When we think about biopics, chances are we immediately think of the main formula of the typical biopic: the life of a historical figure that weaves in and out throughout their childhood and adulthood, how their actions affect the people around them, and a story set in a time period that they feel isolated and different from. Biopics are often seen as a glimpse into a past life and a past world, where research is blurred between academia books and photos and pieces of first hand stories. The formula changes, but biopics tend to stick to one pattern. Enter Rich Peppiatt’s Kneecap, a biopic that embraces hip-hop, sex and drugs into telling the real life story of the Belfast-based group by the same name. The group which was established in 2017 use their music and the Irish language to tell a new type of biopic through the use of live-recording and the Irish language.

Offscreen Central had the opportunity to speak with Aza Hand, Kneecap’s re-recording mixer about the coming of age biopic, how the Irish language played a part into the film, and what audiences should discover about the music scene in Ireland. 

Leia Mendoza: Hi Aza! I’m so excited to talk to you about Kneecap. Soundscape and re-recording are two of the most fascinating aspects to me as someone who has taken sound classes. One thing I really loved about the sound in this film is how it utilizes this idea of youth and music, such as different musical artists and also the natural noises of Ireland. What did the early conversations with Rich sound like, and how did you guys collaborate on world building with sound?
Aza Hand: Well, I suppose that the greatest part of the sound really is Kneecap’s music. It’s kind of unique and Irish. The language, the Irish language, is kind of an ancient language that has been in the country for a couple of a thousand years, and at one point it was kind of illegal. People were made to speak English but then, it did survive in some pockets of the country, like islands off of the country. People would still speak the language. Uniquely, there’s places in Belfast that have an Irish-speaking community there, and these guys started rapping in Irish and a huge part of that was trying to reclaim their identity, I suppose. Or, in a way, to find out about their identity. Which, in Northern Ireland, is kind of very troubled, as you probably know. It’s complicated as a teenager to try to figure that out. This helps a lot, I think. It anchors the people to the country, because it’s still a divided country. So, that’s why it’s important, and it’s kind of done in a tongue-in-cheek and crazy kind of way and this drug-fuelled environment, which is very different. I suppose on the surface, the film isn’t really about that yet it uses it as a vehicle. But, in terms of sound, we really just tried to capture the sounds of Belfast and especially at the gigs, the concerts, and at the studios, and really tried to bridge the gap between what their records sound like.

Though, I think we really tried to make it sound like the records for a brief moment of time. Most of the time, it’s going to sound like it’s really right there beside you in the studio or coming off the stage in an auditorium. All of the pieces of music have pretty much been recreated for the film, where the lyrics and everything has been re-recorded. You take the music in and separate the elements around the room and it’s immersive in a realistic way. I’ve read a lot of good reviews about the movie really popping off the screen and being very visceral, and feeling like you’re there at the gigs. I think a huge part of that is down to the sound, I hope. The editing and the movie are very-fast paced and the sound kind of rocks you around. We tried to push the energy and the dynamics that are available for you to do. It’s fast-paced energy. Anything goes that way. All my creativity and skills in that way, I could put in. I have done a lot of electronic music and worked in nightclubs, and DJ’ed. I’ve composed music for films, and I’ve had a lot of wide experience with music and sound. The ultimate goal for me was to make this as big and bombastic, and energetic as possible, without being loud in any kind of way, It takes a lot of work to really pop off the screen without it just being loud all the time, if you know what I mean. 

Leia Mendoza: This is something I noticed when looking up your work, but I noticed you also worked on sound in Here Are the Young Men. I love that movie so much. 
Aza Hand: Yeah! That’s another film that is so loud and has dynamic music moments as well. 

Leia Mendoza: It’s so chaotic! I think there’s a common theme in Ireland and these films about youth, and I really love that. That was also something that I’ve noticed that people were saying is how this is the first film that I’ve seen that utilizes the Gaelic language, and it’s Ireland’s nomination for the Academy Awards, which is very exciting, congratulations! 
Aza Hand: Yeah, thank you!  We really loved working on it, and I was buzzed to work on the film. It really kind of inspired me to get back into being more serious about making music again. 

