Part 2

How would you rate the importance of soundtracks and film music for the movie as a whole? How do you see the relationship between image and sound in a movie?

I rate it highly, but I also think it depends on the film.

For instance, the films of Éric Rohmer seldom include extradiegetic music and are fantastic. Instead there is a focus on the excellent dialog and soundscapes of the environment in the film. I really like that approach as well.

Regardless if the film has a soundtrack or not, I think sound is important.



There are dedicated scores, sound tracks, temp tracks that ended up staying in the finished movie, and even scores that were written without the composer seeing the movie first. How do these different premises affect the finished movie, do you feel?

I haven’t tried composing for a film I haven’t seen, but that sounds like a very interesting challenge! I often get musical inspiration while reading a good book so in a way I sometimes let stories influence my writing for my albums. It would be cool to see if those ideas from the book would work for a film adaptation.

My impression of how things usually work is that the film gets to a final stage with all the shooting and editing being done and then the music composing comes in towards the end, but I am sure things are different depending on the film.

One interesting thing I learned on this project and after talking to a few other filmmakers is that directors sometimes use temp tracks as a timekeeper for editing. I never noticed it before but some films have a rhythm to them and the music the director/editor cut to might be influencing that. In turn, that could then influence the tempo of your compositions.

How did you get started scoring for films and what were some of the specific challenges?

Working on Hrafnamynd by Edward Pack Davee was my first time scoring a film and I got the role because we were friends and appreciated one another’s work.

When it came time for me to get to work on his film I realized that I didn’t have the programs that professional film composers use that works with timecode and syncs all the sound elements to the film. Filmmakers also use sound file types that only certain programs can use. I use Ableton to track my music which doesn’t have some of the functions that are usually needed for film sound. I ended up getting a new program to handle this, but strangely Edward and I could not get his sound elements to sync properly so I ended up going back to Ableton.

He sent me all of the individual audio tracks that he had in the film and I painstakingly placed them on the timeline in Ableton where I also imported the video and from there just composed the music like that. I also did all the sound design and sound mixing there as well. This was an unusual approach, but it worked well since he wanted a stereo final mix. I'm curious to see what it’s like to work on a team that is dedicated to the film’s sound. It was a fun experience to take on all aspects of sound on my own for this one, though.

Another challenge was that I had to make sure that the sound was compliant with the regulations for films which is a new thing to me because I don’t usually have to think about that when I am making my normal kind of music. I had to carefully monitor what I was doing at all times and make all kinds of micro adjustments so that all of the elements work together and not go over the average threshold. The trick is to comply while giving the overall film a dynamic feel. I made sure to calibrate my monitors and mixed it so that the average loudness of the film overall did not exceed -23 LUFS.

I really liked this approach and want to use it as I mix all of my music going forward. It will help me be critical of the frequencies that are too harsh and consider how this might fatigue the ear upon listening to a whole album.

I would assume that a major part of composing for film is the ability to interpret the images and the narrative at play. Tell me about how this works for you and how these interpretations in turn lead to sounds and compositions.

Yes, that is how it works for me. I think it’s important to break the film down scene by scene and just work on each section at a time. In my case I worked sequentially.

I think the hardest part is just going from nothing to something. You have to iterate and experiment a bit until something feels right, but once you are there, the rest of the film scoring becomes a lot easier.

I like my composing to follow the action and dialog on the screen and reflect the emotion or energy that is unfolding in real time, but in a subtle way. I want to help the film settle into people’s subconscious minds.

Another important thing is to look at the overall film and consider the time period and locations that it’s in. I like to give each setting a unique sound, but still feels cohesive to the overall film.

What, from your experience and perspective, does the ideal collaboration between you and a director look like?

I was lucky to work with Edward for my first film composing experience. He trusted me to express myself naturally and it was easy for me to understand his vision because we know each other well. It was the perfect opportunity for me.

In considering what I hope for if I work on a film again with someone else, here are my thoughts. First and foremost it’s important that the director chooses the composer whose work they feel is a good fit for what they are wanting for their film. I don’t ever want to be in a situation where a director is asking me to sound like someone else. Ideally all of the parameters for what is needed is already mapped out (even if it’s just a few simple words about mood and pacing) so it’s very clear what is going to work and what isn’t so as a composer you aren’t wasting your time being on the wrong track with something.

An ideal situation is when there’s already a mutual admiration and understanding of each other’s work and philosophy and from that a lot of trust and freedom to do one’s work in a natural way can be carried out. It’s a collaboration so both parties need to be open minded, patient, and willing to try new things out until a happy outcome is reached (within reason).

How do the other aspects of a movie's sound stage – such as foley and effects – influence your creative decisions?

When I am composing the music I make sure that I can still hear the dialog, foley and effects so that I can compose around them so that they can breathe.

I consider the dialog, effects and foley to be a part of the music. The pacing, tone, and amplitude of the voices and noises influence the pacing, tone, and amplitude of the music. I aim to support and enhance the energy that is there and let all of those components blend.

It’s a matter of balancing all of those elements for an overall rich and compelling atmosphere.

The balance between visuals, fx and film music is delicate. What, from your point of view, determines whether or not it is a successful one?

I want to make sure that the music and sound effects aren’t making it hard to understand what the actors are saying. You also don’t want to take away from the soundscape and ambiance of an environment if there is something important and rich there to listen to.

Perhaps the decision to be minimal or soft or to not impose music at all in some scenes is advisable so that tiny sounds can make a big impact to the story.

Different composers could potentially approach the same scene with strikingly different music. Would you say there can be 'wrong' and 'right' musical decisions for some scenes? In which way can some film music be considered 'definitive'?

That’s an interesting thing to ponder. I think that it’s possible for all of the interpretations by different composers to be fitting so long as they are writing in a way that supports the film’s artistic vision.

Yes, I do think there can be wrong musical decisions made when the music is just not supporting the mood of the scene and misguides the director’s intent. The music becomes definitive when you watch the scene and you feel mentally and emotionally on the same page with the story.