We had the pleasure to speak to English director Jon Ivay about the ins and out of making his UK indie film Freebird work and how the soundtrack plays a huge role in the process. Read below if you would like to learn something…
Why is music in your films particularly important to you?
The music aspect of any film is incredibly important as far as I’m concerned. My initial feeling was that i wanted a sort recorded live in the studio feel to it. Maybe a bit like something similar to the MTV Unplugged series. I wanted to create totally new music and songs rather than just use licensed music from established artists. I also wanted to use a mix of experienced artists mixed with musicians who were just starting out in their careers. I thought a film might be a good place to experiment with this.
Who did you work with in creating the soundtrack for Freebird?
YOUTH who was responsible for around 90% of the soundtrack is a very seasoned producer and musician who have worked with pretty much everyone from the Verve, Guns’n’Roses to Kate Bush and The Cult. At the time he joined the project he had been called in to do some work with the Towers of London. He knew that the one big licence in the movie was of course Freebird and that i was looking to give it a bit of Britishness to go with the three main characters from the film. Youth briefed them about the film and showed them some small sections of the movie that we had assembled.
Why do you think the Towers of London got involved?
I think they liked the spirit of helping an independent British movie. It was great of them to be part of it, and i also think it gave them a chance to show that they are very capable musicians and don't spend all their time fighting with people in shopping precincts around the UK.
What was the process? Where was it recorded?
YOUTH recorded the title track at the famous Olympic studios in Barnes (home to bands like the Stones, the Who and the Kinks during the sixties and seventies). The first time i heard the completed track it just brought a big smile to my face. It sort of reminds me of Sid Vicious's My Way - which is my favourite version of that particular song.
The Majority of the Orchestration was recorded at Abbey Road studios. What can i say: To walk into the main studio at Abbey Road and be confronted with a 32 piece orchestra, and the relevant sections of your film being projected onto a huge screen so the musicians can get a feel for the dynamics of each scene was one of those life moments as far as I’m concerned.
Has it had an effect on the movie?
The film itself has made its own way in the world over the last two years. It came out in Cinemas in the UK in spring 2008. At the end of the year it screened in Los Angeles at the Sunset 5 movie theatre where it picked up an international sales deal with American World Pictures. Out of the blue it became an official Oscar entry for 2009 which made it the only truly British indie movie there. It was also screened at the 2009 Berlin and Cannes film festivals. The film is now out in 24 countries!
I'm just glad that we've been able to put the soundtrack together as it's nice to collate all that hard work put in by the musicians.
We don't run any advertising! Our editorial content is solely funded by lovely people like yourself using Stereoboard's listings when buying tickets for live events. To keep supporting us, next time you're looking for concert, festival, sport or theatre tickets, please search for "Stereoboard". It costs you nothing, you may find a better price than the usual outlets, and save yourself from waiting in an endless queue on Friday mornings as we list ALL available sellers!
