Miss Potter - Interview de Nigel Westlake par Christine BLANC

A l'époque de l'Angleterre victorienne, Beatrix aurait seulement dû rêver d'un beau mariage, comme toutes les jeunes femmes de sa condition, mais elle s'intéressait à beaucoup trop de choses. La nature et les animaux la fascinaient, tout comme les sciences, le dessin et la peinture. Il n'aura fallu qu'une lettre illustrée pour que son destin bascule, il aura fallu tout son courage pour qu'elle puisse vivre, aimer et exister comme aucune femme avant elle. Elle a racheté les immenses paysages de la campagne anglaise qui l'ont inspirée pour en faire don aux générations futures, et aujourd'hui ses livres se vendent toujours autant, mais au-delà de son oeuvre, Beatrix Potter était une femme exceptionnelle, aussi avant-gardiste qu'imaginative, aussi fragile que puissante. Il est temps de découvrir sa fascinante histoire...

Beatrix Potter est un des plus célèbres auteurs de livres pour enfants. Son univers merveilleusement écrit et illustré ont fait d’elle une légende de la littérature, et son oeuvre fait depuis longtemps partie de notre imaginaire collectif. Plus d’un siècle après la parution de son premier livre, dans le monde entier, ses histoires et ses personnages sont toujours adorés des petits et des grands.
Au-delà de son œuvre, Beatrix était une femme à part, engagée, émouvante, libre et consciente de l’importance de la nature bien avant l’heure. A travers ses histoires, elle l’a magnifiée, à travers sa vie, elle l’a protégée. En trouvant le courage d’être elle-même, cette jeune femme a ouvert une voie que rien n’a depuis effacée. MISS POTTER raconte sa fascinante destinée.

Après Babe le cochon devenu berger, le compositeur Nigel Westlake renoue sa collaboration avec le réalisateur Chris Noonan pour Miss Potter. Le compositeur signe ici une partition particulièrement agréable à écouter, mélant romantisme et raffinement. En prime, Rachel Portman (Addicted to Love, Beloved, Oliver Twist...) vient déposer une touche de féminité particulièrement sensible à ce tableau délicat, pour ensemble, redonner vie à l'Angleterre Victorienne.

ABOUT YOU

NigelWestlake - Please Mister Westlake, how would you personally introduce yourself? I have extremely diverse tastes in film, art & music. I like to go sailing up & down the east coast of Australia.

You started playing the clarinet with your father when you were ten years old. When and how did you come to work in film music?
Both my parents were professional musicians so even before i was born I was exposed to the sounds of my mother & father practicing music on a daily basis. This had a profound effect on me & from as early as i can remember I always wanted to play the clarinet just like my dad - which I did before turning to music composition full time about 11 years ago. My interest in composition dates from the late 1970's when I formed a classical/jazz-rock/world-music fusion band to play original music. During this time I started to receive offers to compose for radio & circus. Commissions for TV & film soon followed. In 1983 I furthered my studies of contemporary music in the Netherlands.

What are your sources of inspiration when you compose film music? Do you have any mentor?
None other than all the great composers who have come before & illuminated the path.

How do you choose a project to work on?
I am usually invited by the director – then I read the script & if I feel I am well suited to the project & have a rapport with the director, I accept.

Did your way of working change along the years or according to each film? I started on paper, but these days I use computers.

How would you describe or characterize your own musical style?
I would find that difficult. I try to write what is appropriate for any given situation.

How do you compose? Do you have a method of working? How do you proceed?
The composer / director relationship becomes pivotal to the inspiration & working process. Good directors have a gut instinct for what works & what doesnt & I frequently refer to them for guidance. Chris Noonan & I developed a solid working relationship on our first film together, "Babe", so it was very inspiring to have the opportunity to work with him again. The editing & pacing of a film also has strong repercussions on the score, not to mention the cast.

What do you feel when you’re composing and what do you like in this process?
I feel pain, inspiration & joy – usually in that order.

You worked for Imax and 5.1 format. You said in an interview that this format was interesting to work on. May you tell me why?
Imax requires ideas that are simple and economical. It’s important that the score is not overly burdened with busy, detailed orchestration. It must be clearly understood on first listening because most people will only ever see it once. I think of it in terms of working with broad brush strokes as opposed to detailed line drawing.

MISS POTTER PROJECT

How did you come on the Miss Potter project?
I was invited by director Chris Noonan.

How would you describe your score for Miss Potter?
Miss Potter is a film that traverses the hidden life of a woman who in many ways was ahead of her time & who paid little heed to the conventions & expectations of the period.
In the stifling environment of the Victorian era - when emotional expression was taboo & no one actually said what they were thinking, director Chris Noonan spoke frequently to me of the music engaging with the hidden emotional context of Beatrix's life & also supporting the subliminal subtext of Beatrix's journey through this deep & rich emotional landscape.

What do you think about the subjects of the film?
Very touching & emotional.

BEATRIX POTTER

Did you know about Beatrix Potter before working on this film?
Yes.

Have you ever read her books when you were a child?
I read as much material on Beatrix Potter as I could find, including her stories, her diaries (transcribed from her secret code) & several biographies.

