Academy Award®-winning composer Volker Bertelmann joins guest host Jon Burlingame to explore his gripping and sonically inventive score for “A House of Dynamite.” Their conversation delves into his use of unconventional textures, low-frequency resonance, and layered instrumental techniques to create a sense of mounting dread throughout the film. And as Bertelmann explains, embracing irregular and unexpected sounds became central to building the score’s tension and character.
“I learned that when I was working a lot with prepared piano sounds, there were a lot of random sounds that just somehow did what they want. The material was just jumping somewhere and was landing somewhere and just created a noise. Which you normally would say, ‘oh sorry, that is a mistake.’ But when you leave that in there, suddenly this mistake becomes a part of the texture that is a part of the music. I recognize that this is very helpful with tension. Because once you drop something that is irregular, somehow the brain wants to have an answer to that. And also you get thrown out of your normal listening habits. And then suddenly, you are back into the film and you just say, ‘oh, what was that?’”
—Volker Bertelmann, Composer, “A House of Dynamite”
Be sure to check out “A House of Dynamite,” now streaming on Netflix in Dolby Vision® and Dolby Atmos®.
And check out our other episode with Director Kathryn Bigelow and the creative team behind “A House of Dynamite” on YouTube!
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