Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1529989
60 M PS E . O R G How did you first get interested in sound and how did you develop that interest which led to your work in film sound? PA: As a kid, I loved movies and music. My dad had an enormous collection of classical music and also enjoyed more experimental modern music, and we listened to Morton Feldman and John Cage. I was trained in classical piano for 10 years—without ever becoming a virtuoso in any way. But it meant that music was all around, and when I got into movies—my first favorite filmmaker was Alfred Hitchcock—I also listened to soundtracks. It wasn't until I attended the European Film College in 1995 that I had this epiphany that sound for film was the way to go, the way to blend music and movies. It felt like entering a new world that I wanted to explore infinitely. I became a student at the Danish Film School in 1997. Being just 20 years old when I got in, I was still very much a youngster, but during the four years at the school, I learned a lot of technical skills and met a lot of inspiring people. My graduation movie had a pretty crazy soundtrack—it was my homage to Rumble Fish, one of my all-time favorite sound design movies. One of many wild ideas was to put some of the dialogue on vinyl and get a DJ to scratch the dialogue into the film. Some people thought we went much too far, but a lot of people loved it as well and it meant that I got this reputation of being 'the crazy sound guy.' And it got me working with a lot of people who really wanted to explore what sound design could do. I've now been working as a professional sound designer and re-recording mixer for almost 25 years, and I've had the good fortune of working with a lot of wonderful directors who are really into sonic storytelling and experimentation with sound. The amazing thing is that after working with sound for so many years, I can still be surprised and overwhelmed by what sound can do for images. Working on a film and playing around with sounds for it can totally change the perception, the atmosphere, and the feeling of it. In your journey as a sound artist, were there specific films, TV, or music that became significant influences in your creative evolution? PA: I already mentioned Hitchcock—Psycho was probably the first big inspiration for me with Bernard Herrmann's astonishing string-based score and the creative use of off- screen dialogue and the brilliant sound design of the mother's voice, which is a combination of several different voices morphed into one. Not sure how they did that in 1960, but Hitchcock and his creative team were truly pioneers. Horror movies have generally been a big thing for me from early on. Being born in 1976, I was too young to experience the original Star Wars trilogy in the cinema, so when it comes to awe-inspiring spectacle, movies like Terminator 2 and Jurassic Peter with the late Ann Kroeber (1946-2024) at the European Film College 2014.