OU musicians are among many Oklahomans who contributed to Martin Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon," which has received 10 Oscar nominations including best original score and best original song.
“Killers of the Flower Moon” is one of the leading nominees, behind “Poor Things” with 11 nominations and “Oppenheimer” with 13 nominations.
The film stars Lily Gladstone and Leonardo DiCaprio. Gladstone recently won best actress at the Golden Globes for her work in the film and is the first Indigenous person to receive the award. Gladstone has also secured an Oscar nomination for best actress in a leading role.
Based on the 2017 book of the same name, “Killers of the Flower Moon" tells the true story of a series of brutal Osage murders in the early 1920s, following the discovery of oil on Osage tribal land. The film was shot in Oklahoma and some filming took place on OU campus.
Saxophonist and administrative coordinator for the OU School of Music Eric Walschap served as a music consultant for the film. Walschap said he heard from a friend that there was a film in need of 1920s instruments and reached out to offer his collection. Walschap happened to have a saxophone from the period that was in working condition.
“I met with the props master (Matt Cavaliero) to deliver the instruments and we got to talking about his life in Hollywood and my career here,” Walschap said. “He asked if I’d like to be music consultant for the film to basically come on set and help with preproduction.”
On set in Pawhuska, Walschap’s role was to identify instruments, ensure that they were in working condition and take them to be repaired if needed. He explained that having musical expertise is crucial to realistic performances in film.
“When you watch a movie and if you're an expert in a certain area, like a basketball player, if the actors aren’t dribbling correctly, it just seems weird,” Walschap said. “My job was to make sure that the musicians looked right. In this case, these were all professional musicians but I think they just wanted to, you know, cross their t's and dot their i's to make sure everything was accurate.”
OU meteorology and jazz alumnus Jeffrey Stevenson and OU assistant professor of musicology Jake Johnson played musicians in the film. Both were selected after sending audition material in response to the film’s open casting call and spent four days in Pawhuska filming.
Jeffrey Stevenson of Bee and the Hive performs during the Norman Music Festival on April 28.
Many of the musicians cast as band members in the film were experts in 1920s music and were professional musicians. Stevenson is a saxophonist and used Walschap’s instrument during filming.
“We were playing along to prerecorded tracks, but while we were shooting, I was trying to be in the mindset of a 1920s touring jazz musician,” Stevenson wrote in an email to OU Daily.
“Oklahoma is having a bit of a moment because it's not a place many people take seriously,” Johnson said. “(People have) very low expectations for what it is. And I think that helps because if you're around here at all, you see that it's got a lot to offer — the secret to happiness is having low expectations.”
Musicians cast as band members in "Killers of the Flower Moon."
Johnson said there has been a push toward the music and film production in the Oklahoma City area. He said he believes Scorsese took advantage of the growth of the arts in Oklahoma City, which provided opportunities for continuing growth and training in the region.
“I also think there's something powerful about the stories here because it's a weird place (with) kind of strange history," Johnson said. “Some are really dark, like the movie is showing, and (with) others there's more spirit to it.”
Most of the film’s music was composed by Canadian songwriter and renowned guitarist Robbie Robertson. Robertson spent his childhood living on the Six Nations of the Grand River reserve in Canada and is a descendant of the First Nations of Canada. The film’s score was Robertson’s final work before passing away in August to a year-long battle with cancer.
Crew setting up to film "Killers of the Flower Moon" night scene.
“I'm really proud to be a part of it,” Johnson said. “Music makes all the difference in films and I appreciated that Scorsese showed musicians doing what they're doing in a realistic way. It made me feel seen as a musician.”
The film’s “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)” by Osage songwriter Scott George is Oscar nominated for best original song.
Sung in Osage, “Wahzhazhe” calls for members of the Osage Nation to “stand up, be tall and be proud,” George explained in an interview with Variety. George is credited as the first Native American to be nominated in the category and will perform the song with the Osage Tribal Singers at the Sunday award show.
The Oscars will take place at 6 p.m. CST on Sunday and can be watched on ABC or streamed on YouTube TV, Hulu Live TV, AT&T TV or FuboTV.
This story was edited by Emma Blakley and Shelby Emery. Natalie Armour and Mary Ann Livingood copy edited this story.