Miss Potter is a feminist film. What do you think as a man about doing this kind of film?
For me the main challenge was to find simple ideas that resonate emotionally with the subject matter. With most of the scores I've written, this is almost always the hardest part - to say as much as possible with the least number of notes.

RACHEL PORTMAN

For this score you worked with Rachel Portman. Did you know Miss Portman before this collaboration?

No

How did meet her? Did you choose to get her as additional music composer?
I was introduced to her by the US distributors of the film.

How did you work with her? As a woman, what did she bring to your music? (question suggested by Mortimer)
I met her once & then we were instructed to work independently of each other.

THE SCORE

The film takes place in Victorian England. Did you use music or instruments of that period?
The orchestration is fairly traditional without direct reference or influences from
that period, however the music box melody “let me teach you how to dance” was an attempt to re-create a popular “parlour song” of the era.

Did you listen Victorian composers such as Elgar to inspire you, or immerse yourself within the period?
I listened to some Gilbert & Sullivan in order to capture the mood of the music box melody.

To you, what is the most interesting, the most successful or the most complex scene you had to score for this film? May you tell me how you did it? May you analyze for us the relation you created between picture and music?
I guess the most challenging aspect of the score was dealing with transitional passages in time. For instance there's one track in the score which is track 9 on the soundtrack which is "Beatrix and Norman", which is basically establishing Beatrix's relationship with her publisher. She is forbidden to marry him by her parents because he is seen to be a tradesman and beneath them. So the parents say we're going on a vacation for 6 months. If at the end of that time you still love him then you can proceed and get married.

There's this wonderful scene, a big romantic emotional peak of the film where he comes to see her off at the station on her way to the Lake District for her vacation. As you'll see in the picture this has to traverse some very interesting, emotional moments, and either side of that railway sequence is a bunch of footage of Beatrix and Norman together. That was quite difficult to make those transitions between those quite intimate scenes and then lightening up into a larger orchestral pallette for the farewell at the station and situations like that. Once I had the thematic material at my finger tips it was then a matter of fitting it to picture and making those transitions seamless and as effortless as possible which is always a challenge. So that was the most challenging aspect of it.

There is a music box in the film. What does it symbolize?
The music box was given to Beatrix by her father when she was a young girl. In the film it was used as a catalyst for Beatrix & Norman’s relationship.

How did you treat the magical aspect of the imaginary world of Beatrix Potter?
With a “fantasy theme” orchestrated with celeste, harp & metal percussion (crotales).

Did you choose specials instruments for the score?
There was a special emphasis on celeste & harp. I also used some tibetan singing bowls.

Can you describe the main theme you created for the film, how you conceived it, and how you used it throughout the film?
Halfway through the shoot I had a call from director Chris Noonan on set, requesting me to compose a theme for the music box scene which was about to be filmed with Renee Zellweger & Ewan McGregor.
This is a very touching moment between Beatrix & her publisher Norman Warne.
Beatrix has painted a beautiful painting for Norman as a Christmas present & takes him up to her room to present the gift. He notices a music box in the corner of the room - this was given to Beatrix by her father when she was 9 years old. Norman opens the music box & it begins to play. He recognizes the melody & at Beatrix’s insistence, begins to sing "Let me teach you how to dance" (the lyrics were written by the writer of the screenplay Richard Maltby).

Beatrix becomes enchanted & together for a brief moment they dance a waltz to the accompaniment of the music box. Norman attempts to propose to Beatrix – but his clumsy attempts are rudely interrupted by Beatrix's overbearing & protective mother.
In describing the character of the melody to me, Chris Noonan said that he wanted the music box melody to suggest a popular song of the era (circa 1890)...a melody that was once well known, but has since been lost in time - that somehow reflects the innocence & gentility of the era.
This melody is used throughout the score as a reference to Beatrix's personal emotional story, in particular her relationship with her publisher Norman Warne.

Can you tell me about your other themes for the film?
Basically there was the “Love theme”, the “Fantasy theme”, the “Lakes theme”, & the “death of Norman” theme.

What is the role of the piano?
It was used to obatin a feeling of intimacy.

Among all your scores what are the ones you like the most?
Solarmax & Miss Potter.

Can you tell me about your personal and artistic relation to Chris Noonan? The evolution of your relation since Babe: Pig in the City?
Chris & I forged a very close working relationship working on Babe together. (“Babe – Pig in the city” was directed by George Miller – not Chris). We have been on the lookout for more projects to work on together & Chris has been very busy since “Babe” developing a number of feature films. We are in regular contact & have developed a close friendship.

Can you tell me about your collaboration with Katie Melua for the song "When You Taught Me How To Dance"?
It was a matter of taking the original music box melody that I wrote for Ewan McGregor & then re-adapting the lyrics & song for Katie Melua.
In a matter of minutes, Mike Batt (Katie’s MD) cleverly turned the lyrics around to become the voice of Beatrix reminiscing on her affections for her first love, Norman Warne. Mike's rapport with Katie & his sensitive direction of her performance made him the ideal collaborator for this song. His musical sensibility is perfectly suited to film. Katie has imbued the song with a very special blend of charm, whimsy, romance & spontaneity. She has made it her own. I cant imagine anyone else singing it.

