Heart of Stone

Heart of Stone is an award-winning animated musical short film that reimagines the story of Medusa, blending comedy, mystery, tragedy and a touch of child-friendly horror.

Working closely with director Haraldur Pétursson and producer Hannah Holliman, it was an absolute pleasure composing the original musical score and creating the sound design, helping to bring this wonderfully imaginative and surprisingly emotive story to life. The music needed to strike a careful balance between humour and heartfelt storytelling, capturing Medusa's loneliness and frustration while embracing the film's more comical, mischievous and mysterious moments.

Rhythm played a particularly important role, with shifting tempos, playful rhythmic patterns and an expressive palette of instruments helping to shape the narrative. I combined traditional Greek instruments with a contemporary orchestra, creating a musical world that could move naturally between light-hearted comedy, suspense and genuine emotional depth.

Bethany Allard, who has a background in performing arts, provided the wonderful lead vocals as the singing voice of Medusa. I also recorded her vocal performances, working to integrate her expressive singing into the score and bring an additional layer of personality and emotion to the character. It was an absolute joy to collaborate with such a talented creative team on a film that manages to be both comical and deeply touching, offering a fresh sympathetic perspective on one of Greek mythology's most misunderstood characters.