Leia Mendoza: I think this is the first biopic where the people on screen are around my age, so even though I couldn’t relate to it 100%, I still feel like all of these situations have been situations that me or my friends have been in, things like that. Going off of the film, I heard that you guys didn’t really know the Irish language too much and a lot of this is spoken in Irish language, so I’m curious on what the ADR process was like for this film.
Aza Hand: Yeah, there wasn’t a huge amount of ADR for this film. The ADR was properly checked by proper Irish speakers, same with the written words and what was recorded. But, it’s not the first Irish language movie, but it certainly is the first one of this kind. It’s the first kind of movie out of Ireland, not really, but it’s the first kind of movie that’s not just about drama or music, it’s about something else. It’s got the drugs and music part, but I don’t think drugs or music is that interesting. They’re okay, but they only have a certain amount of longevity or depth, don’t they? This is more than that, I hope. I’m hoping that people can see that.

Leia Mendoza: I think that it’s a lot more. I think it has resonated with an audience in America specifically because I don’t think we really get to see this side of Ireland in films. I think Ireland is so beautiful and it’s so vast, and I think there’s so many stories to tell. I think a reason as to why this film has been able to make waves over here in North America is because it feels very relatable and it feels like so many of us have been through this, even if we’re not Irish. 
Aza Hand: Yeah, and it doesn’t really have many beautiful landscape shots, it’s kind of the more ugly parts of Ireland, in some way. It’s not just in the North, but it’s everywhere. There’s a lot of gray skies and housing estates and just endless fields. But then there’s other sides, there’s beautiful places, of course, in the North and all over Ireland. It’s something different and it’s able to resonate around the world, with the youth. Everyone goes through that time of experiencing things like partying for the first time, and trying to make it or trying to be somebody, or finding your creative skill. You’re trying to make your mark on the world and on your life, I suppose. 

Leia Mendoza: It’s like, a sense of trying to prove yourself as well. One question whenever I interview them is, what do you kind of hope the message of this film is and what do you hope maybe the audiences take away from not only just Kneecap as a film, but also, Ireland’s music scene in general? You’ve said you have done music before and you’ve worked on a variety of different projects, so what do you hope this film brings to the spotlight about Ireland’s music scene, whether it’s the rap scene, Kneecap, or just kind of anything really?
Aza Hand: I think because it’s in the Irish language, that’s a massive thing. To bring a modern sound to an ancient language, and to bring it into a more modern context is really cool. I think the message is that you’re never too young and don’t give up on your dreams is one of them. That goes for the older DJ guy. Another one is, you know, to firmly kind of step away from the past and all the trouble, which is a huge message in the film. You know, sometimes, it gets a bit misconstrued by some people from comments that I’ve read. There’s a lot of imagery that is talking about stepping away from violence and stuff like that. So, I think that’s the main message, I think. Trying to find your identity in a world that is more homogenized, where everybody is kind of the same. We’re really not all the same. Having said that, we need to be more acceptant of all of our differences as well. 

Leia Mendoza: It just makes us all unique as people. With this film, it helps drive and tell the story to the fullest extent. I think it works really well.
Aza Hand: Yeah! There’s some important messages there. I think another part of the film is that it’s just a lot of fun. It’s raw, real and fun, just like a real life kind of thing. I know that everyone keeps saying they’re brilliant actors, but I don’t think they’d ever bother doing a film again. I just don’t think that’s them! I don’t think they’re going to go on and do acting, I can’t see that happening. Maybe, I don’t know! They’re a real band that are very much concerned with being a band, you know?

Leia Mendoza: Yeah!
Aza Hand: I don’t think they even want that to overshadow or anything. 

Leia Mendoza: I think them being a band helps. I love that they emphasized like, “Hey, we’re a band first, but this is our movie!” and they’re still going through their music careers. That was my last question, but I just wanted to say thank you so much for taking the time to talk about the film. In a way, the sound and re-recordings are really the second main character besides the band. It really helps bring so much color on the screen. I just wanted to also say, congratulations on working on the film! It’s so good. I really can’t wait for everyone to see it.  
Aza Hand: Thank you so much! 

Kneecap is currently available on demand.
The film was officially selected as the Irish entry for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film at the upcoming Oscars.