Ben Lovett, one of my favorite score composers, returns to Vehlinggo with not one, but two tracks to premiere from his extraordinary music for Erin Derham’s taxidermy documentary, Stuffed. The full score releases digitally tomorrow via Lakeshore Records.
“Hummingbirds” and “Stuffed Waltz No. 2” from Stuffed show a different side of the composer behind the score for great genre films such as The Wind, The Ritual, Synchronicity, and The Signal. Lovett has shown that he’s as versatile as he is talented when it comes to determining which methods work best for the film he’s scoring. The Wind had uniquely unconventional instrumentation; The Ritual had delectably histrionic orchestral journeys; and Synchronicity is moody and synthy sci-fi bliss. For Stuffed, Lovett cultivates a rich tapestry of evocatively melodic cues to help bring out the narrative behind a film about the intriguing art form of taxidermy and the people who practice it.
Pre-save the album and watch the film now!
More about Ben Lovett’s Score for Stuffed
Stuffed, which tells the story of taxidermy through the eyes of passionate practitioners, premiered last year at SXSW. It was nominated for the Grand Jury Award. The documentary is available now via your favorite video-on-demand services.
Lovett describes his Stuffed score as a series of “musical dioramas” that aim to capture a glimpse of the minds and hearts of a variety of uncommon personalities.
“I was inspired by the characters in the film who all come from very different political, social, and economic backgrounds and often disagree on most things, but ultimately populate a distinct subculture that’s bound by a deep and genuine love for nature,” Lovett said in a press release. “I wanted to capture that unmistakable, childlike wonder they all have when they talk about animals. For taxidermists the work they do is not at all about Death, it’s about Life.”
When Derham (Buskin’ Blues, Julian Price) first asked her friend and colleague Lovett his thoughts on making the documentary, he told her, “Yes, you should definitely make this movie, and I will make it with you — but only if you name it Stuffed.”
Throughout the making of the film, Lovett and Derham worked close together.
“The process was very unique in that Ben started writing and recording the score while I was filming,” Derham said in a press release. “I knew I wanted Stuffed to feel beautiful and romantic like a Jane Austen novel, but giving it that distinct Lovett edge.”
“I’m Ben’s biggest fan,” she continued. “All of his movie scores blow me away, but when I first heard the ‘Stuffed Waltz’ suite it felt like he’d written a song about my heart. It represented the humbling journey that took place as I filmed wildly different people around the world for nearly three years and had all my preconceived judgments about taxidermy challenged.”
Excitingly, Lovett is currently working again with his longtime collaborator, direct David Bruckner (The Ritual, part of the The Signal and V/H/S), on the upcoming Searchlight thriller The Night House.
Tomorrow, Friday, March 13, you’ll be able to purchase the score digitally from Lakeshore Records or stream it via all the usual suspects.
