‘En las Estrellas (Up Among the Stars)’ – Interview with Iván Palomares and Zoe Berriatúa

Today, Friday, August 31st, 2018, premieres the film ‘En Las Estrellas’ (Up Among the Stars), conceived and directed by Zoe Berriatúa, produced by Álex de la Iglesia, and featuring great music by Iván Palomares.

 

Last month of March 2018, SoundTrackFest was in the recording sessions that took place in Madrid with the RTVE Orchestra under the expert supervision of José Vinader.

 

Now, and coinciding with the premiere, we leave you this article written by Gorka Oteiza, where he tells us how the recording sessions were, and also contains two interviews he has recently made with the main protagonists of this story: the composer Iván Palomares and the director Zoe Berriatua.

‘En las Estrellas (Up Among the Stars)’ - Interview with Iván Palomares and Zoe Berriatúa - Poster

 

EN LAS ESTRELLAS (UP AMONG THE STARS) - THE RECORDING SESSIONS

The world of film music is smaller than it seems. Everyone knows everyone in a first or second grade, but even so, there are times when you receive unexpected and very pleasant surprises, as the eMail of the composer Iván Palomares, with whom I had common friends.

 

That mail talked about the soundtrack of his next project, the movie ‘En Las Estrellas’ (Up Among the Stars), and extended an invitation to SoundTrackFest to be part of the recording sessions, which were going to take place the first week of March 2018.

 

After a very pleasant experience with Manel Gil-Inglada and the recording of the OST for Hullabaloo in Bratislava at the end of December 2017, with the Bratislava Symphony Orchestra conducted by David Hernando Rico (read article here), and looking at the dates in the calendar, the response was immediate: Of course! We’ll be there!

 

A little bit more than three and a half hours by car separates Bilbao from the RTVE Institute‘s venue, located north-west of Madrid. Once I arrived at the place and entering a room that is usually used for rehearsals, it could be verified that all the equipment was perfectly deployed and prepared for the occasion: both microphones and mobile recording control desk, as well as the scores for the musicians of the orchestra.

‘En las Estrellas (Up Among the Stars)’ - Interview with Iván Palomares and Zoe Berriatúa - Recording

 

The musicians of the RTVE Orchestra, whose main area of activity are concerts, are not used to recording music for a film. That makes the sessions both a challenge and something fun, because once that the musicians begin to enjoy the session, and are aware that the music they are recording will be linked forever to the film, they see that this is not an ordinary job anymore. It is not like a concert where only who has been there can enjoy it. The music of a recording session for a movie lasts forever, and this is an additional motivation.

 

Before starting the session, both the manager of the orchestra and the composer Iván Palomares explain the context, scope and application of the music that will be recorded, to create ideas and sketches in the minds of the musicians, who are going to see and perform the scores for the first time, without really knowing what its final application will be, since the sessions will be carried on without reference images. This is why it is very important to “build” or at least draw a portion of the movie in their minds, before starting to play a single note. These indications about the film and about the worlds that the music will try to show and narrate, will help them to make their interpretation the best possible, the most faithful possible. If we make a comparison, the performance of the musicians is like reading a poem. The words are the same independently of who reads them, but the meaning and life given to them by one narrator or another, can change completely, and will depend on the implication and understanding of the work by that narrator.

 

After the explanations, Iván Palomares jumps onto the podium and puts on his headphones, used to receive the indications from the recording control both, mounted temporarily in an adjoining room. He lifts the baton, looks the musicians in the eyes, and starts the session. The orchestra is performing the themes one after the other, with several repetitions, sometimes from the beginning or sometimes from a specific point onwards. This is done in order to obtain the best take of the music, or the performance that better reflects the nuances that the composer, who in this case is also the orchestra conductor, wishes to capture.

‘En las Estrellas (Up Among the Stars)’ - Interview with Iván Palomares and Zoe Berriatúa - Iván conducting

 

It’s already past noon, we’ve been recording for a few hours and a lot of progress has been done. Many minutes of music have been recorded, which later will have to be processed, adjusted and mixed, with all the care and all the professionalism of the world from the expert hands and ears of José Vinader.

 

It’s time for the lunch break, and when we return, we have the visit of the director Zoe Berriatúa, who is running from one side of Madrid to another, taking care of multiple details of the film: reviewing and finalizing the special effects, supervising the ‘colour grading’, and as usual, applying some minor changes in the editing.

