Skin 2022: Interview with Masquerade Composer on Nicolas Bedos’s New Film

AlloCiné: On Sunday, May 22, you stepped up to thirty composers under the leadership of SACEM (Society of Authors, Composers and Music Publishers) to differentiate your profession. What did you think of this experience? What do you remember from this initiative?

Anne-Sophie Versnaeyen: This climb of stairs between composers and composers was a very powerful and very exciting moment. It was a real pleasure to meet. This made me realize that our celebration was important because music has a real place in cinematic creativity.

I could not understand so much before this event. It was a real way to display this feature, not to forget ourselves. The ratio of sound and image on the film is very important, proof that not putting music is a real artistic choice.

SACEM really works for our visibility. In the face of this work, of course, are some things that still need to be improved, ideas that can be developed, in particular, the fact of creating an award for composers in Cannes. And that’s not so much for the reward, but simply should not be denied.

How did you come to want to become a film composer?

Ann-Sophie Versailles: When I was very young, I had a love for movie music, especially soundtracks like John Williams. I play the viola and when we played the music with the orchestra, I was always very crazy, it gave me a special pleasure. I collected the soundtrack recordings.

I started writing music as a teenager and then had a crucial meeting with Armand Amar at the conservatory. We became very good friends and worked together on arranging and orchestrating film scores. I really love the relationship between music and image: I knew it was what I wanted to do.

You have signed music for all of Nicolas Bedos’s films: How is this collaboration going?

Ann-Sophie Versailles: This is a human encounter with Nicolas Bedo and I like what he does, the way he works. The biggest advantage of collaborating with him after his first film (Monsieur & Madame Adelman) is that we have created this common language. We also wrote the music for Moliere’s opening in 2017.

Sometimes it is not easy to talk about music with directors, but with Nicolas Bedo, it is very easy, because now I know well his taste, the color he wants to convey through sound, the way of presenting a melody …

Each film was made differently: for La Belle Époque I was working on the script, for OSS 117 3 and Mascarade, the music came a little later in the process when there were already pictures.

Do you prefer to think about your music based on the script or by looking at the pictures?

Ann-Sophie Versnaien : I really like working on a script, I always find it interesting, we have more ideas that can come up. But you still have to keep in mind that the truth will come after the music is placed on the pictures. Because the music serves the film and the image, you should not be too in love with the music you created for the script: so be prepared to throw it away.

Something special happened to La Belle Époque: I composed the music for La Ballade de Marianne from the script, without thinking specifically about the stage, but considering the atmosphere, and Nicolas Bedos immediately said: “We will find a place. For this music. “

Do you have composers whose work you particularly admire?

Ann-Sophie Versnaien : I’m really a fan of what Johann Johansson is doing, collaborating a lot with Dennis Villeneuve, whom I also adore. He always managed to find this chemistry with an image that I find quite magical. Achieving this is amazing. You really have to listen to his music throughout the movie to understand its full dimension.