SHR6E032F~002 25105083 Portfolio and video evidence: ENHANCES Final Project Production, April 2026

by

Alister Tucker 25105083

2527 words, excluding figures, tables, bibliography, appendicies etc.

SHR6E032F~002 Portfolio and video evidence TEMPLATE

1. Project Overview

Introduction

For my Final Project, I worked with the ENHANCES (Enhancing Ecosystem Services) project led by Durham University, that is funded by GCBC (Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate) and is part of DEFRA/UK’s International Development Funding programme. ENHANCES is about coastal protection using mangrove forests in Suriname and Guyana and includes:

  • collecting environmental data
  • using drone and satellite tools to monitor coastal change, and
  • sharing results through a board game designed to promote discussion and concensus about coastal protection strategies.

ENHANCES wanted to produce a short educational film for all ages, on the importance of mangroves in the coastal areas.

The film needed to include:

  • why mangroves are important to local communities
  • how deforested forests lose their functions, leading to erosion, loss of land and loss of livelihoods
  • a comparison of natural systems with hard-sea defenses (such as sea-walls, dykes)
  • an introduction to coastal processes including mudbank migration

A Brazilian student/film-maker (Loic Ronsse) was commissioned produce the visual part of the film and the final product.

I was commissioned to collaborate with Loic and the ENHANCES project team to produce a soundtrack for the short film.

The Project Brief:

  • Make a catchy song about mangroves, to be used as the sound track for the film. It was agreed that the project would consist of (i) full song with lyrics, (ii) an instrumental version, (iii) a dub-track (drum and base) and (iv) a full track with the base from the song intro looped through the entire music. These 4 song versions (approximately 2 to 3 minutes each), would allow different mixes to be used to accompany different sections of the film (approximately 10-12 minutes of music as per this assignment).
  • I had scope to be creative and apply initiative to the music-creation process.
  • Meet regularly with the ENHANCES team online/in person to understand the project scope, audience and receive feedback on my drafts to ensure that my client was satisfied with the work produced and that it would work for the intended purpose.
  • Collaborate with Loic to understand film storyboard and intended moods at each point in the timeline. I wanted to compose the music to the feel of the film and local cultural vibes.

My vision for project outputs – see Appendix 1.

Timeline

The timeline for the project aligned well with the ENHANCES project, with both the film and music originally due in April 2026. However, the film deadline was extended by the ENHANCES project to May 2026 so only a draft of the film is currently available.

2. Panopto Video – Final Product (10-12 Minutes of music within the film)

Video A- ENHANCES project DRAFT video (final film is due in May 2026) incorporating my music.

My final music deliverables to ENHANCES:

1 – Full song

1b – Instrumental with harmonies

2 – Instrumental without harmonies (raw bounce)

3 – Dub mix

4 – Intro mix

3. Chronological Monthly Diary

November 2025

I thought hard about a possible project and was inspired by the ENHANCES project which covers Suriname and Guyana (my home country) on a topic close to my heart on coastal defence. I subsequently talked with Dr. Bovolo of Durham University and was commissioned to produce a song for a film being commissioned at the same time, to be produced by another student at a different university. We discussed my contribution and the parameters of the brief. I was given material on the project to read. On 25 November, 2025, I made a presentation of my proposed project to the class and I received very encouraging feedback which drove me to progress further.

December 2025

I handed in my project proposal on 3rd December 2025, which was well received. I also met with members of the ENHANCES team to plot the way forward with regards to turning ideas into reality. We discussed that it was important to keep in regular contact and provide drafts of our progress at regular intervals for feedback. We discussed a possible trip to Suriname/Guyana for Loic to collect footage.

January 2026
ENHANCES let me know that there was a conference in Guyana organised by Conservation International (CI) and the Guyana Ministry of Environment – National Agricultural Research and Environmental Institute (NAREI), with relevant stakeholders, and that the team were planning to attend. The project was subsequently able to provide funds for both Loic and myself to travel with the team to attend the conference and visit project sites.

