Face to Face with... Drazen Bosnjak

NYC music house Q Department has been entertaining after hours since the inception of its Director Series – a late night party where the industry lets its hair down to playlists curated by filmmakers. So far directors on the decks have included Abel Ferrara, Marco Brambilla, Floria Sigismondi and Derek Cianfrance, and now Q Department founder Drazen Bosnjak is taking the series to Spotify for non-New Yorkers to enjoy too. Here we catch up with him to talk movies and music.

What was the inspiration behind the Q Department Directors Series?

The series is premised on the idea of directors curating personal playlists. I first thought about the idea because I was inspired by collaborating with directors on music. The way directors contextualize music within the medium of film always creates a new dimension that did not previously exist in music or film on its own. I wanted to put that at the forefront of a series.

How have you selected the directors who have appeared?

Directors whose work we admire, and that also happens to include a lot of directors we have also collaborated with on music or sound design. 

Do you find that each director you collaborate with has a distinct approach to music and filmmaking?

Yes, absolutely, just like they each have their own personality and experiences. Every director has an original style in the way that they approach sound and music on their projects. 

What type of musical tastes have the different directors revealed? Any surprises?

Almost every playlist was a complete surprise. I was impressed by how directors were able to put together playlists that contain pieces of music from completely different eras and genres, but that play a perfectly coherent role in their curated playlist. Every single director takes you on a complete journey, including all the peaks and valleys that you would want to experience on an interesting path. One of my favorite playlists is Abel Ferrara's which showcases this perfectly. 

What for you is the most significant influence music plays in filmmaking?

It creates a life-like experience that accentuates all of the emotional nuances, some of which may not have been noticed. It gives directors the ability to take a shot that has none and bring meaning to it. 

I prefer films that don't overdo the music. I love when a director understands the nuances of sound empowering us to create the most interesting synergy between music and sound design. 

As a composer and sound designer, how do you use Spotify and how does it aid you?

It's a great resource for music production and it's been amazing working with their team on this project. 

How about on your own Spotify playlists, what have you been listening to recently?

Here are some of my favorite songs currently coming out of planet earth. You can often catch me pushing my subwoofers to the limit with this playlist after hours at the Director Series.

Check out all the Q Department playlists here on Spotify.