@adamcochran7950]

Goddamn I loved this show.

[@Noobclock666]

I think I like this New Original Soundtrack and Sound Design then the old one.

[@seba1cantero]

arte

[@triplediamond6179]

Where can I find the original Drew Neumann version of this? It's no longer anywhere on YT

[@tessemi]

B E G O N E T H O T

[@josemontano9210]

Great cartoon

[@GabePickles3837]

1:08 Okay, that is fucking hilarious. XD

[@Caelum0134]

Its 2 am and i have to go to school at 8. Tf am i doing

[@thewhitedoor2517]

Ахренительно 😮