Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/760821
94 DGA QUARTERLY JÓHANNSS ON: This approach means you need more time. This is not something you can do if you start working when you receive the final cut, and the mix is in two months' time. This requires you have to have something close to a year, or at least six to eight months. I'm writ- ing a lot of music, and much of it doesn't work. It requires experimen- tation, to try and find something unique and original. Denis is defi- nitely giving me a challenge, and I want to live up to that challenge. I want to send him something that will knock him o his feet. That's not something that happens at the drop of a hat. VILLENEUVE: I love Jóhann's generosity as an artist. When he provides tracks, those dierent approaches, he's really serious. He will make three, four, five attempts at an exploration of dierent worlds. Then something comes out of that exploration that is very powerful, that is singular, that deeply touches me. He is not being afraid of going back and trying again. DG A: The two of you have already started work on Blade Runner 2049. How is that going? VILLENEUVE: As soon as I said yes to Blade Runner, I knew that Jóhann would be part of it. And I knew the studio would agree right away, because they really loved the music of Prisoners. We can't talk too much about Blade Runner, but it's the same process. He read the screenplay and came on the set. We are at the beginning of this process, where Jóhann is sending us insane, experimental, powerful tracks that blew our minds. JÓHANNSS ON: Everyone working on this film is very aware of the legacy and power of the original. That film was pivotal and something that aected me very deeply. Vangelis [composer of the original Blade Runner score] has always been a huge influence on what I do: The way he uses space in his music; the way he uses reverberation; his use of very strong and simple phrases. The challenge is to create something that lives within the world of Blade Runner and is faithful to that world, but is still something new. DGA: What would you say makes for the best possible outcome when a director and composer are working together? VILLENEUVE: Don't be afraid to bring the composer on early. The more you develop a relationship, the stronger the marriage will be. That's the thing I loved about Sicario and Arrival. It's a long pro- cess. Embrace the length of the process. JÓHANNSS ON: Music has to be treated in the same way as set design, casting or choice of location—it has to start at the same time. Give the composer time to experiment, time to try out ideas. Also, the time to fail. When the composer has very little time, the tempta- tion is to reach for stock ideas—ideas they know will work and have worked in the past. But if you have more time, and the confidence of the director, the composer has more freedom and is, in a certain sense, able to reach out into the unknown. ® CONTINUED FROM PAGE 73 IM360's VRT streamlines virtual reality production with a complete system and process, integrating software and hardware to create an envionrment and workflow for a dynamic real-time application. • Hardware and Software Solutions • Conveniently View in Real-Time • Instantly Play Back Scenes • Quickly and Easily Select Dailies • Direclty Output Pro-Res Files IM360.com | info@im360.com POWERING IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES VIRTUAL REALITY TOOLKIT 626.405.2215 | FilmHuntington.org "Need a paradise? Call The Huntington" – Pasadena Star News Other heavenly options include: Themed gardens, lawns, ponds, mature trees, statues, and architecture DGAQuarterly.qxp_ArtDrectr1 04 10/17/16 5:13 PM Page 1