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An Official Selection of The Tribeca Festival, ‘Poser’ Score Draws from a Classical Pallet, Playing Against a Story Immersed in the Alternative Indie Music Scene to Bring a Cinematic Elegance to the Film

The talents of composing duo Adam Robl and Shawn Sutta were tapped to compose the score for directing partners Ori Segev and Noah Dixon’s music-driven film ‘Poser,’ a psychodrama about obsession, and the need to fit in and be a part of something. The directing team’s debut film was selected to compete in the Tribeca Film Festival’s 2021 US Narrative Competition and made its world premiere at the prestigious event on June 10th.

Shot on location in Columbus, Ohio, the contemporary dramatic film is set against the backdrop of the city’s thriving indie music scene. With musicians playing all the main characters, and performances by a wide variety of local bands, the film has an authentic feel and ambiance with a story that unfolds in a world defined by Columbus’ alternative music culture.

“During our early conversations with the directors last June, everyone quickly agreed that the score needed to play against the cutting-edge music to give the film a cinematic elegance. To achieve this, we juxtaposed the indie music sound of the movie with rich instrumentals, haunting angelic vocals, and modern textural elements that tie in with its present-day story,” says Sutta. “To find the right sound we listening to a lot of music by Handel, Bach, Chopin, and Mozart for inspiration, along with some of our favorite modern artists, such as Mica Levi and Jonny Greenwood.”
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Like all their scores, Sutta and Robl music for the film is performed by musician on ‘real’ instrumentals, bringing a timber, and resonance with nuances that can’t be achieved with electronically computation.

The directing team brought a breadth of skill sets and mastery of a diverse range of disciplines to their breakout feature film. Dixon wrote the screenplay, and the partners co-edited ‘Poser.’ They brought their musical acumen to the collaboration with Robl and Sutta on a multi-layered score with a plethora of styles and textures that brought the directors’ vision to life.

“Ori and Noah provided a rough cut of the film with temp music heavily rooted in the classical genre. Shawn and I knew a classical instrumental palette needed to be set against the progressive sound of the performances in the film at the center of the score. However, we felt that the addition of some modern musical textures would complement this foundation,” says Robl. “Using everything from a modular synthesizer to mic-ed up grandfather clocks, we created an interesting mix that took the score to the next level.”

For one cue, the composers began by re-arranging and recording “Zadok the Priest,’ the Handel piece performed at Queen Elizabeth’s coronation. Once they crafted the overall arrangement, Robl and Sutta explored ways to create more modern interpretations of the music.

“’Poser’ relies heavily on lyrics sung by women to connect the audience to the characters and their emotions. We knew that featuring female vocals would help tie the score in with the film’s musical storyline. Singer/Songwriter Gabriela Ferrer was the ideal fit with this project,” says Sutta. “Her incredible vocals range and creative ingenuity elevated the score, as well as the audience’s experience. The melding of vocals was so effective that we decided to incorporate it throughout the score during key moments of the film.”

TITLE: 'Poser; PRODUCTION COMPANY: Loose Films, DIRECTORS: Ori Segev, Noah Dixon, SCREENWRITER: Noah Dixon, EDITORS: Ori Segev, Noah Dixon, PRODUCERS: Drew Johnson, Juli Sasaki, Brett Reiter, Josh Nowak, CINEMATOGRAPHER: Logan Floyd, COMPOSERS: Adam Robl + Shawn Sutta