Part II — read Part I here
Getting to do nothing could be described as a luxury of sorts for Hannah Lena Rebel, who has been involved in many notable projects, such as scoring films like “Cliffs to Freedom,” and other commercial projects, as well as producing studio albums. I asked Rebel about what the process of producing a film score looks like for her.
“Whether scoring a film is more challenging or less depends on many factors,” Rebel explains. “There are several parameters that you should know before starting to score, for example, how much music a film needs and in which parts of the film music should be a part of. It’s also important to know whether the music should contrast or underline the film and in which style. You also have to know whether you should compose so-called ‘score music’ that appears next to the film or ‘source music’ that is played within the story of the film. Even one and the same scene can be scored in many different ways depending on the feeling that you want to achieve. During my studies, I have also learned that it’s often a good idea to write as simple as possible but also as captivating as possible. If an orchestra can play your score instantly without having to practice it a lot, it will save you lots of time not only during the recording but also in the post-production.”
It goes without saying that for composers like Rebel, the film scoring process takes many variables into account.
“When composing a score, you first have to know which parts of the movie should be scored and in which style, whether it will be ‘score music’ or ‘source music,’ whether you will later have the opportunity to record the score with a real orchestra or not and whether you should contrast or underline what’s happening in the film,” Rebel explains. “Before starting to compose, you should already be able to feel the emotions of the film and delve into them. If you work with real musicians, you will need a notated score created in a notation software like Dorico, Sibelius or Finale, in addition to a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) like ProTools that will be used for the recording.”
Rebel went on to say sometimes composers get the chance to see the film script before the movie is shot and edited. Other times, the composer creates the very first soundtrack to capture the emotions of a specific scene, which is then used as a temporary track to edit the film. If a film is in the stage of production where its producers are seeking investors, that one specific scene is produced as what is known as a “calling card.”
I talked further with Rebel about the different projects she’s been involved with and if one has stood out as especially enjoyable.
“I really enjoyed composing and working on my orchestral track called ‘Volatile Vision’ for the album The Orchestrals 1 on the musical platform ‘Sounds of Red Bull’,” said Rebel. “I tried to score something adventurous and cinematic to be used for films, TV shows or documentaries. I also enjoyed composing an album of 10 soundtracks in the tension/suspense/horror style that is currently in post-production for Amadea Music Productions.”
Rebel continued that she is collaborating with the Film Academy in Vienna to create scores for two short films, both of which use the concept of emotional contradiction in their narratives.
“I have scored two short films that drastically show the concept of contraries on different levels, which I very much enjoyed setting to music,” Rebel noted. “The latest short film by the young director Malte Siemers was about the disruption of an anxious man lying in hospital and talking to another version of himself while contemplating all possible ‘worst case scenarios’ that could happen to him. The contrast between the protagonist’s creeping anxiety and his failing attempts to soothe himself was also a great playground for musical expression.”
While on the topic of musical expression, I asked Rebel about the musicians who have inspired her along the way. Rebel expressed she has a broad musical palette.
“I was inspired by various kinds of music on many levels,” Rebel explained. “On one hand, I deeply enjoyed listening to the music of the Renaissance, for example, by Gesualdo da Venosa, Josquin des Prez or Palestrina. At the same time, I was listening to a lot of minimal music by composers like Steve Reich, Philip Glass, John Cage and Michael Nyman. I also spent much time listening to modern composers with a deeply spiritual approach, like Morten Lauridsen, Eric Whitacre, Arvo Pärt and Karl Jenkins. Concerning performers, I, for example, very much enjoyed artists like Björk, Enya, Kate Bush and Tori Amos.”
Rebel serves many other creative roles in addition to being a composer and producer. With her background as a ballet dancer, teacher and musician, I asked her about the nuances of being a performer versus a composer.
“As a composer, I have time to reflect on the music I’m creating, and I have the opportunity to observe it through many perspectives and in different emotional states,” said Rebel. “It’s often the case that what you create late at night after a long day of work sounds totally different when you listen to it the next morning. As a musician, you often have to practice a piece of music to play it at a specific time in a specific place. While practicing, you often imagine the situation of playing it in front of other people to prepare yourself, but your imagination can never replace the specific feeling of the moment itself. You can’t think about your thoughts during a performance because you fully live in the moment.”