21-22 January 2026 – Guyana Conference

During the meeting, all participants, including myself and Loic, were asked to introduce themselves and state their interest in the conference. I explained I was producing a song for ENHANCES and I was there to gather information and the live feel from the people currently working on mangroves. All stakeholders were enthusiastic about their work and that a song was to be produced specifically tailored to mangroves.


I met stakeholders from both Suriname and Guyana including:

  • CI/WWF/Guyana Ministry of Environment-Guyana Forestry Commission/Ministry of Agriculture-NAREI/Suriname Ministry of Public Works/Spatial Planning/Consultancies (Deltares, SRKN’gineering) and others

I heard presentations on all the newest research on mangroves and the rehabilitation efforts being undertaken. Apparent was the lack of data which ENHANCES is currently addressing. I learned how coastal system work, how mudbanks migrate, and the land erosion issues. The conference really inspired my passion to firmly grip the project and helped my lyrics flow and make my lyrics more meaningful.

During the conference, Loic was able to collect footage from the conference and interview stakeholders and we were able to visit mangrove sites in Guyana.

FIgure 1. The CI Conference in Guyana
Figure 2. Myself and conference participants involved in conference activities

Video 1: field visit to coastal mangrove regeneration site, showing sea defences and mangrove seedlings (Georgetown, Guyana).

Figure 3. Myself, Dr. Bovolo and Dr. Spanellis talking about the mangroves at the field site.
Green Grey Knowledge Exchange ReportDownload

Booklet on conference – showing my attendance on page 18.

23-31 January 2026 – Suriname Field Visit

After the conference, I travelled with ENHANCES to Suriname where I saw first-hand the land-erosion issues due to mangrove loss, and the associated financial impacts on communities. I worked with Loic as he collected footage and interviewed various local stakeholders. This helped me to understand the planned film direction and visuals to be used. During a quiet moment I was able to write lyrics for first verse and chorus, and received live feedback from the team on these.

Figure 4. Loic Interviewing Prof. Naipal (expert on mangroves) of the Anton de Kom University of Suriname
Figure 5. Myself and Prof. Naipal at an active erosion site due to mangrove loss, where a dyke is being constructed to protect local residents from ocean inundation.

February 2026

I returned to the UK fully charged and immediately started to lay tracks for the music. It took some time for the second verse and the rest of the lyrics to come to me naturally as I work organically.

Loic also shared a rough demo of the film for comments. He also produced a short trailer/preview (Video 2). As the music wasn’t complete, Loic did not include my music in this trailer at this point.

Video 2: Loic’s preview trailer of the ENHANCES film, produced February 2026.

March 2026

In March I was crafting the music and experimenting with different options. I decided to leave out some of the local instruments and nature sounds due to Loic using these in his film and also because it didn’t fit well with the production. I also thought about how the music and baseline could be used in the film (Video 3). Finally, I found it useful to do a spoken-word bridge with vital information on mangrove ecosystem services in the song (Video 4). I received encouraging feedback on these initiatives from the project team.

Video 3: draft of my music, March 2026, with voiceover by myself, showcasing my intentions for the baseline. Filmed in my home studio.

Video 4: draft of my music, March 2026, with voiceover introducing a new idea via a vocal bridge in the lyrics (spoken word-style).

April 2026

In April, I started to send out more complete demos to different members of the team for feedback (e.g. Track 1, 2).

Track 1: Rough cut of music including lyrics
Track 2: Rough cut of music – instrumental

I received several bit of feedback, eg Ruben (in Suriname) heared the instrumental version, and suggested more side sticks. I therefore added these (Track 3).

Track 3: Rough cut of music – instrumental – including side sticks.

Loic noticed that there was a high pitch in the music that was not suitable for video, so I removed this.

I then derived a final version which included live rhythm guitar and lead guitar (Video 5). As an artist, I work with a studio in Jamaica who usually supply backing vocals for me. This was arranged and applied. The female vocals widened the music and made it more professional. I paid for the vocals myself (£120). The vocalist had free range to create according to their inspiration.