How much time did you have to compose your score, and with what budget?
The score was composed over several months. I have no idea what the music budget was – this was in the hands of the music supervisor Maggie Rodford.

How did you work, and with what request from the crew ?
I worked closely with director Chris Noonan & editor Robin Sales, providing synth versions of each cue which we discussed in great detail.

What kind of orchestra and what size did you choose? Did you use some electronic sounds in your score or was it all live?
The score was all live & was a standard size Symphony orchestra – but without any brass (except for french horns).

Do you have any anecdotes about the process to tell us, funny or interesting things?
In the early stages of writing the score for Miss Potter I spent some time on lake Windermere & visited Hilltop farm in Near Sawrey with my wife Janice & Glenys Rowe (wife of director Chris Noonan) where Beatrix Potter wrote a number of her charming books. We arrived at Hilltop late one afternoon just as the gates were closing, however after explaining that we were associated with the Miss Potter film we received a very enthusiastic response from members of the Beatrix Potter society who gave us a fantastic tour throughout the house. I imagined that these wonderful women were somehow reincarnations of the Beatrix spirit, certainly guardians of the "Potter flame" as it were. It gave me a crucial insight into Beatrix's work, passions & life.

For a new project, if you could choose you a genre, a kind of story and a filmmaker, what would they be?
As long as I have a rapport with director - Im up for anything!

Are you working on another project? If yes,may you tell me about it?
I have just written a concertino for clarinet & chamber ensemble & am currently writing an orchestral score for a theatre production called “The Glass soldier” which is currently in developement for film.

Do you have any other projects to come?
I am in discussion with Chris Noonan regarding his next feature “Zebras”. I also have a number of concert commissions to complete over the coming 18 months.

1. Miss Potter
2. The Park
3. A Bunny Book To Conjure With
4. The Story Of Peter Rabbit
5. Mother
6. Jenima Puddle Duck
7. The Rabbits Christmas Party
8. 'Mr Warne!'
9. Beatrix & Norman
10. Return To London
11. Beatrix Lock Herself Away
12. Recovery
13. I'M Painting Again
14. The Lakes
15. When You Taught Me How To Dance (Katie Melua)

Le Secret de Térabithia - Entretien avec Aaron Zigman

Entrez avec nous dans la forêt… Chut… Ecoutez bien, n’entendez-vous ? Allez, suivez nous et venez découvrir Le Secret de Térabithia. Le film est adapté du roman de Katherine Paterson, écrit en 1977. Auteur d’une quinzaine de livres, elle raconte ici l’histoire de deux adolescents mal dans leur peau qui s’évadent dans un monde de leur invention. Dans les rôles des deux enfants, on retrouve Josh Hutcherson, le garçon aventurier de Zathura et Annasophia Rob, l’agaçante macheuse de chewing-gum de Charlie et la Chocolaterie.

Notre guide aujourd'hui sera le compositeur Aaron Zigman qui signa d'abord en 2001 sa première partition avec Nick Cassavetes, puis en 2002 John Q, N'Oublie Jamais en 2004 et enfin en 2007, Alpha Dog et Térabithia. Avec la partition du Secret de Térabithia, Aaron Zigman nous offre une partition à la fois spectaculaire et sensible, impressionante et émouvante.

Jérémie NOYER - Le Secret de Térabithia n’est pas votre première collaboration avec Disney.
Aaron ZIGMAN - J’ai travaillé en tant qu’orchestrateur sur Mulan. Le compositeur était Jerry Goldsmith, disparu il y a peu, et qui était l’un de mes compositeurs préférés. Pour ce film, j’ai arrangé et orchestré la version finale de Reflection de David Zippel pour Christina Aguilera, une chanson qui a participé à lancer sa carrière. J’ai aussi participé à Pocahontas en arrangeant pour Alan Menken la chanson If I Never Knew You en version pop. J’ai repris ses arrangements orchestraux et les ai reconstruits pour la chanteuse Shanice. Enfin, j’ai également participé en tant que pianiste à l’enregistrement de la chanson I’ll Try avec Jonatha Brooke pour Peter Pan 2 : Retour au Pays Imaginaire. Avec Le Secret de Térabithia, je signais ma première partition en tant que compositeur pour Disney !

Le réalisateur du film, Gabor Csupo, nous a confié qu’il vous avait choisi notamment parce qu’il avait été séduit par votre enthousiasme par rapport à ce projet.
J’avais lu le livre il y a longtemps et j’y ai toujours été attaché. J’aime beaucoup tout ce qui est « fantasy ». Mais plus encore, ce film associait un univers imaginaire à la réalité, au drame d’une famille qui rencontre un certain nombre de problèmes. Cela devait faire une partition particulièrement intéressante de par l’imbrication des deux univers. Dans mon métier, je n’arrête pas de faire l’aller-retour entre différents styles, entre le classique et le moderne, et le fait d’avoir à réunir tout cela dans un seul film était un défi passionnant ! Tout cela a fait que je me suis tout de suite senti très proche de ce projet, très désireux d’y participer et de m’y investir.

