Mister Ottman, how did you get this job? Is it because of your relationship with Bryan Singer, the director of the movie? How has your relationship evolved since you've been working with him, personally and professionally?

Well I don’t seek out jobs with Bryan.  I try to hide!  When the phone rings and he has that tone in his voice, I know he’s about to tell me about a gig he wants me to edit and score, and I hold my breath.  We have a joke that after we finish a film, I ask him to not call for a couple years so I can go write some movie scores.  But only a few months after finishing Superman Returns, the phone rang with Bryan telling me about Valkyrie. I knew I’d then be putting on the breaks for my music writing, but then he told me not to worry – it would be a short gig, “in and out in 7 months.”   Of course, that turned into over a year. 

 

What did you appreciate in this collaboration with Bryan?

After working for so many years together, there’s a real trust that’s built, so Bryan gives me space and lets me do my thing.  He gets to relax knowing he’s being taken care of.  I wish I had one of me!  Anyhow, there’s a sort of shorthand that’s developed too, which saves us time.  He or I can refer to another similar moment in another film we’ve done, and one twitch on the face can speak volumes.  I would say with age, we’ve both mellowed a bit, but what we have in common is we haven’t lost sight of our inner child.  I think this is important in keeping our work fresh and personal/working relationship as fun as it can be – although it’s often not fun!   

 

Could you describe your score for this film? Is it rather thematic or atmospheric? How did you mix electronic sounds and the music of the orchestra? Why did you use electronic sounds? Did you use specific instruments (ethnics...)? 

From the very beginning I think we were all on the same page to make sure the score wasn’t cliché.  The idea was a more modern approach.  Given this, I was concerned that I wouldn’t be allowed to integrate my style of film scoring which is rooted from the sensibilities of masters like Goldsmith.  I really wanted my natural instincts to blend in with the modern concept.  Fortunately, I realized that all four “filmmakers” on the film - Bryan, myself, Chris McQuarrie (the writer) and Tom Cruise – worship the films of the 70s.  It was the heyday of film music for our generation; therefore I was allowed to do what comes naturally to me and avoid synthesized drones, and instead push the envelope by telling a little musical story.   Having said that, I did weave in subtle electronics into the score as a pulsating bed in many areas to give it a slightly more modern edge.  It’s not my most thematic score.  There are motifs – like for Hitler and for when the plot is afoot (here I used relentless ostinatos on bass and celli), and then there’s the end title theme, which is subtly hinted at in the score as it evolves.  One of the many challenges of the score was to make the evolution from thriller to tragedy.  Eventually, in the third act, the music becomes more somber and thematic to the end.  I wanted to avoid any clichés associated with world war films, like snare drums for the military or big sweeping strings.  The bottom line is that Valkyrie is a thriller first and world war film second, and for it to maintain it’s realism yet maintain its suspense, the score had to be designed to be subliminal in many areas, interweaving between sound effects.  As editor, I also design a lot of the sound; I wanted the score to ebb and flow so it didn’t draw attention to itself all the time.  Peaks and valleys in telling any story, even a musical one, is the most effective way of pulling the audience along.  As far as unique instruments, the orchestral facets of the score were pretty traditional; however with the percussion I went a little wild in my aim to create giant cacophonous sounds for the reserve army.  I had them drop a log on the risers in the orchestra, while at the same time slapping tree branches against the wall, while simultaneously hitting the bass drums, timpani, taikos and slap stick.  Percussionists love smacking the heck out of stuff, and it sounded great in the room.

 

Did you listen to period or military music, or be inspired by a mentor of yours, to get inspiration in the composition process? 

I really didn’t do either, probably because I didn’t want to be influenced for this score.  I knew from the beginning it would have to be different, and never did I expect writing so much.

 

Why are you both editor and composer of this film? How do you take up these two duties? Could you describe your role on each of them? 

Because I said yes!  I complain about having to go off to editing jail for a year, but then again, my friends roll their eyes when I complain, citing that I could have just said not no to Bryan and ask just to write the score.  I’m still trying to figure out my own psychosis in attempting both tasks on one film, and losing so many scoring gigs.  I have no idea how I get through alive. There’s a large overlap between the two – and this part is the most stressful for me juggling both jobs. Many people have no idea what a film editor does.  It’s not just some job where you are removing footage.  The term, “edited for television” I think sometimes perpetuates this misconception. The film editor oversees the entire production from shooting through the very end.  It’s much like being the editor of a magazine or newspaper – you’re running the show.  The editor makes sure the director is getting the proper footage. Through editorial magic, performances are made to work, and the story is told as effectively as possible – many times in ways that were not scripted.  He/she is responsible for taking sometimes millions of feet of film and, well, making the movie we see.  It’s a monumental task, and the editor is often the liaison between the director and the producers and/or studio.  Depending on the notoriety, work ethic and clout of the editor (many times determined by how many years he/she has worked with the director) the editor’s power can be extremely influential and key to making the film work or not.  The editor also oversees the final sound on the film – how all the effects and music is mixed together.   