 

But today in the afternoon, Zoe has taken a break from his other duties as a director, to approach the recording session and see how the music is taking shape. Because for him, music is also an obligation as a director, as an indivisible part of his final work, the film. It is a music that both Ivan and him have been creating and shaping in their conversations, in their heads, and through the mockups that Ivan has been preparing. For Zoe, music is very important in the film, and he wants to be part of this moment in which it finally comes alive with the orchestra.

‘En las Estrellas (Up Among the Stars)’ - Interview with Iván Palomares and Zoe Berriatúa - Zoe talking to the orchestra

 

Like Ivan, Zoe also gives explanations of the film to the orchestra, but this time from the director’s perspective, telling how the characters are, their motivations, the problems they have to suffer, the context in which they live, and what music has to express and transmit for them and with them. Something that the musicians are very grateful for, and something that I wish could be done in many other recording sessions.

 

The afternoon recording session starts and things are very fluid. It is true that it is still necessary to repeat cues, or portions of them, but the machinery is already oiled, and you can see that in the progress of the recording.

 

Once the session is over, everyone is happy with the work done. ‘Tomorrow more’ they say. The musicians go home and will return the next day to continue playing and recording more music, since in total they have planned two and a half days of recording sessions. But today, despite the departure of the orchestra, there is still time to do a little bit more. The pianist, Eduardo Frías Ciriza, records some piano solos in an empty room. Some of them will go directly to the movie, others will only go on the CD, and others will be added to previously recorded parts with the orchestra.

 

The piano plays a very important role in certain scenes of the film, with waltz-style music, which transmits fragments, to finally close the story (or give a new beginning, depending on how you look at it). That is why it is very important to achieve the desired effect. Several takes with different styles are recorded, to have variants and to be able to get the right one at the end. In addition, this way, there are more resources in case it is necessary to use them at the time of making the mixes.

 

We have already finished. With the melody of the piano in my head, it’s time to leave, and after saying goodbye to Ivan, Zoe and the whole team, I enter my car to drive back to Bilbao. I still have another 3-4 hours of road to get home, although this time it’s already dark at night. But I don’t care, since I cannot only see the stars in the clear sky, but I can also hear them… because music plays in my head, the music from the piano of ‘En Las Estrellas’ (Up Among the Stars).

‘En las Estrellas (Up Among the Stars)’ - Interview with Iván Palomares and Zoe Berriatúa - Piano

 

MUSIC and ‘MAKING OF’ VIDEOS

Before moving on to the interviews, here you have several links that we are sure you will like.

 

Tracks in SoundCloud:

 

Exclusive Video for SoundTrackFest of the recording sessions:

 

Making Of’ video from the soundtrack of ‘En Las Estrellas’ (Up Among the Stars):

 

INTERVIEW WITH IVAN PALOMARES (COMPOSER)

Hello Ivan! Good Morning! Thanks for taking some time to talk with SoundTrackFest about ‘En Las Estrellas’ (Up Among the Stars).

Thanks to you for attending the recording sessions and for your interest in the project.

 

Tell us Ivan, how do you get to this project? How do you end up here? And a curiosity … has it always been called ‘En Las Estrellas’ (Up Among the Stars), since the beginning of the project, or it has changed its name? (it’s something that happens in many projects…)

There have been no changes; it was called ‘En Las Estrellas’ (Up Among the Stars) from the beginning. I already knew Zoe, and even though we had not worked together, we had already talked several times about being able to work together. Around this time last year (August 2017), he wrote to me, and told me he had a project. He asked me to stop by Alex de la Iglesia‘s production company to watch the movie, and talk about the project. He showed me a very preliminary version of the montage, and the truth is that I loved it, there was a mixture of fantasy, a tribute to cinema, and an enormous poetic sense behind the whole project.

Zoe is a person with an extraordinary talent, who is able to design, to draw, to have a very indie mind… to be unique, and he’s also an actor, so he has a bit of everything. Within this context, and watching the movie, I have to say that I loved the project, and without knowing the tone that the music was going to take, I accepted to be part of it unconditionally.

 

So you joined the project a year ago more or less…

That’s it. He handed me the script, and we waited a couple of months for him to have a slightly more developed montage, on which to work. We started working on the music in October or November of 2017.

 

You arrived in the project when it was still in the production phase. When do you usually prefer to enter a project? Closer to the beginning or closer to the end?