Comment cette association entre l’ancien et le moderne s’est-elle traduite dans votre partition ?
Gabor ne voulait pas d’une partition orchestrale basique. Bien que ma musique soit majoritairement orchestrale, j’ai aussi utilisé un certain nombre d’éléments organiques et électroniques que j’appelle des « pulsations ». C’est ainsi que le thème de Térabithia est écrit dans une mesure à 6/8 et j’ai utilisé un hammer-dulcimer, un cousin du cymbalum, pour apporter cette pulsation, souligner chaque changement d’harmonie et donner une sorte de rythme moderne en dessous d’une grande orchestration symphonique classique. Ce film m’a donc permis de faire des choses un peu atypiques, et c’est cela qui m’a plu.

On note certaines touches « country » dans des morceaux comme At the museum.
Il est vrai que j’ai utilisé le dobro ici ou là, avec des notes « americana » un peu à la Copland. C’était une façon de situer géographiquement le film en musique, mais pour moi, l’essentiel de ma partition est classique et mélodique. Au cours de ma carrière, j’ai eu l’occasion de travailler sur des styles totalement différents et j’adore passer d’un style à un autre, du grand orchestre, avec The Battle, à la country avec Building the Fort, ou encore à l’ethnique (puisque j’ai également utilisé des instruments comme le duduk, une flûte du Proche-Orient, pour les scènes à Térabithia), ou même le pop. Mais mes goûts me poussent vers la musique symphonique française et d’Europe de l’Est, et dès que j’en ai la possibilité, je me précipite sur ce style plutôt qu’un autre. C’est mon véritable langage.

Justement, Gabor Csupo nous a dit qu’il aimait beaucoup votre façon d’orchestrer.
Je dirais qu’en matière orchestrale, je suis de la vieille école, même si j’ai une grande expérience du milieu du disque, de la musique moderne. J’ai un lien très fort avec l’orchestre et mes modèles sont des figures comme Alex North (Un Tramway nommé Désir), Max Steiner (Casablanca, Autant en emporte le vent), Bernard Herrmann (le compositeur d’Alfred Hitchcock, Ennio Morricone. Ce sont tous des gens qui ont beaucoup de cœur, et cela transparaît dans leur musique. Et Gabor, tout comme moi, c’est ce que nous recherchons dans la musique. Pour moi, le plus important, c’est la mélodie. Je suis un compositeur de mélodies. J’aime aussi travailler sur l’enchevêtrement des voix dans l’orchestre. J’adore l’impressionnisme en musique. Je suis un grand admirateur de Maurice Ravel et Claude Debussy. Je crois que si ces artistes étaient encore vivants, ce serait eux qui composeraient de la musique de film. Pas nous!

Quelle était la taille de l’orchestre que vous avez utilisé ?
J’ai utilisé plusieurs tailles d’orchestre, allant de 80 à 105 musiciens.

Cette ampleur saute aux oreilles, notamment dans des pièces comme The Battle. Mais votre partition offre également des moments de grande intimité.
Absolument. Pour ces moments, j’ai réduit l’orchestre aux cordes, agrémentées de quelques bois et d’un piano solo. C’est une large palette, avec laquelle il fut très intéressant de jouer. Vous savez, au début, Gabor ne voulait pas tant d’orchestre. Lors de nos premiers entretiens, il désirait plutôt s’orienter vers quelque chose de plus moderne. Mais vers la fin de la production, il a admis que l’orchestre, à travers ce mélange délicat d’ancien et de moderne dont nous parlions tout à l’heure, pouvait mieux aider à raconter cette histoire.

Comment avez-vous traité les différences entre le monde réel et Térabithia ?
Le monde réel est marqué par cette intimité que nous évoquions, alors que les passages à Térabithia font appel au grand orchestre. Pour l’aspect «fantasy », ma palette était délibérément plus étendue.

Comment avez-vous utilisé le chœur ?
Le chœur apparaît tant dans le monde réel qu’à Térabithia. Il fait un peu le lien entre les deux, comme un souvenir.

Quelles sont les paroles qu’il chante ?
En fait, au départ, j’ai fait venir chez moi une chanteuse pour m’aider à écrire les paroles du chœur pour le générique d’ouverture, et elle m’a donné des paroles authentiquement celtiques. Puis je me suis retrouvé seul à imaginer les paroles des autres morceaux avec chœur, et je me suis dit que cela pourrait être intéressant d’inventer mon propre langage, un langage térabithien. Il n’y a pas de sens à ces paroles. Simplement, elles imitent les accents celtiques du premier chœur.

On trouve également beaucoup de piano dans votre partition. Quel est votre rapport à cet instrument ?
Je suis pianiste de formation. C’est vraiment mon instrument. Dès que je peux glisser un peu de piano dans une musique de film, je le fais ! C’est aussi moi qui joue les parties de piano de mes partitions.

