“ArcLight: The Director/Composer Relationship,” an event highlighting connections between directors and composers, will be at the IU Cinema on Thursday and Friday.
This two-day series includes two films and an on-stage interview with director Rod Lurie and composer Larry Groupé. ArcLight is focused specifically on this director/composer duo that has worked on multiple projects together.
“The artistic conception, planning, sketching, and shaping that go into an original score for a film is a unique dramatic journey for the composer and director alike,” IU Cinema said on its website.
“Straw Dogs,” a 2011 remake of Sam Peckinpah’s original drama-crime film directed by Rod Lurie follows a couple moving to the woman’s hometown creating tension between them and the locals. The film will be shown at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Following the extended on-stage interview with Lurie and Groupé will be “The Contender,” a 2000 political drama and thriller directed by Lurie about the first woman to hold presidential office and the scandals in her past. This film will be shown at 7 p.m. Friday.
Groupé is a visiting professor of music at the Jacobs School of Music. IU Cinema Director Jon Vickers said Groupé helped the program start up so students could start seeing and building these relationships in school.
Vickers said the series is a representative of a larger effort to pair student filmmakers and composers from the Media School and Jacobs through a program called “Double Exposure.”
Vickers said he recognizes the importance of having good music with films.
“This program that Larry Groupé curated will give students and other audiences a chance to understand how these creative relationships work in the film industry,” Vickers said.
The relationship between a director and composer is important as the process of scoring the film is a largely collaborative one, as the music is specifically written for the film.
Jessica Tagg, Assistant Director of Events, Facilities and Guest Services, said the collaboration between directors and composers in films is critical.
“The same scene can be seen as magnificent, scary, or matter-of-fact, depending on how it is scored," Tagg said in an email. "Thus, if the composer and director work well together, and understand each other, their partnership can elevate a film to the next level."
ArcLight shows a couple of Groupé and Lurie's collaborations in films over the years.
CORRECTION: A caption for the photo attached to this story incorrectly identified the days of the screenings. The IDS regrets this error.
