I was shown the rough cut of the film, and even though it wasn't finished yet, I felt a familiar feeling. Something I hadn't felt in a long time. A kind of insecurity, a fundamental fear of not being loved. Something you have to overcome in order to grow up.

This touched me deeply and I felt immediately challenged to translate this into sound. Director Jasper also sent me a playlist of music that the cast and crew listened to while shooting and editing.

Normally, I prefer to avoid listening to other music right before I start. Mainly out of fear of unconsciously copying something that already exists. But in this case, the playlist helped me to understand what the Shutterspeed world was all about. It was truly emotional, very personal and inspiring at the same time.

David Martijn - composer

Working with David Martijn was never about finding music to explain the film. At first we even considered doing nothing at all and letting the dialogue itself drive the momentum. I often say that we didn’t speak in the language of music but in an entirely different jargon. Yet music became essential, not to clarify, but to amplify the subtleties.

I remember the scene where Cas is watching Jard take photos of Leander. The track wasn’t quite there yet, and we weren’t afraid to admit it. Then David did something with a machine (a synth), adding a layer hidden within the track, and suddenly it revealed itself. I think of it in the same way as the drowning scene, where a concealed line in the initial track was telling the story all along.

The music doesn’t dictate; it invites. It allows the audience to feel different things depending on their own state of mind. We never wanted to push in one direction or offer explanations. The process was deeply intuitive, which made it impossible to impose a strict plan. Even the machines, the synthesizers themselves, became part of the conversation. Sometimes they seemed to have their own will, creating unexpected textures that shaped the journey with us.

Jasper De Maeseneer - director