Comment composez-vous ? Utilisez-vous le synthétiseur et l’ordinateur comme la plupart de vos collègues ?
Non, je compose toujours à la main, sur papier à musique. Ce n’est qu’ensuite que je passe à l’ordinateur pour faire mes démos pour les réalisateurs. Pour cela aussi, je suis de la vieille école !

Comment avez-vous écrit vos thèmes ?
Il y a d’abord le thème principal du film, le thème de Térabithia, celui que Bryan Adams a repris pour écrire la chanson A Place For Us. Je l’ai écrit un soir dans les studios de la Fox, pendant que je mixais une autre musique. Il était minuit. Je me suis rendu dans la salle où l’on avait enregistré l’orchestre. Il n’y avait plus qu’un piano au milieu de cette immense pièce. Je n’avais signé pour Le Secret de Térabithia que depuis peu de temps -une à deux semaines- et je n’avais pas encore écrit de thème. Je me suis donc assis au piano Steinway et je me suis mis à imaginer ces enfants, jouant dans le vent, entourés de toutes sortes de petites créatures magiques, dans un monde de fantasy. Et c’est venu tout seul ! Il y a aussi un thème romantique, quand Leslie et Jess se balancent à la corde pour passer la rivière. C’est un moment important car c’est là que Jess s’ouvre à de nouvelles idées et commence à apprécier Leslie. Je me suis donc dit qu’il fallait un thème qui unisse les deux enfants, et c’est ainsi qu’on le retrouve autour de la corde ou encore quand Prince Terrien fait son apparition. Il y a enfin le thème du Darkmaster, et un thème pour la mort de Leslie.

A travers votre musique, vous avez su apporter beaucoup d’humanité et de sensibilité à la fantasy.
C’est un compliment qui me touche beaucoup. J’essaie de mettre de l’humanité dans toutes mes musiques. Je n’ai jamais eu l’intention de révolutionner le genre « fantasy ». D’autres compositeurs ont pu le traiter tout aussi bien voire mieux que moi. Mais je pense que j’ai pu apporter à cet univers ma propre voix et que cette spécificité participe de rendre ce film unique et intemporel. Prenez le thème de Térabithia, ou le thème de la corde. J’ai voulu qu’ils donnent l’impression qu’ils auraient pu être écrits en même temps que le livre, dans les années 70, ou même il y a plus longtemps encore, il y a une centaine d’années. Il y a quelque chose d’universel et d’intemporel dans ce film, et je réagis à des musiques tout aussi intemporelles, des musiques anciennes. Peu importent les éléments modernes que vous mettez dans votre musique. Pour moi ce qui compte, c’est qu’elle vous touche. Et pour moi, le meilleur moyen d’y parvenir est de le faire à travers des mélodies. C’est ce que les gens retiennent, ce qui les émeut. En ce sens, j’estime n’avoir rien fait de mieux que mes collègues compositeurs sur le plan de l’écriture. J’y ai simplement mis tout mon cœur.

Aaron ZIGMAN – Crédits :

Aaron a aussi composé la musique de Raise Your Voice de Sean McNamara, The Wendell Baker Story d’Andrew et Luke Wilson, Dance With Me de Liz Friedlander, In The Mix de Ron Underwood, Sexy Dance de Anne Fletcher, et plus récemment Flicka de Michael Mayer, 10th & The Wolf de Bobby Moresco, ATL de Chris Robinson, Akeelah and the Bee de Doug Atchison et The Virgin of Juarez de Kevin James Dobson.
Mais il a commencé bien plus tôt dans la musique, en tant que producteur, arrangeur et compositeur pour des artistes comme Christina Aguilera, Seal, Aretha Franklin, Oleta Adams, Phil Collins, Tina Turner, Patti Labelle, Chicago, The Jets, Nona Gaye, Carly Simon, les Pointer Sisters, Huey Lewis, Dionne Warwick et Jennifer Holiday. Il a collaboré à la musique des films Buster de David Green, Tina de Brian Gibson, The Birdcage de Mike Nichols, Permis de Tuer de John Glen, Fame d’Alan Parker et des films d’animation Mulan et Pocahontas.
Aaron Zigman a composé par ailleurs plusieurs pièces pour orchestres symphoniques, dont un poème musical en cinq mouvements en hommage à Yitzhak Rabin, joué par le Los Angeles Jewish Symphony. L’USC Symphony Orchestra a récemment joué Impressions, une suite pour instruments à vent.


Le sanctuaire du rêve et de l'enfance
Le réalisateur Gabor Csupo explique ainsi sa vision de Terabithia, à la fois comme monde magique, mais aussi comme lieu où les enfants peuvent affronter leurs angoisses: " Térabithia est un monde issu du plus pur imaginaire. C'est un univers sans limites, où tout est possible. Ce n'est pas seulement un endroit où les deux enfants sont les maîtres. C'est un lieu qui les aide à échapper aux problèmes qui les touchent, un sanctuaire où ils peuvent prendre du recul. Leslie et Jess se sentent exclus aussi bien à l'école qu'au sein de leurs familles respectives. Même si Térabithia est un refuge, il ne leur évite pas d'affronter ce qui les affecte : ce monde est également une métaphore de l'amitié qui les unit, un moyen pour eux de se renvoyer leurs sentiments et leur amitié au travers d'un imaginaire qu'ils partagent. Le pont est aussi chargé de symboles, c'est un passage, une façon de dire que l'imaginaire peut aussi avoir un vrai impact sur le réel. Tout ce que l'on imagine existe. "

1. I Learned from You
2. Try
3. Keep Your Mind Wide Open
4. Place for Us
5. Another Layer
6. Shine
7. Look Through My Eyes
8. Right Here
9. When You Love Someone
10. Seeing Terabithia
11. Into the Forest
12. Battle
13. Jesse's Bridge

Questions Jérémie NOYER

Merci à Tom Kid - Costa Communication.

