Love Sarah tells the story of a young woman who tries to fulfill her late mother’s dream of opening her own bakery in Notting Hill. In order to achieve this, she enlists the help of an old friend and of her grandmother.
I had the fortune of asking the film’s composer Enis Rotthoff some questions about his work on the film. Continue reading to see what he had to say!
Hi, Enis! I hope all is well. Thank you for taking the time to answer some of The Nerd Daily’s questions!
Where did composing music for film begin for you? Did you always know you wanted to work in music? in film?
I was fascinated by music in films when I was ten years old. I would memorize the themes from the film scores and play them on the piano. That started my adventure with film music. In the beginning it was something I was just excited about and when I was a teenager, the idea or dream of becoming a film composer started to grow in me. My passion for music and my love for film really are indistinguishable. I can be equally excited about the perfect direction of a scene or a genius musical moment in a composition. And somewhere between these worlds lies film music for me. On the best film scores you cannot divide the film from its music. They are forever connected in our experiences.
What was your process for making the music for Love Sarah? What was the collaboration like with director Eliza Schroeder? Were there any particular challenges for this project?
Eliza Schroeder is a great filmmaker with a clear vision. You can see and feel it in every scene. I enjoyed our collaboration a lot. On the one hand she knew what she was looking for with the music emotionally. On the other hand she gave me space to experiment and surprise her. Her confidence in me and her openness for new ideas made balancing the music for the film much more fun and better.
The film deals with the loss of a loved one, the adventure of realizing a dream, managing the challenges and finding friendship and love. Although the story might sound simple, there are many emotional layers and storylines. We wanted to touch and highlight that musically. To find the right balance between drama, comedy, a growing love story and the magic of baking was a beautiful challenge.
There’s a very human and present quality to the score, which takes me back to when I, as a kid taking piano lessons, frequented live orchestral performances. Did you record live musicians for this score? And more generally: do you have a preference when it comes to working with live vs electronic recordings?
That makes me truly happy, that the score took you back to your childhood. The film itself took me back to my childhood as well. As a teenager, I would watch these British feel-good films that still have an emotional depth. I think I built on that feeling. Sometimes an uplifting film can make you very present when a moment of sad reality kicks in. It becomes this emotional rollercoaster that life can be.
Three women have to cope with the loss of a loved one: Sarah. To build from that pain towards a hopeful film I needed to start very low emotionally. We join our characters in their suffering and then build very slowly. That human and present quality you mentioned is a key element that is incorporated into every musical theme in the film. Even if things become more positive later, they stay inspired by Sarah – which is a hopeful message. One can be happy and sad at the same time. And sometimes these are the most touching and beautiful moments in films and in life.
We did record a String Ensemble and several soloists in Budapest. The director and producers were very supportive that we record real musicians for the score which added immensely to the film and its music. The musical solutions I composed would only have worked with real musicians. Without the plan to record musicians, I would have had to compose a very different score.
In terms of preference between live and electronic, I like the variation. While composing, you are in a completely different mindset when having the orchestra recordings in your mind versus working with electronics. On every project I try to record musicians, even on the electronic scores. An electronic score might sound electronic, but it can be built and created on anything. And of course, the deciding element is the film itself. I am less looking for my sound and more for the right sound for the film.
What was your inspiration for the tone of the film’s score?
The first shots of the film I saw were the desserts, specially created by a master chef . They looked so delicious and the baking scenes transpired a fascination that I enjoy myself when composing – and also when I cook or bake. I could easily relate to that magic that the characters in the film are experiencing and I was trying to channel that feeling musically.
The instrumentation and the tone of the film was not set in stone in the beginning. It was a gradual approach. We knew early on that we wanted to work with a string ensemble as a unifying musical body. Then while working on the film and the different scenes I added instruments step by step based on the needs of the score. I created different musical themes that are related to each other. For the magic of baking I added drums, an electronic guitar and a celeste. For Sarah’s theme I added a low bell-like custom built percussion instrument. For the feeling of loss I added atmospheric synthesizer sounds melted with the chamber string ensemble which creates an ethereal sound. For the fun and uplifting moments we went more classical with the addition of harp, strings, piano and bells.
What is your favourite part about composing music for film?
Once I am done with composing the music we record musicians or the orchestra, which is truly the magical moment. It is something that is hard to put into words. The difference live musicians make is equal to the human touch.
The other part I love about composing for films are the unexpected gifts you experience on each film. In one of my favourite scenes of the film the daughter of Sarah makes a dance which is both a reflection and a moment of liberation. Her dance was beautifully performed by Shannon Tarbet and I received the wonderful task of scoring that moment where there was no music originally. So instead of her dancing to my music, I composed music that would fit the expression of her free dance. It was inspiring to create the flow of the music based on her movement including conscious pauses in the music based on her breaks.
That experience on this film is what I love about scoring films. You dive into the world of a film and never know beforehand how the music is going to be. That journey together with the filmmakers is an adventure that is always different and inspiring.
Of all the film scores that you’ve done, which, if you had to choose, is your favourite?
It’s hard to pick one. Some are closer to my heart because I love what the music does in connection with the picture. On others, I enjoy the musical solution I found for the film more as a listening experience. And on some films, I take the inspiring collaboration with me. All these scores are a part of me and all of them mean something to me. Key projects to bring out my different voices as an artist were Measuring The World, Wetlands, Look Who’s Back, Four Against The Bank, Godless Youth, The Sunlit Night, and Guns Akimbo.
What advice would you give to anyone interested in composing music for film?
My first advice would be to not only listen to the advice from one person but a collection of people. Composing for film has become more and more complex with so many musical genres and cinematic approaches that it really depends on what you are interested in to figure out what the right advice is.
Original artists need original solutions. To know yourself well is a good starting point to find out what suits you. If you can, try to study music and film. And never stop learning.
What’s next for you?
I am preparing work on a drama which will be quite the opposite musically to Love Sarah as it will be full of synthesizers and drum machines. That’s the true beauty of scoring films.
Love Sarah is currently available to stream, rent, and purchase on major streaming services.
