In one of the last interviews of Season 3, composer and director Mark Jenkin joins The Film Scorer podcast! Mark recently released his experimental folk horror film Enys Men (Cornish for Stone Island) earlier this year, as well as his corresponding score. As such, we primarily discuss the film, including Mark’s score, how filmmaking and composing process, and much more. Along the way we touch on imposter syndrome and what constitutes a “musician”, Mark’s appreciation for good film criticism, and scores Mark’s been digging lately (like Nick Cave and Warren Ellis’s Wind River).
Enys Men is a tough watch, and likely won’t be for everyone, as is the case for most unorthodox/non-traditional films, and the same can be said for Mark’s score. It’s a very droning, atmospheric piece that slowly pulls you into the nightmarish isolation of the film. Mark also chose a strange sonic palette, starting with recording a tiny, old Korg synth into a tape loop before adding elements like rocks, locally sourced scrap metal from Cornwall’s post-industrial landscape, and Mark’s voice sung into a mic with heavy reverb. I love it.
Mark, with Dion Star, formed ‘The Cornish Sound Unit’ and performed the score live back in May. I’ve heard great things about the performance, and Mark’s taking it on tour later this year in a way to give the film additional life. It’s also an experiment that Mark’s seems to enjoy, dating back to his prior film Bait, for which the Welsh musician Gwenno reimagined the score; Mark said that when he experienced that “it was like watching somebody else’s film, even though I’d cut that film, shot the film, written it, and all of that. To actually watch it with a different score on, it felt like somebody else’s film.”
You can find out more about Mark on his website. Enys Men is available for purchase, and may still be in some specialty theaters, and Mark’s score, as well as his score for Bait, is available digitally on all major platforms.
Have a listen to our conversation below or wherever you get your podcasts (including Spotify and Apple Podcasts). Enjoying these interviews? Show the love by subscribing and leaving a rating or review!
About Enys Men
“Enys Men (‘men’, pronounced ‘mane’, means island in Cornish) is a mind-bending folk horror set in 1973 that unfolds on an uninhabited island off the Cornish coast. A wildlife volunteer (played by Mary Woodvine)’s daily observations of a rare flower take a dark turn into the strange and metaphysical, forcing both her and viewers to question what is real and what is nightmare. Is the landscape not only alive but sentient?
Shot by Jenkin on grainy 16mm colour film stock and with his trademark post-synched sound, the form feels both innovative and authentic to the period. Filmed on location around the disused tin mines of West Penwith, it is also an ode to Cornwall’s rich folklore and natural beauty.
Jenkin’s score is suitably haunting, his technique mirroring the analogue craftmanship of his filmmaking. At times it feels like the landscape is singing through synthesised drones, while the elements seep in via environmental recordings. Dialogue from the film along with wildlife and the weather transport the listener to the windswept island alongside the Menhirs (Cornish standing stones), while oversaturated tape and Radiophonic explorations give the piece a grounding in the decade the film is set in.”
