DLMDD Brings Elton John’s Story to Life in New Documentary ‘Touched by Gold’

For over a decade, DLMDD has been at the forefront of sonic branding and music supervision in advertising — from sculpting unforgettable sonic identities to curating the perfect track for global campaigns.

Now, the London-based agency has expanded its creative reach into long-form storytelling with ‘Touched by Gold’, a documentary tracing Elton John’s extraordinary journey through music, fashion, and cultural milestones.

With nine Elton tracks secured, including his unforgettable Glastonbury performance, the film strikes a balance between the mythic and the personal.

DLMDD’s Rob Shone explains how the team approached the challenge of scoring one of the most storied artists in music history.

LBB> DLMDD is best known for sonic branding in the commercial world. What made this project, ‘Touched by Gold’, the right moment to step into long-form documentary?

Rob> Unlocking a story's core emotional resonance is always at the forefront of our minds when working on any project. Whether we’re selecting the perfect track for dancing in denim or scoring a sonorous score for Singapore Airlines, we’re constantly searching for that immutable *click* that creates connection with its audience. Craft with human authenticity at its core always bolsters that bond. Therefore, it was exciting to begin exploring worlds where stories themselves are even more at the forefront - and with Elton, what a story to start with.

LBB> Elton John’s story has been told in many ways before. How did you approach using music to give this film a fresh, emotionally resonant perspective?

Rob> Elton John is one of the most enduring songwriters of his generation. He’s also a cultural figure whose story has been told and retold times many times in various forms. Luckily for us, 'Touched By Gold' stands out by uniquely framing all the key chapters of Elton’s life with Gold. Thematically, it weaves together his distinct fashion, his first gold record, the UK’s introduction of gay marriage, HIV testing kits and more in a brilliant golden thread that, safe to say, hasn’t been done before.

Musically, the film is scored by the brilliant Rob Lewis whose combinations of cello and synth textures provide both moments of drama and calm across the documentary. Given the reflective nature of Elton’s interviews, our soundtrack of needle drops also helped juxtapose both the feeling of the present and the past by mixing between his iconic studio tracks and historic live recordings from throughout the years.

LBB> The soundtrack draws from both iconic tracks and live performances. What did those different textures bring to the film’s narrative?

Rob> Everyone knows ‘Your Song’ inside and out; it’s one of the most famous songs in the world. Simultaneously, it’s both timeless and current in a way that few tracks can be. The 1970 recording is the definitive article. So, to diverge from this by cutting to live recordings mid-performance can actually bring us closer to Elton himself. To ‘err’ is human, and the tiniest changes and deviations make all the difference. Ultimately, this film is a personal account from Elton himself, and by linking different performances from across his career, shrinks that divide between the mythical and the personal.

LBB> Securing nine Elton John tracks, including Glastonbury, is no small feat. Tell me what that process looked like and how you balanced creative ambition with the realities of rights management?

Rob> Luckily, with Elton’s enthused involvement, securing the rights was a certainty. Therefore, our focus throughout the production was to help Pioneer Productions achieve their creative ambition for a packed soundtrack of hits. Cue the sprawling production spreadsheets, hundreds of negotiation emails with rightsholders, and countless cups of tea and biscuits.

The key to success here is taming the labyrinthian side of music supervision: keeping afloat amongst the growing avalanche of details, adjustments, and admin. Unlike advertising, licensing multiple tracks for one film comes with a myriad of competing complications. With interconnected negotiation costs, brand new recordings/performances created on shoot, and a rapidly evolving edit dropping different tracks into the mix, throughout consistent communication and a key eye for the specifics is required to minimise bumps in the proverbial road. As they say: measure twice, cut once.

LBB> How closely did you work with Toby in shaping the role of music across the film, and what was that creative dialogue like?

Rob> In pre-production, we were in close dialogue with Toby and the Pioneer team on what the musical identity of the film could be. Conceptual conversations were had about the sound of gold itself, and we traded suggestions on the film's perfect composer. From a genre-spanning list of musical extraordinaries, Toby and the team settled on Rob Lewis – an Emmy-nominated composer and cellist whose work spans all sorts of mediums. From there, our focus shifted to the supervision elements, ensuring all the cues were met and that dialogue and delivery were consistent. Toby, Rob and Pioneer closely collaborated on everything in between and the testament to the quality of their work can be clearly seen on the screen.

LBB> With this project, DLMDD is moving beyond advertising into cultural storytelling. Do you see this as a natural evolution of what sonic agencies can offer and what you plan to continue doing in future?

Rob> We’ve never seen ourselves as just a sonic agency. In fact, we craft culture through production, curation, or supervision that’s uniquely tailored to our clientele and their productions. Everyone here at DLMDD has a musical background, along with a belief that helping brands use music effectively strengthens their branding or campaigns. But we’re also keen to push our craft and services beyond just campaign films and mnemonics. Recently, DLMDD has worked on sound installations at the Outernet, and even beyond sound itself, we’re delving into the world of smell with our fragrance branding division with scent branding agency, ‘Scent by DLMDD’. In a marketplace that’s constantly evolving, we’re constantly looking to the horizon for what's new and exciting.

LBB> Having made your mark on 'Touched By Gold', how do you see DLMDD’s role in film and TV developing in the future?

Rob> As I mentioned, we’re always exploring how music can further enhance human-centric stories. Different formats provide us with different opportunities to translate the skills we’ve become famous in advertising across into new forms and places. There’s an incredible opportunity for different creative journeys, and we’ve got plenty of sequels and spin-offs cooking up in the DLMDD kitchen for 2026. We’re looking forward to sharing what’s next soon!