[Interview] Eric Serra on His First Visit to Korea: "40 Years of Film Music with Luc Besson... We Are Like Brothers"

A Miraculous Bond with Luc Besson Spanning Over 40 Years
Groundbreaking Sounds That Changed the Landscape of French Film Music
From "The Fifth Element" to "GoldenEye": A Composer's Journey Across Genres and Continents
A Life Dedicated to Music, Overcoming Cancer and Returning to the Stage
Inspired by Space and Korean Cinema, Eric Serra Looks Ahead to New Projects

Director Eric Serra is sharing an anecdote about Luc Besson during an interview held on the 5th at Cheongpung Resort in Jecheon City, Chungbuk Province. Photo by Jecheon International Music & Film Festival

"I am delighted to be connected with a country on the other side of the world through my film music."

French film music maestro Eric Serra (66), whom I met on the 5th at Cheongpung Resort in Jecheon, Chungbuk, expressed his feelings about visiting Korea for the first time as the recipient of the Jecheon Film Music Award at the 21st Jecheon International Music & Film Festival. This was also his first interview with the Korean media.

Director Serra began his musical journey at the age of five, when his father gave him a guitar as a gift. He taught himself to play instruments and, during his teenage years, honed his skills by repeatedly listening to records by the British rock band Deep Purple. Around the age of 18, while working as a bass player, he met Luc Besson, who was then an assistant director and the same age as Serra, marking a turning point in his life.

He recalled, "When I first met Luc Besson, I was a bass player, and Besson was not yet a director but working in the directing department. We were both nobodies."

"Besson asked me to compose music for a short film he was preparing. At first, I refused, saying, 'I'm not a composer, I'm a performer,' but after his persistent persuasion, I decided to give it a try. In a way, he was the first to discover my talent. We started and succeeded together, forming a strong, brotherly bond. It was like a miracle."

Their collaboration has continued for more than 40 years. Serra gained attention in France with the commercial success of "Subway" (1985). The sophisticated electronic sound was credited with changing the conventions of French film music at the time. He then achieved worldwide fame with "The Big Blue" (1988). The deep, ocean-like sound became a symbol for the French youth generation, and he won the C?sar Award for Best Music for this film.

He went on to compose for films such as "Nikita" (1990), "L?on: The Professional" (1994), and "The Fifth Element" (1997). In 1995, he entered Hollywood by composing the music for the James Bond film "GoldenEye" (1995). Most recently, he participated in Luc Besson's new film "Dogman" (2024).

Director Serra said, "Besson's language is abstract and can be easily misunderstood, but whenever I expressed his requests through music, he would always say, 'That's exactly it.' He emphasized, "Like John Williams and Steven Spielberg, or Ennio Morricone and Sergio Leone, our partnership is one that will go down in film history."

Regarding his working style with Besson, he said, "I start composing after watching the footage and drawing inspiration from the images." While they sometimes share the storyline during the script stage, the main work begins after viewing the edited version. For "Arthur and the Minimoys: The Secret Adventure" (2006), he composed the theme music before filming began and then adapted it to fit the visuals afterward.

Director Luc Besson who appeared on 'Non-Summit'. Photo by JTBC

Director Eric Serra is playing the bass at his first concert in Korea held on the 6th at Jecheon Arts Center in Chungbuk. Photo by Jecheon International Music Film Festival

The "Diva Dance" from his representative work "The Fifth Element" was so groundbreaking that it is still talked about today. He said, "Since the Diva was an alien, I created a song with a range and speed impossible for humans." Soprano Inva Mula, who was a newcomer at the time, performed the piece at a much higher level than expected. Serra recalled, "I thought she would be able to handle about 60% of the song, but in reality, she sang more than 80%. I got goosebumps all over my body at that moment." Director Serra completed the final song by synthesizing his own voice. He added, "I was worried about the classical music world's conservative attitude, but they found it fresh and interesting."

In 2004, Director Serra formed the band RXRA to prepare a surprise performance for Luc Besson's wedding. "I wondered what to give someone who owns an island and a helicopter, so I chose music," he said. After receiving a great response at the wedding, the band went on to arrange film music in rock and jazz fusion genres and perform on stage.

In 2018, he held a cine-concert to commemorate the 30th anniversary of "The Big Blue." Since there were no existing scores for the music Serra had composed, he had to write them from scratch, followed by the process of synchronizing the music and visuals down to the second. He said, "I had to reproduce the sound effects of certain scenes live, and I was surprised myself that it was possible."

In early 2022, Serra underwent five months of chemotherapy after being diagnosed with cancer. He shared, "I fought cancer and won." After a period when his creative activities were halted, he has returned to performing and composing.

He cited Bong Joon Ho's "Parasite" (2019) and "Snowpiercer" (2013) as impressive Korean films. He explained, "The music was completely integrated into the film." He added, "The fact that I don't remember the music separately means it was that well blended with the movie." He also evaluated, "'Squid Game' had simple and clear music that, when combined with the images, created a powerful effect."

At the end of this year, he will release his second solo album, "UMO." Director Serra said, "I interacted with real astronauts and used the emotions and states they felt in space as the theme." It is his first new solo album in 30 years since his debut album in 1993. Next year, he is also preparing a best-of concert with an orchestra. He said, "I want to create a stage that encapsulates my career, like Hans Zimmer and John Williams," and added, "I want to go on a world tour, including Korea."