Collective Communication
Raised between rural Colorado and Baja, Mexico, Adrienne Ackerman has always been a writer, journaling and creating poetry since childhood. Her foray into songwriting for film brings her lyricism to a much larger stage. Having penned the title song for Ezra (written by Tony Siridakis, directed by Tony Goldwyn, produced by Jon Kilik), she says that great music has a way of communicating deeply and connecting people beyond language.
Between the sounds of Eric Clapton, Tracy Chapman, the Chicks, Sheryl Crow, and hearing daily guitar practice (scales from 5-7 a.m.) from her father, Ackerman didn’t grow up performing, but there was always music. She got her first guitar from her dad, her grandmother sang regularly in church, and her grandfather remains a jazz deejay at KDNK radio.
After completing Chapman University’s Filmmaker-In-Residence Program, Ackerman found herself floundering between nanny and coffee shop jobs while navigating a health crisis. “It forced me to focus super hard,” she says. “I had to choose whether to do the social thing, an open mic, or write a song, because I didn’t have energy. [It] put me in this spiritual place of going all-in on art. That’s not what I studied and there was no path.” A friend invited her to a stand-up comedy show and began doing open mics, eventually booking her own shows while continuing to teach herself songwriting. The music began to take over.
Ackerman only shared her first songs with two people: friend Evan Schiller and mentor Jon Kilik. “Kilik was the one who said I should keep going,” she admits. “That’s all I needed to hear.” You have to commit with blind faith. “If something lifts you enough [and] you're willing to make sacrifices that you might not otherwise make, you just have to do it,” she says. “It just takes one person to believe in you.”
As Kilik took her behind the scenes (including a crew position on 2018’s At Eternity’s Gate) to see how film works, Ackerman recalls watching the director of photography moving the camera around to the music. “Julian Schnabel is amazing,” she gushes. “That was the first time I saw the unison of music and film.” Adding a few more songs, Ackerman began performing shows at friend and family gatherings, and admits she was fortunate to have a “superfan group of moms” from the start.
When comedy, music, and screenwriting hit a standstill (having just finished a script that went nowhere) during the pandemic shutdown, Ackerman dove into self-directed film studies, watching roughly 300 films. Studying Yusuf (Cat Stevens) and his Tea for Tillerman album used in Harold and Maude (one of her all-time favorites), she says the music made the movie and that YouTube videos about the collaboration helped her see the perfection of the collaboration. “Yusuf wasn't ready to release that album. He said it was unfinished,” she says. The director wanted it done. “That’s one of the best albums of all time,” adds Ackerman. “If he had had more time to work on it, who knows what would have happened?”
Watching the film, taking notes, and then going to bed, “Ezra” was written in about 30 minutes. “I woke up the next morning and wrote it in one swoop” says Ackerman. “That's typically how I write, which is very mysterious. The best way for me to work is very quickly without a lot of editing—that usually is the best version.” Strumming a melody on guitar, a story unfolds with music and lyrics. “Ezra” is a love letter from a father to his son, but with universal meaning. “It becomes a song for anyone because we're all pressured to be something that we aren't,” says Ackerman. “I wanted everyone to feel accepted and okay.”
In addition to crew work on At Eternity’s Gate, Ackerman was music video director for Rae Isla’s 2023 “Free To Love,” and is a member of the Society of Composers and Lyricists. “Ezra” is Ackerman’s first release, with new music and touring coming soon. Ezra movie is available to rent or buy on-demand. Soundtrack available on streaming platforms.
Contact [email protected];
Experience Adrienne Ackerman at adrienneackerman.com