I then proceeded to mix and master the main track. From this I also derived an instrumental version. Finally, I created a dub track another mix.

Loic is currently working to finalise the film as more footage was collected in April for this. He is using my tracks as planned within the film.

Video 5: fellow student practicing to add a live guitar to the music, April 2026.

4. Evidence of Planning/Process

Original Planned Timeline as submitted in November 2025 and final status April 2026.

Date 2025/2026Action Final Status
October * understand the assignment and its requirementsComplete
November* contact the ENHANCES project lead
* discuss outputs and needs		Complete
December * collaborate with Loic and team to
exchange ideas and previous works
* start recording demos with ideas to show at project meetings for discussion
* finalize the film storyboard		Complete
January* Loic (and myself?) may travel to Suriname to gather footage and ideas
* start making the tracks		Complete
February * revise the tracks as neededComplete
March * present my final work to the team
* The film will be produced		Complete but the final film will be ready in May 2026 due to the ENHANCES team wanting to add more footage.
April *Final project production deadline (29 Apr)My tracks are complete.
May * The film will be showcased by ENHANCES project at a conference in SurinameThe film will now be showcased in July in Suriname.
Table 1: Original timetable and outcome

Evidence of the execution and outcome of the original timeline (Table 1) is presented in the monthly diary above.

Project Finances as submitted in November 2025 and final status April 2026.

PurposeDetailEstimated CostFinal Cost
Trip to Suriname paid for by ENHANCES£1500£1400 (covered)
Studio Time£20/hour (approx 3-5 hours)£100£100 (covered)
Music Commission* £2000 (my time including music production)
* £100/session (session musicians x 2)		£2000



£200 		£2000 (covered)



£200 (covered)
Music Commission * Backing singer vocals
* Jamaica Studio time for recording female vocals 		not planned£80 (to pay)

£80 (to pay)
TOTAL£3800£3860
(including £160 to pay)
Table 2: Original estimated project costs and outcome

The estimated costs (Table 2) were £3800, however the trip to Suriname only cost £1400 (covered) but I decided to include backing singers and studio time for them in Jamaica at my own expense of £160, which took the budget to £3860 (i.e. £60 over budget).

For the following, please see Appendix 4.

Publishing rights

Audience, exposure, marketing and influence

Risk Analysis

5. Reference Material/Inspiration

I independently write and produce original reggae music as the artist Jah Glory (Appendix 3). I wanted a song which would speak to entire societies across Guyana and Suriname (English and Dutch speaking) and the cultural connection is through reggae music, so I did a reggae track.

To get the base I envisioned a mighty angel presenting to the leaders of society a mandate with the importance of mangroves and coastal protection. The baseline was written from the rhythm of his hurried steps.

The lead guitar is used to emphasise the importance of the message and its urgency. I used the onedrop reggae drums style to a high tempo, gripping hihat. The onedrop drums is where the first beat is dropped, whilst the third beat is emphasised with the kick base and side sticks which produces a unique sound in reggae drumming. This drum pattern also allows me to use a high tempo and then half it, therefore creating a relaxed pulse in the music, a technique which is called a half-time reggae (double the tempo but in doing so, slow down the track).

I was deeply moved inspired by the passion of the speakers at the conference, the previous work on mangrove rehabilitation, and the environment to write the lyrics (see Appendix 2). These highlight the core messages in the conference, the importance of mangroves in coastal defence and their other benefits. My intention was to broadcast what I learned from the conference through music to all ages as most people, including local communities, enjoy the coastline but are not aware of the importance of mangrove ecosystems. Therefore the song is a call for more education on mangroves and coastal defense.

6. Use of Technology

I used Logics ProX DAW to create an electronic production of my idea in my home studio, but I chose to replace some of the instruments with live versions. My intention was to include live drums and guitars. However, I was unable to source a live drummer.

My project began with a studio plan which contained a template, colour code, labels and markers to highlight different sections of the music. I developed my own colour-coding to identify particular instruments (e.g. hihat=mint, so I can identify all instances of hihat easily).

