“The perfect weapon” is Hollywood debut work for the young Swedish director Titus Paar it is on a genre point of view a kind of dystopic vision of a future like Radley Scott’s “Blade runner” that has even more claustrophobically element. We don’t know so much of the world structure only that it is ruler with iron hand by a dictator that have thank to several cameras and other surveillance technology by the Director a kind of dictator play by Steven Seagal . This part is important because it is a pessimistic view on much of a new age inspired and oriental inspire philosophy. Seagal plays a part that remain a lot of Marlon Brando in Francis ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse now” even if he is a certain way much more civilized that Kurts he is more powerful a kind of entity. The part need one kind of theatre alike manners and a large scale of self distance that Segal do very well. The only form of rebellion that is possible even if there is one kind of opposition that consist in meddle age man is only from the inside the death squat dress with a wall street kind of code in which Condor a really good part for Johnny Messner is part. This role is not the ordinary hero in a action film but one kind of terminator that live in a perfect hous. The way in which Titus Paar and Messner build the action is much alike the German expressionism a stone face and small movement that little by little show not only the hero skills but also the complex society . The other main character is the one that we will call as the manipulator Richard Tyson the controller that is a kind of instructor that chose (this theme put Tittus Paar really near to another recent film“hardcore”) thank to a memory of a beloved Nina play in a really intense and charismatic way by Sasha Jackson . The movie has a great action rhyme thank to   ‘s editing and Mark Rutledge’s photography simple and brutal gives an idea of a strong and claustrophobic situation. I had the possibility of making an interview with the film composer Simon Kölle . Music is rather astonish and it is almost always present in a kind of mixture between David lynch composer Gaetano Badalameti and Richard Wagner epical rhythm. The music is not only helping us to understand the story but also to build up a true world . A kind of sceary and powerful world that little by little turn to be a mirror image about our own one.

 

So how did you start to be a composer?

 

I started out writing music as a child actually. Then it was all fun and games and I played in bands. As 14 year old I started to actually compose melodies that I am proud of today. I found the theatre, martial arts and studied but I always kept loving music. After a couple of years as a director I started to long for music again.

 

I met Simon Heath who became a good friend and both colleague and somewhat a teacher. I could teach him stuff too so it went both ways. Me and Simon worked with recording albums and experimenting with music 8-9 years and as the years went by I truly became a full time composer. 2009 I got into films and became a film composer - and I never looked back.

 

I guess the easy answer on your question is that I in some way always were and always will be a composer. My first melodies were very simple but I feel in love with music at a very young age.

 

 

What are the main difficulties that you have met when you write music for film?

 

Some would say time but for me I don't see it as difficulties I see challenges. I love it. It's important to have order in chaos, to be organized and creative. If it were easy everyone could do it. Many think they can compose great film music just because they write good music but film music is something else.

 

 

Can you tell me a bit of the project "Legend of Dark Rider" how did you get to work on it?

 

Titus Paar approached me as he really liked the short Drakar och Demoner: Tronländaren and also knew I was scoring Vilsen. He introduced me to the idea of Legend of Dark Rider and I loved it. One thing led to another and after that project we worked on the Hollywood film "The Perfect Weapon".  

 

 

We know that you have also practiced MMA and Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) like facing? Did they have any impact on your music?

 

For sure! My understanding of martial arts is a something that I bring with me into my music. It might sound odd but for me it's both about mindset and implementation.

 

 

You made the music for this wonderful movie “The perfect Weapon “done by another Swede Titus Paar with Steven Seagal? How do you actually work on the score and how could you make a kind of verfremdung effect with Mark Rutledge's cinematography. I mean I found the music very much as epical and the picture claustrophobic?

 

Thank you. Me and Titus Paar work very close together and he is really giving me both freedom and guiding me at the same time. It's awesome. I love to work with him. He is always into the details. To score my first Hollywood movie was a great deal of fun. Actually not much pressure at all. I felt ready.

I composed the score in Stockholm and beside me doing an action score I wanted to hook up with a band and incorporate it in a theme (a love theme) in the film. I found the Swedish band Kite and we made a song for the film that blend in well. Other than that I created a sound that was in a way 80: s inspired but not all out 80: s.

 

I don't want to distance me from any movie I work on. I am not into the whole Verfremdung effect and Brecht is someone I never really enjoyed as a theorist or even playwright. Not many know this but I am actually an educated dramaturge. But okay I know Brecht's importance of course in the history of theatre and film but I don't try to distance me at all. No matter what I dive into the picture and together with the Titus we sat down and came up with the idea of the music.

 

Did you work with lead motive?

 

Yes. The Love theme is the most obvious one in the film.

 

Could you chose one scene and describe it?

 

To describe music and film without looking at it is not easy and I recommend that you all see the film instead.

 

 

You have made some excellent albums over the years with Za Frûmi. Could you tell us something about them and the story behind? And if they will be a movie soon?

 

Not many ask me about Za Frûmi anymore so it's nice to get the question Roberto. I and Simon Heath did both radio theatre with music and cinematic music under the Za Frûmi name. Since 2009 we have not worked with Za Frûmi though. The fantasy story behind Za Frûmi and the world is for sure perfect for a film. Not anytime soon though.

 

 

A lot of people made a comparison with you and Ennio Morricone what do you think about it?

 

Yeah it's actually rather funny as I truly love Ennio but we are so different. He is old school and a very traditional composer and I am more modern and follow in the footsteps of composers like Hans Zimmer more (not trying to sound like Mr. Zimmer though). But no matter what, to just be mentioned in the same sentence as Ennio Morricone is for me huge.

 

I found Ennio as a child and back then he was not hot at all. He was considered old and all but modern. Many wanted to attach him only with his work with Westerns but I knew he did so much more.

 

My first play I wrote and directed I was inspired by Tarantino, Ennio Morricone and a couple of more brilliant artists. I used music from Ennio, Japanese pop and more. If it were today it would not be anything unique as people know that Tarantino works with Ennio and have seen Kill Bill were Japanese Pop is featured. Back then people were exposed to Ennio, Tarantino-like characters blended with some spices of Werner Herzog, Antonin Artuad, Jerzy Grotowskij and Simon Kölle. Sound crazy right? But today I am very proud of my theatre plays as they were in hindsight very much before their time. Having that said I have enjoyed Ennio for 30 years now. I love his work.

 

I found a lot of Wagner in you?

 

Haha. Thanks I guess. Wagner was just like me both a composer and theatre director. I have not worked with Opera yet though. Wagner is the father of Theatre Music and Film Music in a sense. When it comes to Wagner's thoughts about politics I am very far from him.

 

 

Can you talk about your next project?

 

I am as we speak working on several projects but the one right now is a Swedish feature called "Vitt Skräp" or "White Trash" in English. Actors such as Ola Rapace, Erik Bolin (a wonderful actor!), Ida Engvoll, Peter Viitanen and Donald Högberg are seen in the film. The director Tobias Nordquist is a friend I worked with on documentaries and in different projects, it's his first feature. I am composing the score together with me good friend Joel Forssell who actually is one of the Writers (together with Andreas Doyle and Anton Hagwall) too.

The 17th of October the feature Vilsen comes out on VOD and the score I made for that film is the most grand in terms of amount of music I ever made. Over 1 and half hour of music.

I am right now also scoring trailers for American horror films (it might expand to not only be horror but so far it's in the horror genre).

Roberto Fogelberg Rota