https://open.spotify.com/show/7HDX3s7fe1xpPyHpeZ4Bf5
For this week, I am joined by composer Kristian Sensini, who scored Signe Baumane new award-winning animated feature film. My love affair with marriage, the film had its world premiere at last year’s
Tribeca Film Festival and was nominated last year at the European Film Awards for best animated
feature. It follows Zalma on her 23-year quest for perfect love and lasting marriage set against
the backdrop of several historic events throughout Eastern Europe. It’s told from a female
perspective and it blends historical, scientific, societal and emotional arcs with musical numbers
composed by Kristian himself as well as a sense of humor dealing with issues like love, gender
norms, fantasies and toxic relationships among many other things.
Kristian, thank you for joining me today.
I appreciate it. You’re welcome, thank you.
So I want to start at the beginning of your involvement with my love affair with marriage. I know that the film has been years in the making dating back to 2015 when Signe began drafting the script. Can you share how you came on board to the project and what was that first conversation you had with Signe about “My love affair with marriage” that made you want to join her on this journey?
Signe and I collaborated on a film years ago called “Rocks in my Pockets.” It was an animated feature movie. Over the years, we’ve kept in touch, and in 2016 Signe reached out to me via email. She informed me that she was working on a new film and sent me the script. Without even reading it, I immediately agreed to be a part of it because our previous collaboration had been so enjoyable and rewarding. I expressed my eagerness to work with her again. Afterward, I read the script and discovered that it was a musical. To my delight, the director had already written some songs for it. This revelation was particularly exciting for me since I have a background in musical theater. Having the opportunity to collaborate once more on an animated musical film was a remarkable chance for a composer like myself.
I’m glad you mentioned Rocks in My Pockets because this isn’t the first time you’ve
worked with Signe. You worked with her on that film as well where she made her animated
feature debut. How was working together different on My love affair with marriage? I would imagine
working on this film. You guys had maybe a shorthand that made working together easier since you
had already worked before.
Honestly, initially, our collaboration was quite smooth because I resided in Italy while Signe was based in New York, placing us in different time zones. This meant that while she slept, it was daytime for me, allowing me to work. When we exchanged demos and ideas via email, the process flowed seamlessly. Thanks to the time difference, I would wake up to find feedback from the director in my inbox, and when Signe woke up in New York, she would receive the corrected files from me. This workflow proved effective not only during our first project but also in this second movie.
Our initial focus was on the songs, which made the process relatively easy. Signe, despite not being a musician herself, has a deep appreciation for music and possesses an incredible musical ear. She had already written the lyrics for the songs and needed them to animate the lip-syncing of the characters even before to begin drawing them. This task was smooth sailing, as I didn’t encounter a single song that didn’t resonate with me, and the creative flow was swift and harmonious from both sides.
However, when we moved on to scoring the film itself, which occurred four years after the songs were written, we faced challenges in finding the right palette of sounds and orchestrations for specific cues. One of the movie’s characters is the biology itself, portrayed by a female voice, and we struggled to score the scenes involving this character. In both “Rocks in my Pockets” and this current movie, we have numerous voiceovers, with voice actors singing, speaking, or narrating throughout. Balancing the music to enhance the voices without overshadowing the dialogues proved to be a delicate task. While it was relatively straightforward in the first movie, we encountered difficulties with the biology character in this one.
For the biology scenes, I sent the director around 10 to 12 different cues that I had composed for the same scene. Unfortunately, Signe wasn’t satisfied with any of them, which caused me to panic. I began to doubt my abilities and feared that we had lost our connection, failing to understand each other as we had in the first movie. However, Signe proposed a new approach. She suggested using percussion instruments instead of orchestral instruments since the biology character had no association with documentary-style music. This idea immediately clicked, and from that point on, our work progressed rapidly and effortlessly. We successfully scored all the cues involving the biology character using percussion instruments, an unconventional choice that turned out to be remarkably effective.