I like to get in the middle of the process. I do not like to get to a movie and everything to be done, but I also do not like to get to a movie so early that there is still everything left to build. I like to arrive when it is still a puzzle and the pieces are fitting together, and I can help to build that puzzle with the music. The important thing is to know what kind of movie is going to be told, because you already know that a movie can be told in many different ways, and the approach of the music is also different. Although the images are the same, it is not the same thing if the film is finally a drama, or of it is a visual and fantastic madness.

I like to be involved in this phase in which you are still building the film, and I like to talk about that DNA that has to carry the music, that DNA that permeates the film. I also like to have time to discuss the work with the director, and see how we have to do and how we are going to focus the music. Now, it is true that each director works in a different way, and your duty as a composer is to adapt to their needs. For me, the way I have worked on this project has been the best option: to have time and to be able to propose things with perspective. Although then in the end, we have to run to finish the music… as always happens to us. (*laughs*)

 

Let’s talk a little bit about music. What conversations do you have when you set that musical DNA of the movie? What decisions are made about how the music of the film should be?

With a fairly advanced cut of the movie, we did a “spotting session”, to see where music was needed and what role it had to play in the movie. Yes, there was some reference music that helped the editing, and it was at that moment when we decided if it was worthy to keep it and be influenced by it, or to take other different directions. But always with the story in our minds.

This helped to address creating the music of the film as a discovery, as a continuous work, where we were polishing the music that the film asked us. If you look closely at the movie, even if the film is fantastic and sometimes surreal, in the end, what the film is talking about is the loss. There was a journey of the characters, which was not marked with that reference music, and we realized that it was fundamental to mark it with the music that I was going to compose.

Zoe had elaborated the key scenes – even choreographed them when shooting -, the high points of fantasy, with the music of reference by Ravel or Benjamin Britten, and it was important that there was not a very large separation between that music and the one I was going to compose for the movie. That’s when we proposed a work at different levels. The first thing is that there was a vertical bridge, which was also presented by music. And I say vertical, because we have the reference of the stars; the more the story goes to the stars, the more in the fantasy world is the music, and on the opposite side, we have the reality, the dramatic reality.

At a lower level, there is a more personal, more conceptual music that acts at an inner level. It is a common music for the characters, which is being developed little by little, which is appearing in short quotes throughout the film, but which is only heard completely at the end of the film, in its final sequence, which I do not want to unveil (*laughs*), and especially in the credits. It is a kind of conclusion.

That loss feeling is sensed in the music, and the characters live in it in a balanced way. In reality, they are not unhappy in that world that they have invented, even knowing that sooner or later, the reality is going to devour them. The film therefore speaks not only of the loss, but also of how to find a balance in a way of living. There’s no need to put the adjective of sadness, because the characters are happy in that world. All this may sound a little weird, but it will make more sense when you watch the movie (*laughs*).

‘En las Estrellas (Up Among the Stars)’ - Interview with Iván Palomares and Zoe Berriatúa - Iván Palomares

 

Let’s talk a little bit about music. What conversations do you have when you set that musical DNA of the movie? What decisions are made about how the music of the film should be?

With a fairly advanced cut of the movie, we did a “spotting session”, to see where music was needed and what role it had to play in the movie. Yes, there was some reference music that helped the editing, and it was at that moment when we decided if it was worthy to keep it and be influenced by it, or to take other different directions. But always with the story in our minds.

This helped to address creating the music of the film as a discovery, as a continuous work, where we were polishing the music that the film asked us. If you look closely at the movie, even if the film is fantastic and sometimes surreal, in the end, what the film is talking about is the loss. There was a journey of the characters, which was not marked with that reference music, and we realized that it was fundamental to mark it with the music that I was going to compose.

Zoe had elaborated the key scenes – even choreographed them when shooting -, the high points of fantasy, with music of reference by Ravel or Benjamin Britten, and it was important that there was not a very large separation between that music and the one I was going to compose for the movie. That’s when we proposed a work at different levels. The first thing is that there was a vertical bridge, which was also presented by music. And I say vertical, because we have the reference of the stars; the more the story goes to the stars, the more in the fantasy world is the music, and on the opposite side, we have the reality, the dramatic reality.

At a lower level, there is a more personal, more conceptual music that acts at an inner level. It is a common music for the characters, which is being developed little by little, which is appearing in short quotes throughout the film, but which is only heard completely at the end of the film, in its final sequence, which I do not want to unveil (*laughs*), and especially in the credits. It is a kind of conclusion.

