Interview - Sergio Moure de Oteyza ‘s Interview

Par Mulder, Los Angeles, 19 février 2018

Q: Please can you make a short presentation about your background before becoming a composer ?

Sergio Moure de Oteyza : I always wanted to be a composer, from the first time my father played the music of great creators such as Mahler, Beethoven or Bach on the record player. It was also clear very early in my life that I wanted to compose for film, create original music to accompany the images and stories that were described on a screen, influenced by Nino Rota, Georges Delarue, Ennio Morricone, ....

Q: What is for you the main duty of a good composer?

Sergio Moure de Oteyza : The main duty of a film composer is to put himself at the service of the story that the director wants to tell. We help to make the film be understood better, with our contributions.

Q: You have worked on documentaries, short films, movies. Do you keep the same approach to create a score ?

Sergio Moure de Oteyza : Yes, the level of demand must be the same. I do not distinguish at that level in which I write - the music has to be at the service of the story regardless of the format.

Q: What must be for you a great collaboration between a director and composer?

Sergio Moure de Oteyza : The great professional and artistic relationships are always based on mutual trust and shared commitment to do a good job. In my personal experience, on the occasions that I have worked several times with the same director, it shows in the final result, since the work is more fluid and easier to understand. You understand the visual universe of the director and therefore it is easier to approach him and be part of that universe.

Q: Which were your biggest difficulties that you have met to create the score ?

Sergio Moure de Oteyza : The most difficult score that I have faced I think it is "Kidnapped". The film edit consisted of twelve sequences shots without cuts. The music not only had to describing the situations so scary that are happening but also had to move with the action and create an internal rhythm that was not in the edit, because there were very few sequence changes.

Q: What is for you the best place to record a score ?

Sergio Moure de Oteyza : I like to record at the Studio 1 Bulgarian National Radio in Sofia, with the SIF309 Orchestra, or also in Prague, (Czech Republic) at the Smecky Music Studios. I have also recently recorded with Spanish Symphonic Orchestras like the Córdoba Simphony Orchestra and the results have been excellent. I think anyway, that depending on the type of composition and orchestral format that you will need, you have to choose which is the best option.

Q: What do you think about the music industry ?

Sergio Moure de Oteyza : I think it's a very broad question. If I focus on film music exclusively, I think there is a wide variety of composers and styles that directors and producers can see. Although lately I think that fear, perhaps detrimentally, that they sometimes are afraid to try go out on a limb and try less known but equally talented composers.

Q: Which is actually your favorite score and why ?

Sergio Moure de Oteyza : If you refer to which is the favorite of my scores, I have a hard time choosing one. I find it difficult to keep an emotional distance to see them objectively. Perhaps "The Body" or "Extinction" for its melodic and orchestral development. Regarding the work of other composers, I am very interested in what Alexandre Desplat, Carter Burwell or Marcelo Zarvos are doing.

Q : Will you be interested to work with French directors?

Sergio Moure de Oteyza : Of course, I would love to work with French directors! I have always liked and am interested in French cinema and the possibility of collaborating with great professionals such as François Ozon, Jacques Audiard, Léos Carax, Agnés Jaoui, would be very exciting.

Q: Can you talk at all about your recent projects?

Sergio Moure de Oteyza : In these last two years I have been working on a series for the TVE (Spanish Television) called "Six Sisters", from which a double-CD will be released shortly. I am about to start working on several interesting projects for cinema and television, which unfortunately I can’t talk about yet.

Biography :
Sergio Moure Oteyza was born in La Coruña, Spain in 1969. He later goes on to study music theory where he focuses on harmony, composition, arranging, and guitar at the Aula de Música (Conservatori Liceu in Barcelona), Spain. He is currently composing and teaching at the world renowned ESCAC (College of Cinema and Audiovisuals in Catalonia) in Barcelona. He also composes for the CECC (Center for Film and Cinematography Studies in Catalonia) where he also serves as lead musical coordinator. In 2004 he was nominated for “Best Soundtrack” and “Best Original Soundtrack” for his work on Unconscious at the Barcelona Film Awards and The Goya Awards respectively. He then collaborated with Oscar winner Stephen Warbeck on the soundtrack for the film Cargo, in 2011. Sergio’s work has also been showcased for television movies such as Echoes, directed by Oriol Paulo and Toño López’s Relics. His latest soundtracks for feature films include — Kidnapped, directed by Miguel Angel Vivas, , The Body, by Oriol Paulo, Game of Werewolves by Juan Martínez Moreno, Thesis on a Homicide, directed by Hernan Goldfrid, Here’s the Deal, by Alejandro Marzoa and Extinction, features film directed by Miguel Angel Vivas, starring Matthew Fox (Lost) and Jeffrey Donovan. produced by Vaca Films (Cell 211, Kidnapped) and Ombra Films (Jaume Collet-Serra). His music has been performed by the City of Prague Symphony Orchestra, Galicia Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of Cordoba, SIF 309 Orchestra of Sofia, Bulgaria,Symphony Orchestra of RTVE, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of Galicia, Euskadi Symphony Orchestra, or Mad4Strings among other large formations. Sergio is currently working on the soundtrack of the television series Six Sisters, produced by Bambú Producciones and TVE, as well as in the feature film Dirty Wolves, directed by Simón Casal and produced by Agallas Films. (Source : https://www.sergiomoure.com/)

Twitter : https://twitter.com/sergiomoure
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/sergio.moure.16

We sincerely thank Sergio Moure de Oteyza for answering our questions
An huge thanks to Beth Krakower for helping us to have this great interview