ERAGON - Entretien avec Patrick Doyle par Christine Blanc

Dans l'empire d'Alagaësia, où le peuple vit dans l'ombre de la tyrannie du roi Galbatorix, Eragon, un jeune fermier découvre qu'il est le prochain "dragonnier", digne représentant d'une lignée de guerriers légendaires qui a toujours fait régner la justice dans le royaume. Avec sa dragonne Saphira, et guidé par son mentor Brom, Eragon va devoir affronter les bataillons terribles du roi. Le destin de l'Empire est entre ses mains...

Nos vaillants héros seront dignement accompagnés le long de leur périple par le valeureux compositeur, Patrick DOYLE qui a su donner une ampleur et une profondeur à cette amitié sans pareil.

Patrick Doyle, may you tell me about your training?
I studied at the Royal Scottish Academy.

Do you have any mentor?
I have no mentors other than the great composers and the wonderful world of art that currently surrounds us.

How did you come on ERAGON?
The opportunity of writing the score for Eragon was kindly offered to me by the director Stephan Fangmeier.

Why did you accept to do this film?
This was a fantastic project to be involved with, it is a terrific story and the writer is a very gifted young man.

How much time did you have to compose your score for ERAGON?
I spent many months composing the score for Eragon, liasing with the director, producers and members of the music team.

Who and why choose the London Symphony Orchestra? You often use British orchestra, why?

I love working with the London Symphony Orchestra, they create a fantastic sound and work extraordinarily well as a team of musicians although.

Did you use some electronic sounds in your score or was it all live?

I did use some electronic drum and ethnic instrument sounds.

What about your orchestration work? How did you work with James Shearman and Geoff Alexander?
I love working with orchestrator James Shearman, with whom I have worked for many years. He is a very talented man and a great friend. Similarly, Geoff is an extremely gifted orchestrator and I thoroughly enjoyed collaborating with him on this project.

How did you work, and with what request from the crew ?
I worked closely with the director and producers. There was a temp score comprised mainly of my music.

For you what are the roles of music in Eragon?

The role of music within Eragon is to enhance the drama and high action.

How would you describe your music for the film?
May you tell me about the main theme you used?

The main Eragon theme is sweeping and heroic, yet there is another theme for Durza which is dark and foreboding for obvious reasons. Violins are the backbone of an orchestra and that is why they are so prevalent.

What did this experience on Eragon brought you

- personally?
- as a composer?
Eragon brought me great fun and the chance to work with a great orchestra and a fantastic team. I take each new project as it comes and am always open to new ideas. The whole experience was thoroughly enjoyable.

May you tell me about Maggie Rodford? How did you work with her?
And your work with Lucy Evans the assistant score coordinator?
I have worked with Maggie Rodford and Lucy Evans for many years. They are both colleagues and friends and I rely on them very much to help coordinate both my life and my work.

What is your relationship with France, French Movies, French Music…?
I love the French, I love France and I love spending time at my house there. Pars Vite et Reveins Tard opened to terrific reviews and a great audience response in France. Regis Wargnier is a fantastic person to work with and I am thankful that he has become a very close family friend.

Tyler BATES, 300 fois plus puissant - Entretien par Christine BLANC

Tyler BATES enchaîne les contrats à tour de bras depuis quelques temps. Il a déjà parcouru du chemin depuis que nous l'avions interrogé sur The Devil's Rejects pour Rob Zombie en 2005.
Les films pour lesquels il compose sont souvent caractérisés par une atmosphère dérangeante, violente voire horrifique: The Devil's Reject, Slither, Dawn of the Dead, 300,... Ses collaborations réussies avec des réalisateurs "chocs" comme Zac Snyder, James Gunn ou encore Rob Zombie lui ont permis d'évoluer musicalement et ainsi de trouver sa place dans le milieu de la musique de film. Il nous parle aujourd'hui de sa partition pour le très attendu 300. Et nous devrions le retrouver prochainement pour ses compositions à venir: Halloween 9 de Rob Zombie, Day Of The Dead, Resident Evil Extinction et Six Bullets from Now.

Please, Mister Tyler, how would you personally introduce yourself?
Tyler BATES- I love American and European films from the 70’s. ‘Klute’ is a personal favourite of mine. I have really gotten myself into reading Cormack McCarthy books. He manages to tell the darkest tales in the most beautiful voice.