That loss feeling is sensed in the music, and the characters live in it in a balanced way. In reality, they are not unhappy in that world that they have invented, even knowing that sooner or later, reality is going to devour them. The film therefore speaks not only of the loss, but also of how to find a balance in a way of living. There’s no need to put the adjective of sadness, because the characters are happy in that world. All this may sound a little weird, but it will make more sense when you watch the movie (*laughs*).

 

It’s nice that you mention it! (*laughs*)

And finally, there is a third element, which is the pathos of Victor, the father, who is influenced by the death of a loved one, which is too strong for him throughout the film. And I’m not going to say more, as I don’t want to tell too much.

It is as if that loved character wanted to drag him to the underworld, to hell, and it is Victor who has to make the decision whether to let himself be dragged, or if once and for all he puts an end to that situation. Because everything Victor does has consequences, and also affects his son. So at the beginning the music is shared by both, but in the end you realize that the music is from one of the characters, from the memories that the character has. And once more, I will shut up, not to reveal the plot of the film (*laughs*).

‘En las Estrellas (Up Among the Stars)’ - Interview with Iván Palomares and Zoe Berriatúa - Iván conducting

 

It’s that theme that you mentioned earlier that is heard in bits and pieces throughout the film, and that appears in its entirety at the end, right?

Yes. The fact that the main theme is not heard until the end credits, is a way of saying that the story, could really start from here, at the end of the movie.

Music does not judge. For me the credits are part of the movie, and the music in them, also counts as part of the movie. Now, the viewer who wants to stay and see the credits it’s ok, and who doesn’t stay, it’s ok too. You’re not going to miss an important part of the film if you don’t stay. But maybe, you could have another point of view if you listen to that music. This is something that I had talked about with Zoe and it’s something we did on purpose. In this way, the end could be not only the end of a trip, but the beginning of another new journey. Because memories are always in movement. Music tells us that. It gives us that alternative. Without manipulating or forcing the viewer, but leaving that option there.

 

If I remember correctly, when I was with you during the recording sessions, that ending you’re talking about, is the one you recorded on the piano with Eduardo Frías Ciriza, right?

That’s it! It begins with the piano, with a magnificent performance by Eduardo, and then continues with a solo of the viola. And I’m going to do a little emphasis on this, because the viola is an instrument that appears several times throughout the film, and has a particular meaning. Perhaps it would have been more grateful or common to do it with the cello, but it turns out that the cello, in that position, is tremendously expressive. The viola, however, has something of a “broken” instrument, an instrument that is practically crying, but with great beauty and expressiveness, and since the characters are also broken to a certain extent, it seemed to me that it was an instrument that fits very good for the story. The viola soloist was María Teresa Gómez, and the performance she did was fabulous. It has a huge pain, but at the same time it also has light, and that is the point we wanted to take. Despite the sadness that those characters have, it has a lot of light.

On the other hand, the piano base, the theme, is very simple, but Eduardo managed to take out this atmosphere of solitude, permeated with a bit of nostalgia.

 

Well, look, I was going to ask you if you made any specific use of the instruments, with any special meaning in the movie, but you have already answered that! (*laughs*)

I start talking and it’s difficult to stop! (*laughs*)

 

Let’s talk about the recording sessions. I was there with you, in Madrid, with the RTVE Orchestra – Spanish Radio Television orchestra, in part of sessions that lasted several days. Tell us a bit about how they were.

The truth is that I had the fortune of being able to record with the RTVE Orchestra, with which I had worked before and with which I was very comfortable. For me it has been a luxury to be able to conduct them again and an honor. And apart from Maria Teresa Gómez‘s viola performance, I would like to highlight the work of the concertmaster Miguel Borrego, who also did a great job, as well as many other excellent musicians and soloists of the orchestra!

The soundtrack was recorded for two and a half days in several sessions, in which the participation of José Vinader as sound engineer and Queti Pazos in the production were crucial. We did not record it in the Monumental Theater, as it is usual with the RTVE Orchestra because they are renovating it, and we had to record it in the premises of the RTVE Institute.

