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Sound and vision
The World Soundtrack Awards are dedicated to supporting the relationship between a fi lm or television series and its music. Filmmaker David Lowery and composer Daniel Hart discuss the importance of visual and aural symbiosis. Nikki Baughan reports
Film Fest Gent and the World Soundtrack Awards look to strengthen the relationship between fi lmmaker and composer
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s the World A Soundtrack Awards (WSA) prepares for this year’s Film Music Days event (October 20‑22), it is once again shining a spotlight on the oft en overlooked work of fi lm and television composers. More than that, however, it remains dedi‑ cated to highlighting and cele‑ brating the rich collaborative relationships that exist between composers and fi lmmakers.
“We’ve heard many stories about composers having diffi culties talk‑ ing with fi lmmakers,” says Wim De Witte, programme director of Film Fest Gent (October 11‑22), under whose banner the WSAs take place. “As a fi lm festival, we have a lot of directors coming to us so we fi nd it’s our role to bring these worlds [of fi lmmakers and composers] together — to build a bridge between them, and to give directors and composers the tools to facilitate better communications between the two.”
“We try to help fi lmmakers build an interest in this world, [to] see the importance of music and of con‑ necting and communicating with their composers,” says Sophie Joos, the festival’s music projects coordi‑ nator, who notes the programme (see sidebar, right) is designed to “build good relationships between directors and composers”.
“We don’t want to push every director into having their fi lm use a score from the fi rst minute until the last,” De Witte adds. “We sim‑ ply want to give them confi dence to talk about which scenes do need music, and what kind.”
Aware the relationship between a fi lm and its score is oft en cemented in the edit suite, the awards organ‑ isers are also keen to bring editors into the conversation. De Witte points to events such as this year’s masterclass between Belgian editor Nico Leunen, composer Johnny Jewel and fi lmmaker Fien Troch, who worked together on 2016’s Home. “It’s oft en an editor who puts a temp track on the fi rst edit, and then the direc‑ tor falls in love with the music and so it becomes more diffi cult to get something more creative,” De Witte notes. “We help people to understand how the edit‑ ing process works, and give them the tools to discuss creative choices together.”
David Lowery, fi lmmaker
points to events such as this year’s masterclass between Belgian editor Nico Leunen, composer Johnny Jewel and fi lmmaker Fien Troch, who worked together on 2016’s . “It’s oft en an editor who puts a temp track on the fi rst edit, and then the direc‑ tor falls in love with the music and so it becomes more diffi cult to get something more
(Right) Lowery collaborated with Hart on The Green Knight
Musical language
Th e idea that there is a rich lan‑ guage to be found between fi lm‑ maker and musician is embodied by US director David Lowery and by US director David Lowery and his longtime com‑ his longtime com‑ poser Daniel poser Daniel Hart, who will Hart, who will both be attend‑ both be attend‑ ing the festival ing the festival for screenings for screenings and a creative and a creative partnership master‑ partnership master‑ class. (Hart is also nom‑ class. (Hart is also nom‑ inated in the best fi lm inated in the best fi lm composer category for composer category for his work on Lowery’s his work on Lowery’s Th e Green Knight, and Th e Green Knight best original song best original song for the fi lm’s ‘Blome for the fi lm’s ‘Blome Sweet Lilie Flow’.) Sweet Lilie Flow’.)
“Th e rapport felt instant,” says Lowery, who fi rst worked with Hart on low‑budget 2009 fi lm St Nick. Th e pair have collaborated on all of Lowery’s subsequent fea‑ tures including Ain’t Th em Bodies Saints (2013), Pete’s Dragon (2016), A Ghost Story (2017), Th e Old Man & Th e Gun (2018), Th e Green Knight (2021) and Disney’s upcom‑ ing live‑action Peter Pan & Wendy.
Th ese titles are strong examples of a natural symbiosis between sound and vision. “I don’t speak the same language that Daniel does,” Lowery says. “I’m the one talking in weird abstractions and he trans‑ lates that into music. But our two forms of expression intertwine. Rather than trying to explain what I’m looking for musically, the mov‑ ing images explain to him what I’m looking for.”
