Freeze Frame is a gripping true crime podcast by Tucker Simmons, tracing his personal investigation into the murder of his aunt in rural Louisiana. Blending original research, in-the-field interviews, and raw commentary, the series unfolds in real time—pulling listeners into an active, evolving investigation. Original recordings and archival audio deepen the atmosphere, but it’s the unfolding discoveries that drive the story forward.
Cover Art for a Cold Case
To reflect the unresolved nature of the case, we created custom cover art using a double exposure technique that merges a portrait of the victim, Donna Arceneaux, with imagery from the Louisiana landscape where the story unfolds. Swamps, small-town homes, and a solitary church blend into her silhouette—evoking the eerie, isolated atmosphere at the heart of the investigation.
We extended the cover art into a full visual system—adapting its tone and imagery for banners, avatars, and platform-specific assets. This ensured a cohesive identity across every digital touchpoint, wherever the show appears.
From Raw Tape to Final Cut
To bring Tucker’s investigative vision to life, we handled every aspect of post-production—shaping raw material into a compelling audio narrative. This was a multi-step process that included:
- Cleaning and mastering voice recordings and field audio
- Scoring the show with carefully selected music and atmospheric sound cues
- Crafting a title sequence with original music
- Structuring and pacing the story within the audio medium
Below is an exploration of how we created a sonic identity for Freeze Frame through music and sound cues.
Cutting the Trailer
At launch, we created a compelling trailer to introduce the tone and world of Freeze Frame. Set to the show’s original theme music—composed by Tabitha Meeks—the trailer weaves together aerial drone footage of the region, archival crime scene photos, case files, newspaper clippings, and images of the victim.
Here is a sample of the drone footage:
We speed-warped the drone footage and applied a film look to give the visuals a gritty, cinematic quality—designed to grab attention and do justice to the story’s weight and production value.