‘En las Estrellas (Up Among the Stars)’ - Interview with Iván Palomares and Zoe Berriatúa - Recording team

 

The room was not ready to record and José made a spectacular work preparing everything, especially considering the type of mix we were going to make. I will never get tired of thanking him for the work he has done, because he has pampered both the recording and the mixes, as it is rarely done. On the other hand, the orchestra has made a fabulous performance, with great closeness, and this has been reflected thanks to the recording that José has made.

The truth is that if I start to mention names, I’m sure I’ll leave some, as there are many people I should be thanking, but I wouldn’t like to forget Alicia Morote, who has helped me with the scores and the management of the recording sessions, in addition to additional orchestration, or the rest of the team, Manuel, Fran, Pablo, Natalia Gutiérrez, and, of course, Marta Cañas. I have very good memories of the recording sessions, and it was thanks to the great team I had there. I consider myself very lucky.

 

Talking about luck, the film is going to be released shortly in cinemas throughout Spain, but you’ve also been lucky as the soundtrack is going to be published, right? And I say ‘lucky’, because not all films have this kind of treatment…

You are right! The soundtrack is going to be released by Quartet Records both physical and digital, and the truth is that I am very happy with it. They have pampered the design, the cover, the booklet… a great booklet, which is based on the poster that Christo Aleister designed for the film. I would like to comment that the CD will carry tracks that were recorded especially for that edition and that do not appear in the film, such as the main piano theme.

As an example, the CD opens with an interpretation of the main theme only on piano, the theme that I have already mentioned that is heard at the end of the film, in order to set the tone of the CD. We understand that listening to the CD, is different to viewing the film, and we thought that nothing happened here if we warned of what was going to be the real tone of the music at the beginning. Although then, the rest of the OST is bathed in a slightly more fantastic tone. In fact, if you notice, the main theme opens the CD in a piano version, but also closes it in an orchestral version, which it seemed an interesting and different way of telling the story, and offers a listening that we hope buyers of the CD will like. Then, the rest of the tracks, have some slight change compared to what is on the screen, but more or less they follow the same structure of the film, linear.

 

Does the CD have all the music you’ve composed for the movie?

Yes, all the music of the film is there and also some versions that we recorded for the CD and that do not appear in the film. Note that the music has been mixed again and expressly for the CD edition by José Vinader. That is, a new interpretation has been made, not a simple reduction of the 5.1 music to the 2.0 stereo. A new revision has been made with great care. What you won’t find on the CD is the ‘repertoire music’ from Ravel or Britten that appears in the film. So in the film there may be about 70 minutes of music, but on the CD there are about 50.

I hope that people like the soundtrack, and find that it gets a bit out of the ordinary, and that encourages them to watch the movie.

 

I hope so! What I’ve heard, I have liked it a lot, so I wish you luck with the project, and hope it has the success it deserves!

I hope it will! It is something that we have done with a lot of effort and love. Thank you for following our project ‘En Las Estrellas’ (Up Among the Stars) in particular, and for helping to spread the word about film music in general.

‘En las Estrellas (Up Among the Stars)’ - Interview with Iván Palomares and Zoe Berriatúa - Family picture - Gorka, José, Iván, Eduardo, Zoe

 

INTERVIEW WITH ZOE BERRIATUA (DIRECTOR)

Hi, Zoe! Reading a little bit your biography, we can see that you are a director, writer, actor, draftsman and that you have behind you a lot of short films and a previous feature film, being ‘En Las Estrellas’ (Up Among the Stars) your second movie. It is clear that art is something that you carry in your veins. How have you come to focus on film and you have not focused on music for example?

Music is my ‘unfinished business’. I’ve been wanting to learn music all my life, but I’ve never had discipline, perseverance, or order to do so. I’ve been starting to play some instruments on my own, but I never got to finish. You could say that I am a frustrated music lover and also a musical illiterate, because I cannot read or write music. But I love to devour everything I find in classical music and contemporary classical music, which makes my job a lot easier when talking about references with musicians. For example, talking with Ivan about the music of the film, we commented if this part had to have a tone or touches more like Shostakovich or Prokofiev, or the next one was more like Kabalevsky, for example. Or perhaps see if we needed more contemporary references. Having references, made our work easier.

The short ‘Epilogue’ I directed, for example, is actually the piece Unanswered Question by Charles Ives. The short has a couple of dialogues, but everything else is music, and I created the short film as if it was a video clip around the music. This is something I have done on more occasions. In my movie ‘The Heroes of Evil‘ for example, I had classical music by 10 authors, and I built the movie with them. So as you can see, I have not dedicated myself to music, but I always have it on my mind.

