Sufjan Stevens On Scoring Natalie Portman's New Film
Natalie Portman, aka Devendra's better half, is making her directorial debut with Eve, a 22-minute short film that stars Ben Gazzara and Lauren Bacall and a soundtrack by Sufjan Stevens. According to The Playlist, who had a tipster at the Venice Film Festival, where Eve premiered:
The short is evidently about a about a girl (Olivia Thirlby) who finds herself intruding on her grandmother's romantic date, according to the Hollywood Reporter, the film was warmly received "crowd pleaser," though our tipster noted that a boom mike was distinctively visible three times in the short and it was a bit "embarrassing," considering Portman was there in the audience.As for Sufjan, "his style was recognizable : piano, very melancholic, it was all instrumental," wrote our Gallic friend. They added that a piece called "Forgotten Waltz," was included, but they didn't know who wrote it. At the press conference for the film, Portman actually talked about Steven's inclusion and he actress turned director said she didn't know the indie-rocker, but was a big fan of his and called him to see if he'd be interested in composing the score. She called his score "beautiful music," and also noted before attempting to direct a feature, she'll be taking on a few more acting roles...
We were curious to hear more about the soundtrack so we dropped Sufjan a line and a cluster of questions this morning, asking him for the story behind the soundtrack, his process, and if he had plans to do other film scores in the future:
SUFJAN STEVENS: Natalie had seen The BQE performance last year, and asked me to score a short film she was writing and directing, her first attempt, I think, at approaching things from the other side of the camera. I'd never even met her before; she sent the treatment, which she'd written herself. Well, I don't usually read screenplays. We were trained to scoff at them in graduate school. But something about hers reminded me of the writing workshop. It's not an "epic" story at all; it's a charming character sketch of a privileged grandmother, all jewelry and martinis and such, played by Lauren Bacall. I was asked to add only piano, no songs, no arrangements, just quiet, sad, romantic flourishes. Ah! My forte! They sent me scenes, and I performed and recorded all the music in real time, watching the video files on my computer. I don't especially like music in film, but this one had a few of those awkward, quiet woman-sitting-at- the-mirror-thinking-about-something-important scenes which ask for opera. Lauren Bacall, sans make-up, looking into the heart of the world. It's like some kind of sad sorcery. But I don't think I'd do this again, not unless Gus Van Sant called me, or if Kieslowski was raised from the dead, or if Cassavetes was raised from the dead, or if Antonioni was raised from the dead.
STEREOGUM: Did you have any other soundtracks in mind when you did it? Like some sort of soundtrack ideal?
SUFJAN STEVENS: The ideal soundtrack is Hitchcock's The Birds, which has no music at all. The composer Bernard Hermann, famous for those screeching violins in Psycho, decided to score the film with manufactured bird sounds only. It's the creepiest soundtrack ever.
///
"It's like some kind of sad sorcery." That's maybe the best/most precise descriptor for Stevens's own work I've ever read. Otherwise, it's unclear where Eve goes next, but we'll keep you posted.
[Photo by Denny Renshaw]
Posted at 12:13 PM by brandon
Tags: Natalie Portman | Sufjan Stevens
internet, do your magic. find this and bring it to me. Go!
Score = 6
hmm ... what a dick, no?
Score = -22
No.
Score = 6
no
Score = 0
Boom Mics are often visible if the projectionist uses the wrong filter to crop the picture.
Score = 4
very cool. its always pretty neat to see celeb relationship headlines made by cool collaborations rather than the bullshit we're used to. im excited to see this!
Score = 2
That's awesome Suf. Now how about a new album? Seriously.
Score = 9
that's actually not true at all. booms are in the shot when it's a mistake, it has nothing to do with the projectionist
Score = 0
It can be either. If the mics are visible no matter who shows the movie, it's obviously a mistake on the director's part. But if it's only one screening, then the projectionist framed the picture wrong.
Score = 0
When a movie is shot on film, the camera intentionally films more than what is to be projected, so that the edges can be modified to fit the screen. When a projectionist doesn't frame the film correctly, boom mics can appear in several shots. However, if Ms. Portman's short was shot digitally, then yes, it is her fault that the boom mics are in the shot.
Score = 0
And this has been "Boom Mics: Bane of the Projectionists or a Director's Worst Nightmare" presented by the Stereogum comments section.
Score = 21
Double the word count and that could be a title from the next Sufjan album
Score = 20
If a boom mic is present in a shot, it usually means that the final post work hasn't been done on the film yet.
most people use Auto-deslk software like FLAME and SMOKE to remove booms and restore the background plate. It's actually done all the time and often festival showings of films are not the final, final version.
Score = -1
Oh man, I can't wait until Natalie Portman breaks up with Devendra and marries a country singer!
Score = 3
"I don't especially like music in film"
What a pretentious, stupid, look-at-how-different-from-the-norm-I-can-be, boring, uninteresting statement. As if Pitchfork will dock you .7 if you admit to liking scores.
But I still like your records
Score = -2
Incorrectly regarded as a goof
Score = 4
I can't believe I'm in the new Natalie Portman short!!
Score = 30
He mentioned The Birds and how perfect its lack of soundtrack is, but I'd like to add No Country For Old Men to that list. Not a single note, and it's perfect.
Score = 3
boom mics in the shot were a cassavetes staple...so was ben gazzara
Score = 0
agreed, pretentious, holier than thou, cock nose - but his songs rule.
Score = -2
I don't understand how you guys can call the man pretentious for writing what's posted up there (cock nose??). I totally agree with Sufjan that music is often a sad coverup for failures in acting, writing, etc. -- most often in big budget hollywood productions. When directors like Hitchcock or Bergman or, today, the Dardenne brothers make an affecting, awesome film totally sans music, it's a testament not only to their own greatness, but to what all can be accomplished in a movie without musical distraction. I'm not turning up my nose at the use of music period in film (silents anyone!!), and Sufjan definitely isn't either if he's invoking directors like Kieslowski and Cassavetes. The meaning of the word pretentious is definitely changing if we can throw it so willynilly at even little honest things like this.
Score = 8
I love your music Sufjan--just please do us all a favor and don't speak...please .....
Score = -7
Yeah! I'm waiting for some new stuff, too!
Go for the next state Sufjan!
Score = 6
id just ike to add that if a boom is in shot, its a mistake by the cameraman and myself. its my job to not be seen.
that said, if nobody notices on the day then that may be the fault of two people - the director of photography who framed the take, and the editor who spent months staring at negatives and still managed to miss it.
finally, it may just be that the best shots happened to have booms in them. sometimes the magic occurs and a visible boom is the last of anyones worries. film making is one long series of compromises.
Score = 3
Sure, movies without soundtracks can be good. No Country, Dog Day Afternoon, whatever. But there isn't a film geek alive who thinks 2001, Star Wars, Psycho, Jaws, or The Third Man would have been better without the music they brought into our world. (I personally think our world itself is better for those scores being brought into it, but that's not the point)
To be noted for your music's cinematic quality so much that you are asked to score a film and then say you don't like music in film, yes, it is pretentious. He's just doing it to be different and interesting and to add perceived depth. I'm sorry if that hurts your feelings.
Score = 1