On Monday, November 4th, the outstanding Greek composer Nikos Kypourgos delivered a masterclass at the Pavlos Zannas theater titled: “Thoughts on Music in Cinema.” The event took place within the framework of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival’s Meet the Future action, which aims to bring forth the up-and-coming Greek professionals from different branches of the film industry. This year’s Meet the Future foregrounds the art of film scoring through the tribute “Music in Motion: The Art of Film Scoring”, welcoming film composers of the younger generation from Greece. Nikos Kypourgos spoke on the history and role of music in cinema, the stages of its production, and the collaboration with the director, editor, and sound designer, while also presenting his thoughts and concerns from his many years of experience.
The composer was introduced by Christos Goussios, Associate Professor at the Film School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, who expressed his deep joy for prefacing Nikos Kypourgos’ masterclass. Then, he went on to thank the Festival for the invitation: “It is a great honor for me to introduce Nikos Kypourgos, as he is one of the most important composers, not only in my opinion, but I think also in the opinion of those who are engaged in this particular art. In addition to his many musical pursuits, Nikos Kypourgos has also worked on a vast number of films and theater productions.” Furthermore, he stated that his generation got to know him through the radio program, This is Lilipoupoli, serving as evidence that Nikos Kypourgos has been active in the music scene for six decades, from the 1970s until today. Concluding his initial statement, he said: “It’s an even greater honor because Nikos Kypourgos is one of the nicest people I know, and I’m so glad he’s here with us.”
Immediately afterwards, Nikos Kypourgos took the floor, noting: “I’m very glad to see so many young people here in this theater.” While referring to the masterclass’ structure, he added: “After touching on some general issues, I will discuss the role of music, the process, the stages of music production in a film.” With regard to the initial stages of preparing and producing film music, the composer explained that everything starts with the script. “In Europe, the director is usually also the scriptwriter. The composer collaborates with the scriptwriter. Then comes the filming, the editing, and gradually the film reaches its final phase. The ideal situation for a composer is when the collaboration starts from the first stage, the preparation stage of a film, because the collaboration between the composer, the director, and the scriptwriter can allow music to have a more creative role in the film,” he expressed.
“The objective isn’t to simply insert the music in a film and have it color something we watch, or intensify a feeling. It can play a much more complex and creative role,” he added. Referring to the history of music in film, Nikos Kypourgos stressed that the music highlights what we see on screen. “Music’s great value is that it adds something to the script and the image that doesn’t exist already. Something speech and image don’t express, can’t, or rather don’t want to at times,“ he stated on the importance of music in a film.
Then, the composer stated he wants to delve into the mind of the hero, using the example of characters who have broken up or lost someone dear: “Hearing the music associated with the character who has passed away is much more touching than having the hero look at a photo of the deceased or read a letter from them. Without mentioning them, or making a visual reference to their memory, we hear their theme. The emotion is multiplied like this. In a roundabout way, the music narrates something much more poignant. Of course, a prerequisite is that we have been presented with the particular musical theme at some earlier point."
Discussing the music for the film, Master of the Shadows, Nikos Kypourgos said: “I was asked to write theme songs for the four main protagonists. One of the songs, the one intended for Ninios, was supposed to be a traditional one for Ninios to sing to the shadow puppet master. So I had folk musicians, in a village in the Peloponnese where the filming was taking place, play the theme I had composed. Ninios hears this supposedly as a disciple of Kazakos, who played the shadow puppet master. He then sang this song to Kazakos on the latter's deathbed. I remember teaching this theme to folk musicians, who played it in the rhythm of a Tsamikos dance so as to imply that there was a celebration going on in a natural way. This collaboration with the musicians, which had started before the shooting, allowed the role of music in the film to work better."
Nikos Kypourgos noted that “the musician must be present throughout the entire process of making a film, not only at the final editing stage. The relationship between a director and a composer must be very close. It is a relationship that is not easy to build, because directors express a justified suspicion. In cinema every collaboration is unique, every film is unique. Everything changes from film to film, even if the films are made by the same director,” he said. " Directors prepare their film for three years, sometimes longer, and they control every parameter; the script, the cinematography, the actors. They have chosen their collaborators and are striving to find a common language. Then, as a director once said, a musician with a violin comes along and messes up the script.” Furthermore, he added that musicians, especially the ones younger in age, eagerly await the opportunity to be part of a film. “The musician aspires to be seen and there is always the risk of being seen a little more than the film itself needs. Something that the director is right to fear,” added Nikos Kypourgos.