 

How do you decide to face the music of the movie ‘En Las Estrellas’ (Up Among the Stars)?

In this case we had two clearly differentiated universes. On the one hand, reality, which required an ad-hoc composed music for the film, and that is the music composed by Iván Palomares. On the other hand, there was fantasy. I had some sketches of what was going to happen, and using them I chose musical pieces. Once I had chosen the pieces, I wrote a script that coincided with these pieces. It may seem weird, but it is a way of working that works very well for me. In the case of ‘En Las Estrellas’ (Up Among the Stars) all the fantasy music is by Benjamin Britten which is another one of my favorites, one of the greatest composers. And then there are two parts of Ravel and John Antill, who is an Australian musician that I discovered looking for music for this film. A musician of the early 20th century who I did not know before.

‘En las Estrellas (Up Among the Stars)’ - Interview with Iván Palomares and Zoe Berriatúa - Scene

 

What is your way of working with a composer?

For me the ideal job would be to give the composer an idea of the sequence, then the composer creates the music on a pre-montage, and then with a finished music, finally adjust the montage. It is something that is done sometimes, and that in this film we have done it in some cases.

 

If I’m not wrong, Ivan and you already knew each other, right?

Yes. Iván and I actually studied performance together 10 years ago, but we later derived to different branches of arts. 10 years ago he sent me a test of his compositions in a terrible MIDI. And I emphasize the terrible MIDI, because the problem was not his music but the format. The ‘samples’ of the instruments were decadent, and they sounded fatal. But I really liked the composition. It caught my attention how he composed. At that time I wrote to him saying that I liked the composition but not the format, and that he please kept sending me music, because there would come a time when we would end up working together.

And with the passage of time, it seems that the moment has arrived…

That’s it. For this film, I was looking for a composer that would adapt to my needs. I did not want to go to a ‘deified’ musician. I wanted freedom to be able to work with the musician, and I wanted someone who could adapt to the search of the tone that the film needed. Apart from that closeness, I also had a budget problem, something usual in Spanish cinema. In this case, having special effects, the film was even more difficult to get ahead. Look, without deviating a lot, I’ll tell you that this movie is made on the basis of “human sacrifices” (*laughs*… *laughs*). Let me explain… when you see a movie like this, with a small budget and many special effects, and those elements are usually made with money, but the film has no budget… well… that is not achieved by the art of magic, that is achieved with sacrifices. Not human, but almost. (*laughs*) You have to put your will, you have to put intelligence, you have to be lucky… and you have to put a lot of effort into it! So that’s why the thanks section at the end of the movie is so long!

‘En las Estrellas (Up Among the Stars)’ - Interview with Iván Palomares and Zoe Berriatúa - Poster

 

Let’s talk a little bit about the music of the movie. From the initial starting point… What ideas have you seen that have been maintained and what other ideas have changed over time? What initial guidelines did you take as a basis to start with the music of the movie?

My plans with the film, initially, had a specific intention and tone, but when the first montage was over, they changed. The movie initially had a slightly kinder tone, a slightly sweeter tone, and when the editing was over, I realized that the movie had a tone that as too sweet, that it could even be silly. This is a movie of characters that are wrong, that recognize their mistakes, of characters that fail. For this failure to be accepted by the public, I wanted the film to have a sweeter, more emotional tone. Maybe more like a fairy tale. And that’s why everything was so softened. But then I changed it.

This led me to a search process with Ivan and his music, and on some occasions I made him repeat the compositions two or three times until he found the point we needed; until we were able to find the point of mutual understanding. We are both very stubborn, and we have had many discussions of how music should be on more than one occasion. But the truth is that Ivan has worked very hard. In some moments it has been difficult for us to agree, but this search process and this need to refine and fine-tune, has concluded that the resulting music is better, compared with the version that we would have, if we argued less or everything was clearer from the beginning. For me this has made the music to be very good. It has elevated the music.

 

From what I see, here we already entered the beautiful part of the creative process, where there is a retro-feeding of the parts. Because, you, as a director, have let yourself be influenced by the composer in that creative process, but this is not the usual…

I do not know if it is usual, but the truth is that for me, to work like that, has been a great experience, and it has been fantastic. I am quite complicated, and I am very meticulous with what I ask to the whole team, from the actors, to the people who make the special effects, to the composer. This makes the process complex, but if in the end you reach a good understanding, you get a fabulous result, which is what I think we have had. For me, music is the best I have in the movie.