May you tell me about your training?
I am musically self-taught. I have opened many books over time, but the majority of my musical training comes from playing in rock bands, producing records, and song-writing. I did learn to read music at an early age when I joined the school concert and marching band! Went on to play in several rock bands, recording records, and touring. This has had a great impact on my appreciation of the opportunity I have to make music for films.

What are your musical influences? Do you have any mentor?
I don’t have a mentor. I have loved all styles of music since childhood. I am truly fond of artists like Brian Eno, Georgy Ligeti, Krzysztof Penderecki, and Bernard Herrmann, to name a few.

How did you come to music?

My mother gave me an impassioned introduction to music from the time I was born. She would buy several albums each week in all genres of music. I was always drawn to music – listening to it, and reading the album liner notes. Strangely enough, the soundtracks for ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ and ‘Hair’ left an indelible impression on my mind. The arrangements interested me as much as I was touched by the raw emotion of those albums. I always paid attention to arrangements and production quality. I knew from very early on that music was my way of life.

Among all your scores, what are the ones you like the most?
I don’t much revel in my own work. By the time I deliver a score, I have corrected my mistakes in my head. Of course this occurs after it becomes too late to make adjustments to the music! Hindsight…I am fond of the score for “Dawn Of The Dead,” and of course “300.” There are others I feel pretty good about, but I suppose these come to mind because I was at the ‘300’ premiere last night. It was a lot of fun, but this morning came around too quickly. I am sure I am making little sense with my responses. (LOL)

When you compose for a film, where do you take your inspiration from? The story, the pictures, the characters?

I am most inspired by reading the films’ script, then ultimately, looking t the film and its characters. It is always my goal for the music to not only support the story, but to become an extension of the film itself. Once I have viewed actual film footage, I then consider tonal colours that will inherently work in support of the film’s style and attitude.

What is your relation to the films you score?

It is most important for me to allow a film to “steep” for a bit once I have seen it. This gives me an opportunity to contemplate the film on a technical level, but also presents the opportunity to form a unique feeling towards the film and it’s vibe. When I was a kid, each new album I put on my turntable felt unique unto itself. It was as though the music coloured my environment. This was very influential on how I open myself to music. I try to do the same with film. I ensconce myself in the world of each film I work on, which is a clear statement of why I could benefit from having my head shrunk, in consideration of the films I have created music for.

How did you come on the 300 project?
I scored “Dawn Of The Dead” for Zack Snyder in 2004. We had a great experience working together. When he began putting together his presentation in effort to get ‘300’ backed by a studio, he asked me to create music for the film. It began with an animatic Zack created by filming the actual pages of the Fran Miller graphic novel. Scott Glenn narrated the story of the ‘300’ backed by my music. Once Warner Bros signed the project, Zack did a live-action test shot to illustrate the exact filming style and content. I also scored this project, which really enabled me to further develop the sound of the film. We continued from there once filming began. It was a long haul, but a tremendous experience working with the entire group Zack enlisted to make the film.

How would you describe your score for 300?
I definitely think the score is abstract as it is traditional. It can be a bit of an acid trip at times, but the most important element seems to be inherent in the music throughout, and that is soul. Some film score journalists have gotten the impression that it is among the most aggressive of scores for an epic movie. This was not a conscious attempt on my part. I did what I thought the picture needed, and of course, everything I could do to help Zack express this story as acutely to his vision as possible.

What was your approach to the film?

Honestly, it was always both thematic and atmospheric. I find the atmospheric motifs to be thematic in their own way. There is a very specific “feeling” to the ambient aspect of the score. I was truly excited to finally score a film that asked for broad emotional music in equal measure to the abstract contingent.

How much time did you have to compose your score?

I cannot say exactly how much “writing time” I had on this film because there was always a great deal of catching up to do as the visual aspect of the film developed along the way. This required constantly revisiting the score and updating the music as it was informed by the newest images. There were also several “temp dubs” to prepare the film for various screenings. I mixed and delivered my score to each of these, which was rather time-consuming. That said, I probably wrote the music in five months.

Can you tell me about the conditions of recording of the score?

We recorded the orchestra in London, at Abby Road. My fixer, Isobel Griffiths, contracted a great orchestra of players from London. We did not have a large budget, so all of the orchestra and choir was recorded in three days total. The orchestra and choir lives side by side in this film with ambient sound design and individual musical colourists. I recorded the solo performances as I wrote the music. This enabled me to develop the performances to be as natural and substantive as possible. Much like making a record.

Do you have any anecdotes about the process to tell us, funny or interesting things?
It was good fun. I am probably too tired to think of stories to tell.

How did you work with the crew ?