“In order to be in a position to control a film’s structure, it is of great importance to oversee the whole thing. Personally, I'm obsessed with this particular aspect, I want to know exactly what's going on and why. I make a map, take a big piece of paper and then write down where music is needed and what kind of music it will be," he explained. "A theme can evolve, disappear, shift and transform into something different. Themes can come together, work together, blend. They can coexist in a contrapuntal manner. We're not necessarily talking about melodies, it can be a rhythmic beat, it can be a timbre, an ambience,” he pointed out.
Next, the composer talked about the contemporary reality of film music. “I am very open to the use of modern technology. It would be a tragedy to remain stagnant and attached to what happened 30 or 40 years ago. I think some sounds are more timeless than others, especially when it comes to classical cinema. We used to separate music from sounds. Contemporary musical innovation has integrated sound into music. Music can even be produced by a balloon. Sound design is a part of the music now, it doesn't conflict with it, it complements it, and that's ideal.” As for the demands and wishes of directors, and the risk of losing the personal style of the musician, Mr. Kypourgos stated: "This does not limit me, nor does it force me to change my personal style. All it does is inspire me to engage in genres of music that I would not have had the opportunity to engage in, were it not for cinema and theater. It is necessary for the musicians in film to transform themselves. If there is something beneath the surface level that can connect different genres, that is no other than personal style.”
In response to a question on whether a composer should accept undertaking the task of creating music for a film that does not inspire him, Nikos Kypourgos replied: “A musician should be entranced by the film, if they are not, they should avoid composing a music score. However, you have to serve the director's vision, if for one reason or another the work does not motivate you sufficiently, you will not give your best. When you are in doubt, you should focus on one scene. You must fool yourself into thinking that this scene is amazing, so that you’ll do the best you can. There are times that, for better or worse, the music scores acquire autonomy. In fact, we even have to credit the film for giving us this opportunity." Addressing emerging creators, Nikos Kypourgos stated: “We have to be self-reliant, not dependent on the computer. I always walk around with a pencil, an eraser and a stave. Not because I'm a boomer living in the 20th century, but because it's a great tool. When I'm in the car or on the plane, I can't pull out the computer and write down music. I don't think of it at all as outdated or old-fashioned.”
Then, a video of the opening credits from the film, Tailor, for which Nikos Kypourgos composed the music, was screened. “Here we have the ideal collaboration between sound, music, and editing. With the director’s guidance, the editor, the sound designer, and the composer, we all found ourselves in the editing room. All four of us were needed there for this outcome.” Sonia Liza Kenterman, the film’s director who was also in the room, then spoke about her collaboration with Nikos Kypourgos: “The conversation started with who the hero is and what the sounds in his head are. That was the first thing we investigated. Nikos’ ideas guided the editing and sound design. We all worked in tandem to create.” As for the absence of music in many of the scenes, Mr. Kypourgos pointed out: “Silence is a very important factor in cinema; it can be deafening. Silence underlines what will be said afterwards.”
Replying to a question posed by Lefteris Charitos, filmmaker and president of the Hellenic Film Academy, on the way to make melodies unforgettable, the composer answered: “It’s unexplainable. Nobody can answer such a question. The moment inspiration strikes, it is the most inexplicable thing, thousands of books have been written about the stages you work through, how you compose, how you arrange music, how you work in the studio. All the stages are deliberate, but the moment inspiration comes is very elusive. No artist can detect that moment. There are many books addressing the mystery of creation.”
When asked whether he has ever changed his mind about a film’s music score after watching scenes from it, the renowned Greek composer said: “We have some brilliant examples of this happening in Hollywood. Composer Max Steiner didn’t want to see the films he composed for at all. He would write music for more than ten to fifteen films a year and he didn’t want to see the film until it was finished, because seeing it earlier might result in a change in the style of his composition.” On the subject of inspiration black out, the “blank page” phenomenon, and whether he himself has ever experienced anything similar, Mr. Kypourgos stated: “This never goes away. Artists keep experiencing this for a lifetime. Even now, fear consumes me when faced with a blank page. This fear however is both a motivation and a driving force.” At the end of the masterclass, addressing emerging creators, Nikos Kypourgos urged: “Free yourselves from the metronome and play music freely.”