 

Let’s talk a little bit about the final part of the process of the music, the recording sessions. After so much work, the day comes when you finally have to record the music with the orchestra, and you were there. You wanted to be there at that moment…

Yes, I did not want to lose it for anything in the world. I enjoyed the recording session enormously. Like a pig in the mud. (*laughs* *laughs*). I do not know if it is usual or not, but I wanted to be there. I wanted to see that moment. Especially after having that music in my head for so long.

‘En las Estrellas (Up Among the Stars)’ - Interview with Iván Palomares and Zoe Berriatúa - Zoe at the sessions

 

What music does Zoe Berriatúa listen to in his free time? What music do you use as an inspiration to create new stories?

I really like contemporary classical music. My favorite musicians are probably Gavin Bryars and Steve Reich, the true and genuine father of minimalism. The musician that I most admire is probably Thomas Ades. In film music I could talk about George Delerue, who fascinates me. I also like Hans Zimmer a lot, probably because of his minimalist roots, although what he is doing today is something quite different.

 

From what I see, you’ve listened to a lot of music, and you’ve got music pretty deep inside you, pretty internalized. You’re not the usual director…

I always like to work with music that’s already composed, because like a vampire, I take advantage of the talent of the composer, of the atmosphere, of the rhythm. To put ideas to that music, is to add another layer, it is as if I had half the work already done. And it’s funny, because I like changes. The changes of gender, the turns in the story, and in general, I do not like to follow the recipes, but then it is curious because with the music, I like to have that reference on which to build. I like that base. I like to follow the structure of the music that is already composed, as if it was a backbone.

Look, I’ll give you an example… when I told the producers of the film that I wanted to use repertoire music from authors like Benjamin Britten, they told me that it did not seem like a good option. They thought that we had to compose music for the film, because if we didn’t, we had the risk of having a film too difficult, a film that was not well understood and would not work well with the audiences. I stressed out that it would only be for the fantastic part, but even so, I found many problems. Moreover, I have a t-shirt that says “Save Britten”, which I made especially for the film, and that I took to all meetings and all the shootings. In the end, they listened to me, and we reached a balance, where I could use Britten’s music for the fantastic part and Ivan’s music for everything else.

I like to build the movie based on music. It is one of the characteristics that I have as a director, and that I want to use and maintain all my life. If at any time I can afford it and I have a sufficient budget, I will look for the music or call a composer to make the music, and then I will build the film over it.

 

It seems to me a very original way of working. The truth is that, on few occasions I’ve heard something similar. Only at specific moments, but not as a general method or an ideal method of work.

Well, you see, that’s how I am. (*laughs*)

 

That’s fine! In the variety lies the taste (*laughs*) Let’s finish with one last question… Without revealing anything essential of the plot, what will people who go to see the movie find? Both at a musical level, and at a movie level…

People are going to find an unusual movie. A somewhat unusual film in the Spanish cinema scene. And when I say unusual I mean it is a film that has mixtures of tone, genre, with sequences that look like horror, others that are fantasy, some are even childish, mixed with dramatic sequences of social cinema. It’s a movie that, as I told you, does not follow recipes. It is strange in that sense. That’s why I say it’s unusual.

‘En las Estrellas (Up Among the Stars)’ - Interview with Iván Palomares and Zoe Berriatúa - Scene

I like movies to have their own personality. Movies that give the viewer the opportunity to be surprised, not to be in a pattern. That take the viewer in some unexpected ways. I am very happy with the final result, and above all I am happy to have been able to make a more free film to what I am used to seeing around me. And once again, I emphasize that I am very happy with the music. I think it’s the best thing about the movie. In fact, sometimes, I’m not sure if the movie will be up to the music. We will check it shortly at the premiere. (*laughs*)

 

That is a good appreciation. It’s the first time I’ve heard a director say that he expects the film to live up to the music. (*laughs*) Surely it will!

I hope so! (*laughs*)

 

Zoe, thank you very much for your time and for all your explanations, which have contributed with a lot of information about the context of the film and of its music.

Thanks to you for your interest in our project!

‘En las Estrellas (Up Among the Stars)’ - Interview with Iván Palomares and Zoe Berriatúa - Greetings for SoundTrackFest's readers

 

Article and interviews by Gorka Oteiza