Behind The Drum: A Q+A with The Makers of “Pan! Our Music Odyssey”

Words by Tishanna Williams

The 2014 edition of the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival (TTFF/14), the largest Caribbean film festival, begins tonight with the premiere of the 50’s-styled docudrama Pan! Our Musical Odyssey. Written by noted Trinidadian historian Kim Johnson and produced by Frenchmen Barthélémy Fougea (who received the César, the French equivalent of the Oscar, in 2014 for the best documentary with On the Way to School) and Jean Michel Gibert, the project was placed in the hands of award-winning Belgian director Jérôme Guiot. Two years and over 400 cast members later, Pan! Our Musical Odyssey is being touted as one of the greatest films on the steelpan, the only musical instrument to have been invented in the 20th century (which, as it turns out, has been documented in quite a few movies).

Pan! Our Musical Odyssey is unique in being a docu-drama, featuring dramatic scenes with actors, as well as documentary footage. It tells the instrument’s epic story starting with the underprivileged young people living in impoverished and violence-ridden areas of Trinidad where the instrument originated. Placing a dramatic story within this historical context, the film chronicles the steelpan’s journey from its invention as an expression of the lower classes to its current international prestige.

The film has already started to ripple through Europe: It’s been translated to French and, in fact, this version of the film was shown at this summer’s Sunny Side of the Doc Film Festival in LaRochelle, France. Master pan composer Ray Holman, who is responsible for recreating the steelpan sound of the 50’s for the film, is already on tour with his steel band in Europe. The docudrama also boasts a soundtrack featuring not only classic steelpan sounds but also new music from contemporary artists, including Bunji Garlin’s “Differentology” and an original track (featuring steelpan) from English producer Jamie XX called “Touch Me”

For its English-language premier, Pan! Our Musical Odyssey will be screened at the Globe Cinema in Port of Spain in true vintage red-carpet style, with era-appropriate cars parking outside just for the occasion. LargeUp caught up with Barthélémy Fougea and Jérôme Guiot in Port-of-Spain to get the details on the much anticipated release.

Read the interview here.

Jérôme Guiot and Barthélémy Fougea

LargeUp: France is a long way from Trinidad. How did you find yourself on the island and so invested in steel pan that you eventually created such a major work?

Barthélémy Fougea: I originally came here (Trinidad) 20 years ago to be a part of another film project called Calypso Season. My taxi took me to the hotel, I dropped my bags and was then immediately driven to Laventille, where I saw the steel band Desperadoes perform. I was hooked. I went back to France with a steel pan, started the French Pan Movement and by 2000 started the European Pan Movement. I have a school in Paris and launched the first European steelpan competition in 2003.

Jérôme Guiot: I had never heard of Trinidad before this film.

BF: Jerome is a well-celebrated director in Belgium. I saw his music videos and knew I had to have him on this project. So I called him and said “Listen I want you to come to Trinidad to shoot this film about the invention of [pan].”

JG: I had him on the phone in one hand and was looking up where Trinidad was and, when I saw Caribbean, I said, “Yes I’ll do it!” [laughs]

BF: I told him I was leaving in two days and I would meet him at Heathrow airport. He wanted to meet before but I said “No, no I have no time….” That’s my way of bringing people to Trinidad. When you come here, there is something that warms your heart. He couldn’t stay away after that.

LU: Why a docudrama?

BF: Steelpan is a part of Trinidadian culture that is very unique. There are many documentaries on Panorama and other steelpan competitions but no film has been done on the human adventure of those kids transforming an oil drum into an instrument. Kim Johnson was our lead. He was specialised in the history of steelpan and we weren’t knowledgeable in that sense so Kim himself went to find the stories of these people. What we did was create secondary characters to the real ones our research gave us, to link the narrative.

JG: The history is so complexed, with so many people involved. The history of steelpan shows that it’s really a country that created this instrument, not one person, so we created a story and character to symbolise the creation of the steelpan rather than focus on one real person or aspect. A docudrama was the best way to go through the history of pan in terms of a person’s experience, that an audience can relate to, with the time.

LU: With most of the festival’s films being shown in new cinemas and theatre spaces, why did you choose the old Globe cinema?

JG: Because of the history. The first pan concerts at the time was at cinemas, and Globe was a major part of that at the time, so it’s important for us to show it at that place. It will bring the film full circle.

Continue reading here.

A scene from Pan! Our Music Odyssey

LU: The soundtrack CD boasts both new and old music. What influenced these choices especially in a 50’s “period” film?

JG: With regards to “Differentology,” while we were shooting, the song would be on radio constantly. It became almost a theme song for the crew and I felt it needed to be included. Jean Michel got on to Bunji and we made it happen. Jamie XX had been using steel pan for a while in his tracks and it was good to also show that the sound is being used now internationally by the new generation of artiste. The old calypsoes we recreated on old pans to give an authentic sound to the movie but my concept, especially as a young director, was to use different songs from different times because the film is also about now and what is happening now. All that energy could not come from just the older music.

LU: Were there any difficulties or interesting things you noticed while shooting?

JG: Difficult? For me the heat mostly [laughs]. Shooting here was so different. Because the economy is small, everything is much more direct. You can find and talk directly to people rather than hiring a company to fill the positions so the team formed is more personal. Also, the culture here is always alive. Belgium has two different cultures and languages living together and the mixing of cultures is not very great. Here, the people live their culture. In Belgium, cultural things are only celebrated at specific times but in this country it’s all over.

BF: Meeting extremely nice, generous and motivated people. Usually you do a film and never see a crew again. Here there is more emotion and sentiment and the people become part of your experience.

LU: So what do you hope or expect that this movie will do for the local film industry?

BF: Every experience of producing a high quality film in Trinidad will raise the bar and encourage other filmmakers to come here to make more films.

LU: Everyone that comes to Trinidad always comments on the wide array of food. Was there any specific food you enjoyed more than the others?

JG: We ate a lot of doubles.

Pan! Our Musical Odyssey premieres tonight and will continue to be shown in various venues during TTFF/14. For screening times and more info on the festival, see here. Watch the trailer here: