More than just a soundtrack, the music in Anthony Butler's Substance
Remix makes the film. Intense, brooding and just a little bit 'Warped';
this is no ordinary short. We asked how it came together!
How did the first Substance come about? Why did you want to make an all-British surf film? What was your motivation?
Mr B: After producing my first two films based around British and Irish surfing, I decided I wanted to take it a step further. After getting to know all the surfers and their abilities it became about showing what is possible in surfing in the British Isles.
What gave you the ideas for Substance because it seems refreshingly different to other surf films?
Mr B: I try to take in influences from non-surf culture as well as the surfing world. [Stanley] Kubrick has always been an influence but there have been lots of aspects of a wide variety of movies that sparked ideas. The Globe film Secret Machine was also an influence and is my favorite surf film.
What were you aiming to do with the remix, why did you choose to include the bits you included?
Mr B: The main aim of the project was to take certain elements from the main feature and put a completely experimental twist on them. There were certain aspects of the film that I wanted to keep in but it was really about trying something completely different and collaborating with a talented music producer.
Substance has been praised for being refreshingly different, and the Remix is different again. Why?
Mr B: I was asked to submit a section of Substance for Board Shorts, but I really wanted to try something completely different. The aim was to take certain elements from the main feature and put a completely experimental twist on them - Board Shorts was a great opportunity to do that.
Why did you choose to enter Board Shorts and is it the first time you shown a film at the festival?
Mr B: Last year I showed a couple of chapters of my documentary Driven but I didn't have time to change anything, it was literally two or three of what I thought would be the most interesting parts of the documentary
How did that music come about - it's pretty out there for a surf film!
Mr B: The score for the Remix is as vital as the visuals. The main influence for music director Oliver Charles and me was Warp Records, so we were able to discuss in great detail how that style would work throughout the film. He then went away and created this incredible track, which I let dictate the visuals while editing to it.
I wanted to include Substance's underwater sound effects, which create a suffocating, claustrophobic atmosphere. Oliver managed to use these sounds as an integral part of the score, giving the entire soundtrack an eerie effect. To visually intensify this, I then used the ever-present dark vignette and manipulated the colours to emulate the sounds throughout the film.
It's a very unusual soundtrack and I'm so stoked and proud of the music production in this film.
Do you have any tips or words of wisdom for aspiring surf filmmakers out there?
Mr B: Take your opportunities when they come, be prepared to work harder than you ever have done before and be prepared to listen to advice and criticism - its good for you!