I started by laying my vocals, then created the drums and then added chords that work well with reggae (A minor to G major chords). This allowed me to feel the base before I created it because I wanted to add a melodic base before the melody. Most reggae songs have the bass upfront in the mix, that’s why a catchy baseline is crucial in reggae. I then added accompanying music for colour and texture.

I used panning and volume from inception to enable a smooth process. I did track stacking of similar instruments after labelling and colouring them. This begins to glue the sound together. I created a bus and axillary track to do top down mixing as it encourages a better arranging flow. My method was subtractive EQ using broadcuts and slight boosts at the desired frequency. I used compression only when necessary in accordance with the overall mix. Also being a song about nature, I wanted it to sound as natural as possible.

The main components of a reggae mix are drums, base, emphasised off-beat and strong vocals. Normally gate is critical for removing snare and tom bleed but in this case my drums are electronic, so this was not required. I also used the following techniques in the mixing chain for the kick: subtractive EQ (use of high pass filter around 30-50 Hz to remove sub rumble), compressor (a slow attack 10-30ms to let the transient click through, and a fast relief 50-100ms. To boost the tail I aimed for 3-6 dbs of gain reduction or up to 9 dbs for extreme punch), additive EQ (boost around 60-100hz for fatness and 3-7khz for attack/better click), saturation (which adds harmonics that help the kick sound making it audable on smaller speakers), and clippers/limiters (uses a hard clipper to shave off top transient allowing the overall volume of the kick to be higher without peaking). Mixing a reggae song requires building a heavy solid foundation in the low end whilst using time-based effects as ‘instruments’ to create space and movement. To tighten up the base, the following were used: quantize to the pocket, gain stage, reamp, EQ and compression, subtractive EQ where needed, sculpt tone with additive EQ, add channel compression, apply bus compression, and side-chain compression.

7. Evaluation

I produced the intended musical outcomes for this project and the whole ENHANCES team and other stakeholders are very happy which I am pleased about. However, the film production is running behind schedule as ENHANCES decided to add recent footage to the film. Therefore, although my contribution is complete, the final project (i.e. film with music) is only due to be finalised in May 2026, which is out of my control. Nevertheless, a draft version of the film has been produced and my music has been added and this can be seen in Section 2.

I know the song has potential to reach wide audiences, and propel me as an artist as there has been interest in the song from both Guyana and Suriname ministries, and other stakeholders. I believe I am the first reggae artist to work with such powerful global stakeholders and they like the song. From exposing this to fellow students and producers, they were all intrigued and surprised that I was able to produce such a meaningful song. Its been growing on its listeners who constantly ask for updates. I intended to make a catchy song with easy listening and a meaningful message and I achieved that. I believe the song is marketable once is released online.

On the process, once I had the lyrics, which came first, the melody and structure of the music, naturally followed. I found it easy to create the accompanying music because of my passion for the project. I laid in excess of 50 tracks, from which I had enough material to then arrange the music to my taste. I found being away 2 days a week to attend classes, disrupted my process, but I was always happy to get back in the studio on my return. I finished laying the final vocals and harmonies later than anticipated, and I could have improved my time-management skills, but found to difficult to perfect the song to my satisfaction, so kept doing alternative mixes. It was also difficult working with a different timeline for the film production, which resulted in only a draft for this project. Finally, I wanted to record the track live, but didn’t have the time. In future I will aim to manage my time better.

8. Bibliography

Appendix 1 – My vision for project outputs

At the start of the project, my vision included:

  • One standalone track: a catchy, lively, educational and uplifting song using reggae music, to be used for the introduction & credits and also marketed separately. Includes lyrics, composed by myself, to educate the local communities on best practice (approx. 2.5-3 minutes in length).
  • A separate instrumental track to be used with images of drone flyovers, degraded forests, wildlife, environment etc.
  • Two other versions (including a dub-track and base looped track) as alternative options, eg to go with interviews or machinery at work.
  • Tailor the music to local Caribbean influences (Guyana and Suriname are in the Caribbean), and work within my own strengths as a reggae artist. I planned to involve different local instruments e.g. drums, pipes, shakers, and sounds e.g. waves, wind and birds sound (taken from the projects’ sound recorders).

