Oderbruch (2024)
Christoph Schauer and Max Filges
Directed by: Adolfo J. Kolmerer & Christian Alvart
CreatorL Arend Remmers
Script: Arend Remmers, Adolfo J. Kolmerer, Christian Alvart, Ronny Schalk, Martin Behnke
DoP: Christian Huck
Edit: Laura Wachauf, Marc Hofmeister, Ilja Siebert
Production: Syrreal Entertainment, ARD Degeto, CBS Studios
Oderbruch Trailer
Following the successful premiere of the drama miniseries "Liberame - Nach dem Sturm," we found ourselves with a promising lineup of projects. Among them was the series "Oderbruch," a significant production from Syrreal Entertainment in a co-production with ARD Degeto and CBS. This project held a special place in my heart as it reunited me with my friend and director, Adolfo J. Kolmerer, with whom I had previously collaborated on four projects. Adding to the excitement was the fact that screenwriter Arend Remmers, who had penned the script for "Schneeflöckchen," marking my debut as a composer, was behind the story.
However, "Oderbruch" presented a unique challenge – it was to be directed by two different directors. Adolfo would helm four episodes, while the remaining four would be in the hands of acclaimed director Christian Alvart. What made this even more intriguing was that Christian had a longstanding collaboration with his favorite composer duo, Christoph Schauer and Max Filges. For the first time, we would be working as a team of four composers – a thrilling challenge indeed.
Our journey began with a meeting at Christian's production company, Syrreal, where we set out to define the workflow. Tim and I would focus on Adolfo's episodes, while Christoph and Max would handle Christian's. At the same time, we needed to establish some ground rules to ensure a cohesive musical and sonic landscape. The four of us convened at my studio for our initial meeting, and it was a beautiful realization that we shared a similar vision for the project, with compatible workflows.
We agreed on a main key for our pre-production music, as well as the tonality and the overarching story. In the weeks that followed, each of us composed a set of layouts for the editors to use in shaping the episodes. I brought some leftover layouts from "Liberame - Nach dem Sturm," which I had originally crafted with "Oderbruch" in mind. These compositions, born from experimenting with my GuitarViol and innovative processing techniques, offered a blend of gnarly, punchy themes, as well as suspenseful and thrilling atmospheres. Surprisingly, these layouts found their place as an intrinsic thematic thread throughout the series.
Occasionally, we even engaged in jam sessions as a quartet. This project not only introduced me to new friends but also reaffirmed that collaboration between composers is not only possible but a beautiful and rewarding endeavor. Despite its challenges, the result was a powerful and unique musical landscape..
Once the eight episodes were picture locked, Tim and I took charge of refining the cues, re-composing scenes that had used temp scores, and preparing for the mix. Christoph and Max, having a longer history of collaboration, shared their workflow for delivery, and we adapted ours to ensure a seamless process for the final mix. The mixing took place at BASIS in Friedrichshain, led by the talented sound engineer Florian Beck, whom I had previously worked with for Warner Brother's coming-of-age film "Abikalypse" in 2018. Our presence during the mix was yet another enriching experience.
Oderbruch is is available for streaming on the ARD Mediathek and there are plans for the Soundtrack to be released in the near future.