One could say that “living in the moment” is a crucial part of a performer’s experience. I asked Rebel how being a ballet dancer influenced her experiences as a musician and composer.
“I think it influences me on several different but very interesting levels,” she responded. “One aspect, which is the simplest one, is that my ballet career really gave me lots of discipline and stamina and sparked my ambition to always try to do my best. When I had been listening to the same music during my daily exercises in ballet very often, I sometimes started to do a musical analysis in my thoughts while dancing and doing my exercises. During my career, I also learned lots of musical repertoire by listening to Tschaikovsky or the ballets of Stravinsky, like The Firebird or The Rite of Spring.”
The influence of being a dancer extends beyond Rebel’s life as a musical performer and creator. Rebel talked about the existential aspects of her ballet background.
“Another aspect, which is more interesting and complex, also on a philosophical level, is that my life as a ballet dancer taught me contraries,” said Rebel. “Even the word ‘dancer’ represents contraries to me when I think about the contrast of the strict and old-school classical ballet on the one hand and contemporary dance and its concept of freedom of the body on the other. Contraries can lead you to a point where you finally realize that there’s no black and white and everything is a matter of perspective and point of view. This also influences my music because I enjoy using opposites to musically describe something drastic. The concept of connected contraries adds a new dimension as if it would finally depict every circle as a spiral.”
Having had a wealth of experiences during her studies and professional endeavors, it is more than safe to say Rebel has a great deal of knowledge to pass on. She has had the chance to impart this knowledge as a music and dance instructor.
“I was teaching Music at the Beth-Jakov school in Vienna for four years during my studies,” Rebel recalled. “I also performed my own little children’s opera that I had composed in 2020, specifically for the two classes of children I was working with during 2021 and 2022. It was a wonderful and memorable experience to develop, rehearse and perform a story with 40 children from scratch and to bring it to life through music, text, dance and lots of emotions. I also worked as a choreographer for several performances in high schools before and during my studies.”
Rebel’s desire to give back did not end with teaching. She works with the Austria-based “All Stars Inclusive Band,” a group dedicated to giving people with disabilities the opportunity to learn and perform music.
“I have started to work with the ‘All Stars Inclusive Band’, a band for people with and without disabilities to play together, for one semester in 2022 after its head, Bernhard Lengauer, who coincidentally had been one of my music teachers back in high school, had asked me to do so,” said Rebel. “After some time, I was offered the opportunity to produce three music videos with the band, which I did. I filmed for several days for each video and afterward cut, edited and colorgraded the material to the provided music, which had been already mixed. Projects like this can be especially touching because of the opportunity and necessity to give every human being the chance to be creative, to come up with new ideas and to bring them to life.”
The Greek philosopher Plato said, “Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.” This insightful quote reflects Rebel’s thoughts about music’s connective and creative power.
“At the very end, we see that our mind and soul, our intellect and our emotions, are of the same kind and that everything is connected,” Rebel said. “There is no need for a battle of constant compensation, and there is no black and white to choose from. Eliminating and approaching again are the regular illusory circles that we draw that rather resemble spirals because we never step into the same river twice. Sometimes, it’s best to step back to regain the feeling of pure and simple existence.”
Stepping back to enjoy life with simplicity is something vital to someone like Rebel, who has already accomplished a lifetime of achievement at a young age. To conclude our interview, I asked her the simple question of, what’s next?
“I have several plans and projects on my agenda – on the one hand, I want to dive deeper into the film music industry and hopefully score lots of globally successful movies, commercials, TV shows, trailers, soundtracks and more,” said Rebel. “On the other hand, I want to use the opportunities that my many certificates and mini-MBAs in the areas of management, organization, leadership and business administration are offering me. I’m very happy to be an Advisory Board Member of the RSA and also looking forward to taking on every opportunity that this path can further lead me to.”
To learn more about Rebel’s work, visit her portfolio here.
Editor’s note: This article has been edited since its original publication.
Featured image: Photo by Walter Pobaschnig
Edited by: James Sutton