The score, of course, is the soul of the film.  The composer works for weeks, sometimes a couple months, composing music to the picture, and bringing out as much drama, sympathy, suspense, understanding of the story, etc, depending on the film’s needs.  The power of music is eerie, and the best scores can literally transform a film.  After the score and all its facets are approved, the composer records the music with the orchestra.  The music has its own postproduction phases.  Once the music is finally recorded on many tracks, all those music tracks have to be mixed down so that the music sounds as the composer envisioned.  After that phase, it goes to the final dubbing stage, where it’s integrated with the thousands of sound tracks the sound designers have created.   

The only way to get through a project attempting both tasks, I just have to be psychotically organized and pretty anal retentive to constantly keep track of where I’m at and what I’m doing.  I grew up being a work-a-holic, so I guess that prepared me for being both editor and composer.  I wouldn’t recommend trying it.

 

Which orchestra did you choose? Why? How many musicians did you get? Did you have any orders for the score?  Could you describe a typical working day? 

There’s a chapel in the countryside just outside of Seattle where we recorded.  For economic purposes we recorded outside LA, and in addition we had to cut down the string section to save more money.  We then recorded the string section two or three times (overdubbing) to give the illusion of more strings.  It’s time consuming.  So with the 22 of them, we had a total of about 40 musicians.  The score is approved via a synthesized rendering before we record, so any concerns and ideas are all worked out before I record with the real orchestra.  A day of recording is always intense, especially when you have limited time to record a huge amount of music. The basic formula is to get two minutes recorded every hour.  Because of a small music budget, we had to average over three minutes an hour, as we had over 100 minutes to record in less than 5 days.  So we’d arrive at 9AM and record until about 7PM, with breaks and lunch built in.  I speak to the conductor through a microphone from the booth as I listen to the music accompanying some synth tracks I’ve produced to be in sync with the musicians. I direct him to adjust sections, change notes, etc until it sounds right.  It’s like playing “Beat the Clock” to get everything done in time, while at the same time getting it to sound the best it can without compromising.  As it turned out, the attempt to get so much music in the time allotted was too ambitious, and we had to return to Seattle to finish recording all that music.  

 

The film takes place during World War II. Did it act upon your music? (If so, in which way?) 

 The idea was for the music to not fit into any cliché.  There were a couple source cues though, which did require some knowledge of the time.  In the living room of Stauffenberg, some music plays in the background on the phonograph.  In a scene that I cut from the film, a waltz starts to play. I didn’t have any music equipment with me in Berlin as we shot, so I had to hum this piece into the phone of my friend in LA, who then performed it on his keyboard and emailed it to me to use on the set.  We liked how it sounded so much, we recorded it with the orchestra anyhow – and just in case the scene was put back in the film.

 

What projects do you have coming up in the future (with or without Bryan)? Would you like to work with him again? Why? Or someone else, who and why? 

I’m working on scoring a little horror film for Joel Silver right now.  As far as the future is concerned, you learn in this business never to say “never.”  So I like to keep my options open.  I would like to concentrate on writing more scores.  I lost SO much work being trapped on Valkyrie, I’m itching to get back into it.  But I’m also itching to direct again and be in more control.  But that’s dependent on finding a good script that excites me.  So we’ll see.  I sometimes wish I were only good at one thing so that I would be at peace just sticking with one craft.  It’s frustrating in an odd way to have so many options and decide what I want to concentrate on.  But then again, jumping from one to the other keeps my life interesting.  But it also waters down any potential body of work in one particular area.  <sigh>!

 

If you could choose your next work, what would it be? Who would you like to work with on it? 

That’s hard to say, as I like so many genres, and it depends on my mood at the time of getting a project.  But I really would like to do a film like Benjamin Button – a film that allows me to write something long, simple and beautiful.

 

Could you talk to us about the score you composed for the last Superman Returns?  

Well there was a lot of weight on my shoulders - and I was getting many emails from fans freaked out that I would ruin the entire Superman universe.  After awhile I was getting so crippled by worrying too much about it, that I finally just stopped listening to anyone and approached the film just as I would any other – employing my own instincts and sensibilities, and just writing the score.  The references to Williams’ theme came naturally to me based upon the action in the scene.  Once I released myself from worrying too much, my mind was free to write and be creative.   I look back now at the 110 minutes of complicated music I wrote for that film, and with also editing it, have no idea how I got through it!

 

 Would you have a message for  inter-activities readers? 

Just when you think you’ve seen it all, you turn a corner and there’s more. 

1. They’ll Remember You (4:20)
2. Operation Valkyrie (5:11)
3. What’s This Really All About? (3:44)
4. Bunker Bust (3:45)
5. March 13 Attempt (3:38)
6. Midnight Waltz (2:11)
7. A Place To Change (4:09)
8. Seconds Lost (3:34)
9. Getting the Signature (4:04)
10. The Officer’s Club (2:37)
11. The Way it Should Go (3:24)
12. If I Were That Man/To The Berghof (2:21)
13. I’m Sorry (3:04)
14. Important Call (4:07)
15. No More Indecision (2:31)
16. Olbricht Gives the Order (3:18)
17. Operation Terminated (1:16)
18. Long Live Sacred Germany (6:13)

Varèse Sarabande (US : 09 décembre 2008, FR : 16 décembre 2008) - 1h03'27