“David’s visual language is very melodic — we seem to approach storytelling from the same aes‑ thetic,” Hart agrees, although he
Daniel Hart, composer
acknowledges Lowery’s commit‑ ment to better understanding music composition. “David’s not a musician, and doesn’t consider himself to be one, but he has gone to great lengths to learn music ter‑ minology and instrumentation in a way that allows him to express him‑ self musically.”
After years of collaborating with Hart, Lowery has seen a notable effect on his own approach. “[Dan‑ iel’s work] changes the edit, for sure,” the filmmaker says. “Some‑ thing I discovered on Ain’t Them Bodies Saints was I would send footage to Daniel, he would write music and I would recut scenes so they better fit that music. That’s how it’s been ever since — a piece of his music will help guide the rhythm of the film itself. As we’ve become more in sync, and our process has become more refined, I’m now cut‑ ting for what I know might be com‑ ing, musically.”
Supportive relationship
The strength of the creative bond between Lowery and Hart was par‑ ticularly valuable on 2021 feature The Green Knight, with the film‑ maker taking advantage of delays caused by the Covid‑19 pandemic to continue working on the edit. That meant Hart had to revise a lot of his score to make it fit the newly recut scenes.
“There were other sections of the film that got rewritten from scratch, two or three times,” the composer says. “It was hard to keep reimag‑ ining. But looking at it again, some things just didn’t work the way we thought they should.”
It is clear that neither Lowery nor Hart take their bond for granted. “It’s rare,” Hart says. “We see things so similarly. And David has fought for me and my music. I think he has more confidence in me than I have in myself.”
“It’s vital,” Lowery adds. “Espe‑ cially when there are a lot of voices in the room, it’s important to pre‑ serve [our relationship] to make sure it’s never put in jeopardy. Dan‑ iel and I have worked together for over 10 years and there’s a great comfort to me in knowing there is that backbone to our body of work.”
For De Witte and Joos, providing a space where directors and com‑ posers can start to build this kind of strong creative relationship is an essential part of the WSA offer‑ ing. “The most important thing is that composers connect with their peers,” Joos says. “We always have feedback that there’s a spe‑ cial atmosphere here in Gent; they appreciate having the time to talk to people and be inspired by their fellow composers.” n s
The drive to inspire, both creatively and collaboratively, informs Film Fest Gent and the WSA programme
Along with a Creative Partnership masterclass from filmmaker David Lowery and composer Daniel Hart, in which they will discuss their long-term collaborative relationship, there will also be a masterclass with editor Nico Leunen, composer Johnny Jewel and filmmaker Fien Troch, who all collaborated on Troch’s 2016 film Home (both masterclasses take place on October 21).
In tandem with Film Fest Gent’s focus on South Korean cinema, this year’s WSA film music concert (October 20) will see the Brussels Philharmonic perform scores by composers Cho Young Wuk (Oldboy, The Handmaiden), Jung Jae-il (Parasite, Squid Game) — who appears on the festival’s official poster, the first time a composer has been featured — and Lee Byeong-woo (The Host, Mother).
On October 22, the Brussels Philharmonic will also be performing a concert of selected works of WSA guests of honour Mark Isham (who will give a composer talk on October 20), Bruno Coulais, and last year’s discovery of the year award winner (and 2022 public choice award nominee) Nainita Desai. Coulais and Desai will both participate in a panel about music in nature documentaries alongside Dirk Brossé, music director of Film Fest Gent (October 21).
The WSA industry programme also includes talks about the relationship between a producer and composer, organised in collaboration with the Belgian Screen Composers Guild; the threat of music buyouts (when a composer is paid a flat fee for their work and gives up all intellectual property rights), organised in collaboration with the European Composer & Songwriter Alliance (ECSA); and women in composing, held by The Alliance For Women Film Composers.
All attending nominees will take part in roundtable talks, two of which will be hosted by Screen International, as well as a meet-and-greet session with WSA guests.
Nikki Baughan
Nah Inu
Cho Young Wuk Jung Jae-il Lee Byeong-woo