And it obviously worked despite the roller coaster you experienced of feeling like you weren’t necessarily connected earlier on. You mentioned that Signe was the lyricist in addition to being the the director of the film, can you share that process? How was like working with Signe not just as the director but as the lyricist?
She is truly an incredible artist. Her creativity knows no bounds, especially considering she had never written songs before. The songs in the script were like short, poetic verses, almost like concise pieces of art. English is not Signe’s first language, as she is Latvian, and in my opinion, this aspect greatly contributed to the overall process of writing the lyrics. They are refreshingly original, clever, and distinct from any other songs I have worked on. They are meant to be sung, but they are concise, resembling short poems. It was a smooth process because, as you mentioned, Signe hadn’t written lyrics for “Rocks in my Pockets.” So her venture into songwriting for “My Love Affair with Marriage,” for which I composed the music, added a whole new dimension to our working relationship.
Now, shifting gears, let’s discuss the inspiration behind the music in this film.
When writing music for a movie, my inspiration primarily comes from the film itself. The better the movie, the easier it is to compose music that complements it seamlessly. However, I also drew some inspiration from the background of the story, which is set in Eastern Europe. I incorporated certain instruments, melodies, and scales that evoke the essence of the region. It’s not ethnic music per se, as I prefer not to work in a strictly traditional manner, but rather, I aimed to capture the essence of Eastern European music and the style of composers from the last century.
As for the songs, I closely followed the flow of the lyrics and adopted specific styles for each song. You can hear elements of gospel, jazz, rhythm and blues reminiscent of Amy Winehouse, rock tunes, and even some songs with a more fantastical flair, featuring classical instruments. Overall, in collaboration with Signe, we coined the term “jazzy folk” to describe these styles. While they incorporate elements of jazz, such as harmonies, rhythms, and melodies, they also delve deep into the realm of folk music. So, together, we set out to create a collection of jazzy folk songs.
As we touched on before the film deals with some with several themes such as you know domestic violence and gender norms and love and the woman’s journey towards liberation and independence. Can you talk about how these themes will influence your work and how they was incorporated into the music?
Initially, it was challenging to approach the sensitive topics in the film because Signe, being the director and writer, drew inspiration from her own life experiences. The first movie delved into the struggles of depression, exploring the stories of the protagonist, her family, and their battles with mental health. In this case, the film revolves around love and marriage, incorporating real stories from Signe’s life. Dealing with such genuine and personal narratives can be daunting, as it requires handling delicate material with utmost care. I wanted to ensure that I respected the integrity of the stories and didn’t diminish their impact.
However, Signe’s writing approach made the process easier. She infused her stories with passion and humor, allowing for a more lighthearted perspective. While the stories were based on real experiences, Signe’s self-deprecating humor added a unique touch. This approach made it easier to work on these sensitive topics because it struck a balance between authenticity and levity. I aimed to reflect this blend in the music itself, drawing inspiration from the films of Federico Fellini. As an Italian, I grew up watching Fellini’s movies, which are comedies that explore the tragic aspects of life with a touch of humor. Nino Rota’s music for Fellini’s films exemplifies this quality, enhancing the enjoyment of the stories while addressing profound themes.
Well, congratulations! I’m well aware that this film has been a labor of love for years, and finally seeing it released worldwide must be incredibly fulfilling. I want to express my gratitude to you, Christian, for taking the time to talk abou it. Currently, the film is playing in limited theaters here in the US, and I hope people have the opportunity to watch and enjoy it.
Thank you once again for inviting me to your podcast. I truly appreciate the opportunity to share my thoughts and experiences. And to all the listeners, thank you for tuning in.
If you haven’t already, I encourage you to subscribe to the Hollywood podcast for free on iTunes or your preferred podcast app. And remember, you can stay updated by following me on Instagram and Twitter at maxgashwin. Thank you for listening, and until next time!
