Music up on the silver screen: Sophie brings her compositions to life in a multimedia project

Sophie began composing her own music at age 11. “I would compose all day long, day in and day out.” She initially waved away the idea of making a career out of composition. It seemed like something too unattainable for her… until she saw how unhappy she was becoming by putting her dream on the backburner. She found a one-year course in Media Composition in her home country, Germany. That went so well that she dove into finding a full-time bachelor programme. “I found this Composition for Film & Theatre course through the internet by chance and thought to myself: I’ll just try it out and see what happens.”

Genetically modifying mosquitoes 

Composing music has always been a way for Sophie to process and express her feelings. “During my studies, the emotional part of it started to fade into the background. Composition became more of a profession, for which I do the ‘work’ of writing music. That’s nothing bad, but I do miss the more personal aspect of it sometimes. The finals project has given me the opportunity to create something very personal again.” Sophie’s finals work addresses a topic that piqued her interest during her participation in the Honours Lab. There, her group discussed an article on mosquitoes. Sophie explains: “Research is currently being done on genetically modifying mosquitoes. By changing a gene, the mosquito is sterilised, and its offspring dies, so it can no longer spread diseases. Ethically, it is not a straightforward issue. On one hand, I sympathise with people who are suffering from vector-borne diseases such as malaria. On the other hand, I find it quite presumptuous that humans are playing around with other living beings that also have a right to live on this planet.”

Strengthening her message through film 

Sophie’s finals project is a multimedia work: a cinema screening of films on the subject that Sophie edited herself, accompanied by her own compositions. Sophie: “I started out by collecting film material. I used footage from several films, including some from a documentary with a rather specific perspective: it was narrated as if the mosquito were the enemy. Then I composed music to supplement that clip. If you want to, you can completely change a film’s message by the music used, but that wasn’t what I did. I didn’t want to tamper with the filmmaker’s intention. Rather, I wanted to reinforce and almost exaggerate the original message, so my music has the same ‘vibe’ as the film’s original music. For instance, one of the scenes contains war-like music. For that, I made my own version of war music. The film tracks are all in different styles and instrumentations, from solo guitar to orchestral music, but they all relate to each other. There is also a track among them in which I sing about war.”

A combination of music, theatre, and film 

In her first composition course, Sophie learned how to edit films, a skill that she also utilised in creating her multimedia finals work. She says it suits her, working with several mediums. She did her graduation internship in Berlin with the award-winning composer Andreas Bick, who creates “radio art”- artistic compositions for the radio. Sophie: “I was lucky to be able to experience how a production like his works from start to finish. I got a lot of insight into how Andreas works, which has been very valuable.” Sophie would like to keep creating multimedia concerts, “especially through combinations of music, theatre, and film. Through a film, you can convey more information. So, I would like to continue experimenting with using several mediums at once to tell my story.”

More perspectives 

Sophie is quite aware that her performance can generate strong reactions. Indeed, that actually is the intention. “I want to show the audience that there are many perspectives around this issue [of genetically modifying mosquitoes]. Whenever I talk to people about the subject, I find that it is difficult for them to feel empathy for a mosquito. I can understand that. For me, it’s also easier to connect emotionally with animals that I like, such as a dog or a pig, than with a mosquito. Still, I also think that it would be better for the planet if people could empathise with all living beings, like animals and even plants. If we don’t always think of humans as the most important, or superior, form of life. I will have reached my goal if my audiences start considering that.”

The most valuable lesson from Composition for Film & Theatre 

Sophie is not afraid of the reactions to this kind of controversial work, nor of the reactions to her compositions. But that hasn’t always been the case for her. Sophie: “In the past, I’ve found it very difficult to show my work to others, because I am very critical of myself. Also, you want others to like your music, but how can you know in advance that they will? During the course, though, I didn’t have a choice. You have to let others hear your work, even if it’s not ready yet. At the beginning of the course, that really blocked my creativity. Since then, I have developed a thicker skin. That is perhaps the most valuable thing I took from my studies, that I'm now more often getting to the point where I say: ...but I like it."

Thinking about studying Composition for Film & Theatre? Sophie has a tip: “If you have any doubts about applying, I would say: try it. Originally, I wasn’t sure whether I was good enough, as I previously had only an instrumental music background. Plus, I had only began the music theory and aural training crash course just before the application deadline. I had to cram a lot to pass it. It was difficult, but I was able to manage. What helped me the most was my steadfast motivation: I wanted to learn how to compose so badly. If I could recommend anything, it would be the importance of never giving up.”

Read more about the Composition For Film & Theatre course 

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