We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Gautier Abadie a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Gautier, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
Dirty Rhetoric is the first feature film I’ve scored. I’m currently in the later stages of the process, preparing the recording session with a symphonic orchestra. This project means so much to me because it is the first feature film I get to put my name on. It has allowed me to get out of my comfort zone and explore much more than I ever thought I’d have to. From songwriting to animation, jingles, dance and film scoring, this piece has been mobilizing a variety of skills that I didn’t even realize I had. Written and directed by my friend James Evans, Dirty Rhetoric is a period piece set in the early 1950s. James and I have been collaborating since 2022 to create the best score possible for the film. Along the way, I was eventually invited on the film set in Southampton to direct actors for two scenes, a song and a dance sequence.
Gautier, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Originally from France, I began my career scoring short films and documentaries that received numerous awards. After pursuing film scoring studies at The Juilliard School, I obtained a Bachelor of Music in Musicology at the Toulouse University and a Master of Fine Arts in Music Composition at the Vermont College Of Fine Arts. Now established in New York, I have worked for Netflix, Saban Entertainment, Zag Entertainment and Noam Kaniel. Over the years, I co-composed for such shows as Miraculous Ladybug, Power Rangers and Ghost Force. My extensive experience in film scoring gave me the opportunity to work with awarded directors and to produce singers for Britain’s Got Talent. My credits also include original scores for several videogames. My music has been played in numerous venues and festivals such as Sundance Film Festival, Los Angeles Film Festival, Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival and the Royal Albert Hall.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
I wish I knew that I’ll have to give up a lot of personal time, weekends, work hours, vacations, etc. Most film composers work from home, which makes it very hard to separate work from home and disconnect from your workflow, both physically and mentally. I wish I knew how lonely this job can be. I can spend weeks inside working on a project without going out once. This is very unhealthy, especially in the long-term.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
In my opinion, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is collaboration. In 2022, I was invited to the movie set of “Dirty Rhetoric”, my first feature film. I had to write a song for one of the characters prior to production, as well as a long dancing sequence. I had to compose both scenes using only the script as reference. This was a totally new process to me. Even though this was as exciting as challenging, James Evans gave me carte blanche and fully trusted my skills from the beginning. To work with somebody that has full confidence in your experience and expertise was extremely rewarding, both humanly and professionally. The first day I arrived on the set, I right away felt that this project was going to be special! This was my first time ever on a movie set. I’m used to receiving picture locked projects ready to be scored. James Evans and I started collaborating together when the project was still in development. Being a part of all the different production stages of a feature film and collaborating with the actors and the crew was a mesmerizing and highly rewarding experience.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gautierabadie?igsh=cmxyMXl0dWxpZnNp&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gautier.abadie/
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/gautier-abadie-a9659710a