Understanding the“Sound” of ‘The Killing of Two Lovers’ with Composer Peter Albrechtsen

After screening the film The Killing of Two Lovers at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, I had a few questions for composer Peter Albrechtsen. In my review of the film (here), I noted how the “sound” of the film seemed as much character as David and Nikki, the troubled couple played by Clayne Crawford and Sepidah Moafi. According to Peter, the sound was “designed” to be noticed. He proceeded to how the “sound” of the film contributed to the story and so much more.

Here’s the interview a year later, edited and abridged for brevity and timeliness.

Why did you feel the need to create a noticeably unique sound for the main character’s moment of tension? I am talking about that metallic pickup truck door slamming sound, etc.

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Director Robert Machoian decided very early on to do the film without any score, and that the sound should be a reflection of the main character’s inner life. As David (played by Clayne Crawford) spends a lot of time in or around his car, I came up with the idea of using car sounds to describe his emotional turmoil. We then made a sound collage based on the car door, metal screeches, and different abstract tonal elements. This fit in perfectly with the film.

We used different variations of this throughout and it really became a sonic motif in the film. It’s a quite unique approach to a family drama like this which is usually underscored with strings or other classical instruments. It makes David a more unpredictable and complex character and works very well together with Clayne’s amazingly nuanced performance.

Clayne Crawford plays David in ‘The Killing of Two Lovers.’

Did you have doubts at first about how this would turn out? How audiences would receive this unique approach to the “sound” of the film?

Whenever you push the boundaries of film language and experiment, there’s always a bit of doubt — at least for me. But at the same time, it’s a great sign that you’re trying something new and different. I think it’s incredibly important that a film has its own unique sonic identity.

During the sound editing process, we tried screening the film with the sound design sketches I’ve done. People reacted very positively to the sound. That was great to know and we kept on developing the sound design elements all the way until the final day of the mix. It was a very creative and inspiring process.

[embed]The official 2020 trailer for ‘Freeland’.

So what’s next for you? Will you be pushing any boundaries on any new projects soon?

[In spring 2020], I’m in LA. I did the sound design for the Oscar-nominated documentary The Cave and I’m going to the Oscars next weekend. In that film, we tried to create an extremely immersive and visceral sonic experience so that was also very much about being very bold with sound. It was mixed in the modern 3D sound format Dolby Atmos, which is very much a rarity for documentaries.

I’m also working on the sound design and mix for the indie feature Freeland which is going to SXSW [in 2020]. It’s a much more quiet film, but also a film where sound plays a big role. We’re trying to build a very atmospheric and detailed soundscape. I really love how I’m allowed to do so many very different movies but with filmmakers who really want to use sound as a very important part of the storytelling.

[embed]The ‘We Are As Gods’ trailer.

Thanks so much. And yes, please check out Freeland. I’ve actually also done the sound design for the [documentary] *We Are As Gods *which is also premiering at SXSW [2020]. And I’ve worked on three films premiering [March 2020] at Berlin Film Festival. It’s very overwhelming.

A lot of my projects are with directors I’ve already worked with before. I think the personal connection is very important. When I’m contacted about a new project by a director I don’t know, I always make sure that he or she is open to close creative collaboration. I find the creative process very fragile and personal and you need to work with people who are open and supportive.

I of course also read the script but the personal relationship is the most important to me. I see myself as a sound designer — not a composer — but I always approach the sound in a very musical way. If there’s a composer [working] on the film, we always work very closely together. On The Cave, the score even contains elements of some of my sound effects. I think filmmaking is very much a team effort. The better the teamwork is, the better the film.

I learned from [Oscar-winning] production designer Hannah Beachler that when the audience notices something that’s supposed to be “background”, there is usually a good reason for that. So I have to dig a little deeper after watching the film. The sound design in The Killing of Two Lovers is really great and adds another layer to the story. Thanks for giving some more insight into how it was done.

It’s very interesting what the production designer told you. It’s also what you can do with sound — the sound guides the eye. In The Killing of Two Lovers, we do a lot of panning of dialogue and sound effects and it really means that the eye is following the sound.

The Killing of Two Lovers in theaters now and available on many streaming outlets. The Cave streams on Amazon Prime, YouTube Premium, Apple+, and other premium services. We are as Gods

[embed]The trailer for ‘The Cave’.