We sit down with Oscar nominated composer Johann Johannsson to discuss the Arrival score.
Arrivalmight be one of the most thought-provoking science fiction films released in the last few years.
And given how many recent, smart films there have been in that genre, this is saying something.
Then again, considering Johannsson has been nominated twice for Academy Awards, this isnt exactly a surprise.
We discussed this with Johannsson, plus much more when we sat down for the below phone interview.
SoArrivalis your third film with Denis.
How did he approach you about working on this particular project?
Its been a fantastic journey working with Denis.
Did you read the short story going into it then?
Yeah, I was aware of the Ted Chiang short story and loved it.
I thought it was a really strong concept, really strong idea, and when I read the script…
I thought it played really well.
Was that a conscious choice to get away from more familiar sounds associated with this key in of material?
I thinkArrivalis quite a unique film, and Denis is a unique director andevery film has its own challenge.
You have to find each films unique voice.
So genre has nothing to do with it; its about finding the voice of the film.
Denis always encourages me to experiment.
But its also very much a collaboration between me, Denis, and Joe Walker, the editor.
Denis movies also are known for just how quiet and how intimate they can be.
Im all for that.
I dont like scores that are wall-to-wall music.
There are exceptions to that.
There are some very, very good exceptions to that.
Some filmmakers make that work very well.
Darren Aronofsky is one of those, for example.
He doesnt edit too fast.
Theres a pace to his films which fits my music very well, I think.
Denis is very good at finding the right place for music.
He has a very strong instinct for that.
Yeah, I mean, there are definitely two different moods involved in the film.
Yeah, this was something that we spent a lot of time on.
In fact, its one of the more difficult scenes to score…
So it was very much a collaboration.
I think this is very important in general, in writing film music.
You always have to have the sound designer in mind when youre writing.
And sometimes, it blurs.
So I think we kind of influence each other.
I think there was a real kind of symbiosis going on between the sound designers and myself.
Did that pretext give you a certain freedom to maybe break your own rules while scoring?
Definitely, I mean, its science fiction.
Also, other more analogue methods.
So using sound on sound, recorded at different speed.
Its a technique that Stockhausen used.
Its a technique that the Beatles used.
Yeah, its a whole technique, but used in a very new way.
But the idea of the tape loop appealed to me because of the story.
Youre now working on your next film with Denis, theBlade Runnersequel.
Well, its certainly a challenge, the biggest challenge probably in my film scoring career.
But I welcome it.
I very much welcome challenges, I like to be challenged.
Its a world three decades apart.
So thats really all I can say about it.
Thank you very much for being able to talk with me today.
