A #TITLEVIIFilm Convo: Composer Jeff Joseph Jeudy and Director Nicole Franklin
Nicole: Jeff, I’ve been a fan of yours since a few years ago when witnessing your contributions to the live New York sketch comedy show American Candy. I grew up with my Mom being a musician, and I love so many music genres myself…I immediately recognized that you had a variety of musical influences, you were probably a well-trained musician, and you seemed really easy-going…. Was I on target with any of these presumptions?
Jeff: Thanks, Nicole! I appreciate that. Yes, I met you after one of the American Candy shows. Thanks for listening and watching. I’m grateful to you for recruiting me on this. My parents raised me on AM/FM radio and bought all kinds of albums for the house: country, classical, reggae, etc. I also developed a healthy appreciation of rock and punk thanks to a cousin of mine (rest in power, Yves). Of course hip hop and R&B informed my teen years. While I have no formal musical training, I’ve been in several bands over the years covering many of the genres I just mentioned.
Nicole: I didn’t think to even ask if you had composed for a feature film before. But I knew you were probably familiar with some of our crew so it felt like let’s bring in this member of the family, and your sensibilities may really fit the small combustible offering that is our film, TITLE VII. Had you been preparing for work in features? I know you have the jingle work going on….
Jeff: TITLE VII is, in fact, my first full-length score for film. Aside from getting to know you over the last few years, I did meet Chicava HoneyChild some time ago and I’ve seen her great work. I am currently an in-house composer with Jingle Punks, a music services company. I’ve been honing my writing and producing skills there for the last 5 years, watching and soaking up so much from other great writer/producers there. Plus, I wrote with American Candy for almost as long. Film scoring is a natural progression at this stage in my career.
Nicole: We have a wonderful editor in Veronique Doumbe, and at this stage of picture lock I feel the rhythm of the film is there — sans music, sound mix, sound design or effects. It’s there. The pacing is there. The actors have a lot of choreography in the film and it felt good when we shot a scene that just flowed. Then, I have to admit, with Rough Cut 1 I hadn’t seen my best takes yet and one thing that popped into my head was, “We really need music here.” But when we got to the third rough cut, I thought, “Whew! Music doesn’t have to save the composition of the whole film, but I do need to amplify those emotional moments.” I may have glossed over this when you and I were talking because I didn’t want to make you nervous. But I was really looking for you to “bring it” as we say and I believe you truly have.
Jeff: I remember our initial phone calls and emails prior to shooting. I was so eager to get started right after I read a later draft of the script. It truly wasn’t until I got to view some early rough footage that I began to pull down some suggestions from the ether. We discussed a main theme and I considered writing short sonic sketches for the key players. I’m discovering that writing a score is a subjective process that relies heavily on gut instinct, right at the beginning.
Nicole: I think it’s fair to say we have a mix of classical and jazz which is an interesting combination. I love it. Was this conscious? Unconscious? What struck you about the TITLE VII storyline when creating the score?
Jeff: This was a conscious choice. Your lead character is a woman of color at the top of her career, and I somehow associate a degree of elegance with that. There’s a tonal elegance to piano and strings, whether you’re dealing with classical, jazz or even minimalist. I’m by no means a jazz musician so I’d prefer to think that my appreciation for jazz allowed me to lean in that direction for a bit. I also incorporated electric Rhodes and drum machines in other areas. Again, gut feeling!
Nicole: Were you inspired by any of the characters — or the actors performances for that matter?
Jeff: Chicava has a scene toward the end of the film which made the theme come together quickly. Sam is another character that was fun to write around.
Nicole: I was also fortunate enough to receive some wonderful donations from composers who wanted to be a part of the project. Truly honored. And you were so gracious to accept their compositions and try to work those in. Thank you for that. How did that affect your original work?
Jeff: Yes, the great thing about that is you gave me carte blanche when deciding what to use as underscore. There were two pieces that stood out to me as great companions to what I’d begun writing. One of them was a haunting piece called “Dark Water” By Onaje Gumbs. It’s an arrangement for strings which fit the palette of some tracks. The name of the song couldn’t be more fitting because it worked so well with a really pivotal scene.
Nicole: Even though we primarily worked remotely in two different states — three different locations when we add in the editor’s sessions — it was a really fun experience working with you. I’m excited to hear about what’s next! What’s up for 2017?
Jeff: To a certain extent, working remotely is part of my everyday work as a composer with Jingle Punks so that wasn’t too much of a stretch. I appreciate the positive and determined professional tone you set once I got on board and that came across in our emails and phone calls! I had a blast working with you and Veronique. As for the coming year I’m preparing to work on a collection of collaborations with singers and musicians in my community who I have great respect for. I’m also indulging my passion for classic 80’s synth pop and funk by writing under the pen name “3hooks.” You can listen to some of those sonic adventures here: 3hooks. Thanks again!
Nicole: Thank you, Jeff! For everything!
For more about #TITLEVIIFilm release and Nicole’s #FilmAFeatureIn8Days workshops please visit www.NicoleFranklin.com.