Appendix 2 – Song Lyrics

Verse 1

In the silence of the coastline where the water kiss the sand
stands the guardian of the coast
rooted deep within the land.
They whisper to the breeze, through their leaves
let’s sway and dance
the guardian of the coastline only works to nature’s plan
then I must salute them as true sentinels.
They break the waves, they brace the storms, they save the lives and build the land.


Chorus
Grow them! Mighty and strong! They hold back those waves where they belong.
Grow them! In storms they stand their grounds.
In nature’s shield, human hope is found.

Interlude

Shore stabilization

wave energy reduction

sediment accretion

coastal control erosion

storm surge mitigation

storage for carbon

self-repairing infrastructure

at the coastline is a wonder

these coastal wonders we must respect

these coastal wonders we must protect

Verse 2

Resilience on the coastline

code with nature’s battle plan

stands a guardian and a host

a nature grew sentinel

eco biodiversities, nurseries

they host and guard

the battle for the coastline

is to stablise the land

there are many benefits

from mangrove solutions

they brake the waves

they brace the storms

they save the lives

and they build the land

Chorus
Grow them! Mighty and strong! They hold back those waves where they belong.
Grow them! In storms they stand their grounds.
In nature’s shield, human hope is found.

Interlude

Shore stabilization

wave energy reduction

sediment accretion

coastal control erosion

storm surge mitigation

storage for carbon

self-repairing infrastructure

at the coastline is a wonder

these coastal wonders we must respect

these coastal wonders we must protect

Appendix 3: Market Analysis

Market Analysis

Reggae music potential:
Reggae holds a unique position in global “world music” market. It is listed as the 10th most listened genre (out of 500) according to IFPI’s Engaging with Music Report 2022. It has a significant cultural and political impact, especially in Caribbean, but also USA, Japan, Germany and Europe. There are emerging markets in Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East. According to Luminate’s 2024 Report, reggae music accounts for
19% of monthly listeners among Gen Z and 30% of monthly listeners among Millennials. Therefore, reggaue music should connect with all audiences young and old.

My own marketability:
I am marketable because of my clear diction in the reggae genera. I have proven capabilities in my own original reggae music production and style, as proven by my portfolio of music available on all streaming platforms including Spotify, under my artist name Jah Glory

I was commissioned and delivered a music track for the Open University COBRA project in 2014, worth £2000. I delivered the project successfully, showing that I have the capability to produce the required outputs under this role.

Appendix 4: Publishing, audience, marketing, risk

Publishing rights

I was prepared to split the publishing rights 50:50 with the ENHANCES team – but I was informed that they are not capable or equipped to collect royalties from music, so we decided to make an exception for ENHANCES to have access and use of the music for any purpose in the future. We are currently working on the details to enable this to happen.

Audience, exposure, marketing and influence

The song is designed to appeal to the general public of all ages and to enlighten people about the importance of mangroves.

The film with music will be distributed via the ENHANCES project website, the July 2026 Project Symposium in Suriname/Guyana, and on Youtube. It will also be shown also in Universities and schools both in the UK and in Suriname/Guyana. Stakeholders will organise radio broadcast of the music to sensitise the public on mangroves and their importance as coastal defence. The standalone music will be distributed on all online streaming services including Spotify, via my own artist platform, Jah Glory. In near the future, I hope to translate and sing the song in Dutch for better reach and inclusion in Suriname.

Risk Analysis

Risk were minor for this project and generally did not materialise.

  • I hadn’t worked with Loic before BUT I have been assured of his professionality and I get on well with the rest of the ENHANCES project team
  • The funding to send Loic (and myself) to Suriname to collect new footage was not available at the start of the project. If funding was not available, then Loic would have worked with the project team to assemble existing footage. In the end, funding for myself and Loic was available.
  • If the final film production is not finished on time, THEN the music will be delivered anyway, ready for inclusion. In fact the film delivery has been delayed and only a draft cut is available, but my part is complete.