MASTERCLASS ALEXANDRE DESPLAT
The role and importance of music scores in motion pictures, the significance of the collaboration between director and music composer, as well as his approach to cinema and music were among the many interesting subjects discussed by the internationally renowned film composer Alexandre Desplat during his masterclass on Sunday, November 15, at the packed John Cassavetes theater, in the framework of TIFF.
The masterclass, coordinated by movie critic and reporter Giorgos Krassakopoulos, opened with references to the early stages in Desplat’s career as an artist and to the importance of the influences he received from the movies he watched. “I never had a single doubt that what I wanted was to compose music for movies. I was dazzled by motion pictures, but initially I couldn’t quite grasp how important the role of music is in the development of a film”, said the distinguished music composer. Desplat stressed that even today, after dozens of movies for which he has composed the score, he always feels the same excitement whenever he undertakes a new and challenging project. «I believe enthusiasm is essential, even in excessive doses, as is my case. Whenever I see a new script or meet a filmmaker, I feel like falling in love for the first time», he added. Asked about how he feels working with famous Hollywood stars, Alexander Desplat admitted he feels awkward and reserved. “The first time I met John Williams, I felt like a 12 year old. He is one of the last remaining
Hollywood ’dinosaurs’. It is of course amazing to sit at the same table with the likes of Jack Nicholson or Steven Spielberg. By now, I feel a little more relaxed, but I am still nervous”.
Desplat also stressed that for an artist, experimentation and putting oneself in “danger”, is essential to one’s development. Of equal importance is a good chemistry with the director, so that the composer feels free to do his work: “Once the artistic bond with a director has been established, composers find their ‘voice’ and the style that is compatible with each movie. I believe that my European sensitivities enrich the music I compose for motion pictures. Furthermore, having a relationship of mutual trust, such the one I have developed with Jacques Odiar, provides me with a freedom of experimentation”.
Commenting on the music for Sur mes levres directed by Odiar – following the projection of a brief part of the movie during the masterclass – the composer underlined that in this movie the intention was to combine two different feelings: “The score in this movie is like a chameleon, it changes, because it was composed with a view to capture two kinds of feelings, suspense and love. This is evident already in the first sequence”.
Commenting on the differences between American and European cinema music -wise, Desplat said: “In America, the score follows the action, whereas in European cinema, music composers -Maurice Jarre is a case in point – have attempted to create a more general ambience, that pervades the entire film, and narrate what is not shown, the things that go on in the minds of the characters”.
Addressing a question from the audience about filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino, who prefer electronic music or recorded songs for their movies and not original scores, Desplat said that every director is free to choose the kind of music he or she wants to use in his or her movies. «Some filmmakers avoid working with music composers, because they are afraid the composer will steal something away from their movie – I think this is nonsense. On the other hand, what Tarantino does, ‘dressing’ his movies with successful music hits, is obviously very effective”. To this he added that as far as he is concerned, he tries to avoid interfering with the cohesion of a movie or manipulating audiences with his music – on the contrary, his goal is to direct the feelings of viewers.
Answering another audience question about whether he would ever compose a score before the actual shooting of the movie, Desplat explained: “I love motion pictures, the actors, the action, the cinematography. It would be hard to compose the score without having seen the movie first. Cinema is not literature, and I can not compose the music based solely on the script. In the case of Ennio Morricone and Sergio Leone, two artists of the same generation who worked together, Morricone composed the score before the production of the film, but this is a unique case. I cannot think of any other similar example, at least from modern cinema».
Following a brief projection of parts of Peter Webber’s Girl with a Pearl Earring, a movie for which he has composed the score, Desplat noted that this score was based on the use of “soft” instruments, like the flute and the viola, in order for the music to be compatible with the period the film was set (17th century). He also stressed that it is important for a film composer to know when to use one single instrument and when to use an entire orchestra. “In a scene of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, a harp is heard and the result is wonderful. However, if we had used only the harp for the entire movie, it would be a problem“.
Alexander Desplat revealed to the audience that he has never cried while composing music. On the contrary, it is excitement and enthusiasm the feelings that overwhelm him. He further admitted that he never watches more than once the movies he has composed the score for, nor does he ever repeat previous work of his in a new project.
Commenting on Jonathan Glazer’s Birth, Desplat noted that they had been discussing the score for 48hours, when the solution was given by Glazer himself, who told him the movie is a fairytale. ”I imagined then that the protagonist, Nicole Kidman, is the princess who has lost her prince. I sat at the piano and we found music that reminded one of the animated feature Fantasia”, said Desplat. Following this remark, he played several parts of the film’s score on the piano.
Asked about the source of his energy and imaginativeness that allows him to keep composing, Desplat underlined that there is no specific process or method, adding: “I had watched Syriana in LA at one night, and the next day I was taking a plane to France. During the flight I settled on the music score. But this isn’t always the case. I spend endless hours trying to picture the music that is best fitted for an image. In a sense, it’s like… cooking spaghetti – once you throw the pasta on the wall and it sticks, you know it is ready. It is the same with music, when you feel confident that it ‘sticks’ to the image”.
Before closing the masterclass, Desplat revealed that he would love to compose music for a Greek movie, however he hasn’t been approached yet by a Greek filmmakers.
