A series of shots depicting "America" are laid over a classic Gregorian Chant recreated through the distortion of a woman's screams.
Sound
The Gregorian chant made of screams is genuinely unhinged audio design.
Editing
Jarring cuts between Americana and distortion create genuine unease.
Director
Bill Viola
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Viola was a video art pioneer; this sits in MoMA's permanent collection alongside Warhol and Nam June Paik.
The scream-to-chant technique influenced decades of horror sound design, including Hereditary's choral terror.
US