I don’t much like temp scores. They have become a necessity in modern times, especially in relation to films of this nature. It would be beyond difficult to edit the picture with only blue screen and no music. The problem for a composer is always that the longer the temp music lives in the picture, the more everyone becomes comfortable and ultimately fond of the temp. It is always my goal to write as much music as quickly as possible to replace the temp before “temp love” sets in. You have to be careful not to submit music that is not up to that standard because they will continue to use the temp until the score demo is stronger. Once a film tests for an audience, the temp becomes even more powerful an influence on what the director and studio want from the composer, especially if the music scores high points with a test audience. This is an issue all composers are faced with from time to time. Once “temp love” is present, it takes time to get people used to “original” music. The trouble ends up being that you win some battles and then you run out of time. This is generally when a composer is asked to do seriously consider the temp music. At the end of the day, one has to accept that film scoring is not a pure art form. I feel that you should approach the craft as artfully as possible, but the music itself is but a colour in the entire scope of a film. This is definitely the most frustrating aspect of scoring movies, but I understand it. I am fairly sure that most of the film score appreciators are not aware of the many caveats a composer faces in the process of creating the score for a big film; especially a film like ‘300,’ where there are so many contingencies that affect the musical requirement of the film.

Can you tell me about your relation to Zack Snyder, the director of 300?

I met Zack with “Dawn Of The Dead.” We have had a fantastic working relationship. He has since asked me to write the music for his next film, “Watchmen.”

What is your connection with the subjects of the film?
One cannot take ‘300’ as a literal expression of the current geopolitical landscape. Personally, I hope people ask themselves what they are willing to do for a cause they believe in effort to create a more harmonious planet. It would be nice if human life on Earth were not to be extinguished in the near future. In regards to ‘300,’ it is a graphic novel staged 2500 years ago. It is not a literal interpretation of historical events, or a commentary on modern-day Persian society. The lead vocalist of the score is Azam Ali, who is Persian. Ultimately Azam had a little trouble with the depiction of her ancestors in the film, but she clearly understands that this is not a commentary on Iranians. I deliberately avoided creating a “good guy-bad guy” sensibility about the score. I anticipate the audience of this film with understand its context, and appreciate the tremendous soul that Azam’s presence brings to the music.

For a new project, if you could choose a genre, a kind of story and a filmmaker, what would they be?

I am so happy to work with Zack Snyder. The scope of his film career will touch on nearly every human emotion and dynamic before his work is done. The possibility of being a part of that is as good as it gets. Would most-definitely welcome non-violent films. A drama would serve me well. I am currently in the finishing stages of “Day Of The Dead.”

Do you have any other projects to come?

I will begin working with Rob Zombie on his “Halloween” film, which is highly disturbing, from what I have seen thus far. I have a couple projects coming up afterwards; “Resident Evil:Extinction,” and “Six Bullets From Now,” with director Stephen Kay, whom I love working with.

Do you have a specific message to add?
Please go to see “300!”

UN HYMNE À LA GLOIRE : LA MUSIQUE

La musique de 300 a été composée et produite par Tyler Bates, qui avait déjà collaboré avec Zack Snyder sur L'ARMÉE DES MORTS.
Snyder demanda une partition de grande ampleur célébrant l'héroïsme et le sacrifice des Spartiates. Bates créa un vaste paysage orchestral et choral, doté d'une palette tonale inusitée. Azam Ali, chanteur d'origine iranienne, apporte à la voix de Sparte et à la menace perse une fascinante touche d'exotisme et une présence envoûtante.

"Je me suis efforcé d'être fidèle à l'inspiration du film en exaltant la détermination, le sens du sacrifice et la soif de liberté des Spartiates", indique Bates. "Le principal challenge fut de tisser une trame musicale continue pour une œuvre visuellement très riche et très diverse. Il me fallut en soutenir la dimension épique et l'impact émotionnel en me montrant aussi inventif que le film lui-même."
Snyder ne tarit pas d'éloges sur son compositeur : "Sa partition confère une résonance mythologique à 300. Elle parachève notre travail visuel en donnant à ces images une force qu'elles n'auraient pu avoir par elles-mêmes."
Et le réalisateur de conclure : "Nous avons dû affronter quantité de défis en portant à l'écran l'œuvre de Frank Miller. Personne ne s'y est jamais dérobé. Des acteurs aux producteurs et à l'ensemble de l'équipe, tout le monde a toujours été à mes côtés et au service du film. 300 n'aurait jamais pu se faire sans leur concours. Ils ont tous été prodigieux."

Adapté du roman graphique de Frank Miller, 300 est un récit épique de la Bataille des Thermopyles, qui opposa en l'an - 480 le roi Léonidas et 300 soldats spartiates à Xerxès et l'immense armée perse. Face à un invincible ennemi, les 300 déployèrent jusqu'à leur dernier souffle un courage surhumain ; leur vaillance et leur héroïque sacrifice inspirèrent toute la Grèce à se dresser contre la Perse, posant ainsi les premières pierres de la démocratie.
Les Spartiates furent de redoutables guerriers, à qui l'on avait appris à ne jamais reculer devant l'ennemi, à ne jamais se rendre. Ils forment l'une des cultures les plus originales et les plus énigmatiques de l'Histoire.
"Ils demeurent à bien des égards un mystère", affirme Frank Miller, auteur du roman graphique "300" qui inspire ce film. "Ils sont sans doute le seul peuple qui ne vécut que pour se battre. La guerre était le fondement de toute leur civilisation. Le code d'honneur très strict dont ils se réclamaient forgea une classe de héros sans équivalent."

Merci à Isabelle TARDIEU - Warner Music