Photo Credits: Paul Deruschi
At the beginning Thomas and I discussed the various themes of this piece – relationships, love, communication, regret. The notion of “echoes”: echoing thoughts, the repetition of waves. From these early conversations I knew I wanted to feature vocals in this score, and asked Daphne Gampel to collaborate with me. Her ethereal voice is the connective tissue in the music.
The genesis of this film began in the forest, deep in Aveyron (France). There is something magic in the woods; it’s a perfect place to create worlds and tell stories. I think it’s also a place that connects us to who we are intimately, a place that resonates within us. I wanted to transport this setting to another universe, and that’s how the story began. Very early I knew I wanted to tell a very intimate story between 2 characters and put that in contrast with a science fiction world. How this forest, this new place could reflect the memories of a love relationship? From making the costume to the different shoots, editing, music, and post-production, this film took time and a lot of work.
At the beginning Thomas and I discussed the various themes of this piece – relationships, love, communication, regret. The notion of “echoes”: echoing thoughts, the repetition of waves. From these early conversations I knew I wanted to feature vocals in this score, and asked Daphne Gampel to collaborate with me. Her ethereal voice is the connective tissue in the music.
With that in mind, I settled on a three note motif I felt would hold the core sentiment of the film – G# A C#. I picked out a palette of sounds that felt otherworldly but also human enough to relate to emotionally. There are plenty of synth elements and processed organic sounds like warped violin, flute, and piano. Next to the vocal, the cello plays a counter line. These two instruments are the lead parts, loosely representing the bond between the two partners in the story, calling and responding, separate but linked.
Solitary Waves is ambiguous and mysterious, and Thomas wanted the audience to be searching and discovering alongside the astronaut. I aim to reinforce this with the music by maintaining a neutral tone early in the film, driving for mystery and intrigue, introducing that main motif with a sparse arrangement initially. The middle segment of the film is much darker in tone, hinting at past fractures in the romance. This was an opportunity to go for a gritty, electronic vibe. Here I used manipulations of Daphne’s vocals, pitch shifted and corrupted. The final section allowed for a full expression of the theme, now with richer harmony and a more dense arrangement.
Music composer: Max Davidoff-Grey
Vocals: Daphné Gampel
Sound Designer: Adam Lidbetter
Mix: John Michael Caldwell
The story revolves around a love narrative with a science fiction touch. Early on, we recognized the need for subtle visual effects to enhance the visuals without overpowering them. Our aim was to preserve the delicate atmosphere established in the initial edits. The VFX we implemented seamlessly integrates with the original footage, remaining mainly imperceptible to the viewer.
Floating particles helped to give an otherworldly look to the frames that matched the flashbacks and this feeling of melancholy. Additionally, having done a cleaning of the suit in post elevated the visual sophistication and heightened the science fiction aspect. Employing 2D compositing and a delicate touch of 3D rendering ensured the visual quality while maintaining the understated science fiction ambiance.
Thomas clearly envisioned the final assets very early in the process. It took us a lot of coordination and discussion to find the desired recipe since we had to stay sensible and accurate to Thomas’ vision while proposing elements that were outside the brief but could enhance the frames.
VFX Supervisor: Romain Sontag
VFX Artist: Romain Brachet
3D Artist: Victor Jarnoux