Skelly

(If anyone would like to hear the whole video, he can send me a Pm.)

(If anyone would like to hear the whole video, he can send me a Pm.)

Hi! Some of you may know that Eddie Karam was Williams's trusty orchestrator for a long time. Karam gave a talk in 2013 for The Academy of Scoring Arts where he discussed his life in music, his work with various composers (Williams, Mandel, Horner, etc.), and gave some very funny anecdotes. I don't think a thread about this video has been made before, so here are the comments he made regarding Williams.
 
Meeting John Williams:
 
 
Orchestrating Williams's music:
 
 
Dividing work between himself and Conrad Pope:
 
 
"Crystal Skull" story
 
 

For some reason Williams didn't do any press interviews for the movie..  Maybe he talked on radio but I don't have anything in print.
 
The main dramatic thrust of the movie is internal (which is why the big theme of the movie is about Harry's parents) not external, and so a lot of the "extra" scenes -- the bus, the aunt blowing up, the monster book -- come as is, with special sounds disconnected from each other.  Harry's perception of them isn't as important.  And even Hogwarts has an almost diegetic medieval sound (one scene even has a boy playing the music in the background).  In the first movie it was all about discovering this new world, and they even took the Great Hall music and pasted it over Diagon Alley so that they could keep emphasizing this sense of magical novelty.  Azkaban was different because the music is deliberately meant to be disparate except in scenes of Harry's parentage.

This story came from the film's re-recording mixer, Richard Beggs.
http://web.archive.org/web/20160805013817/http://www.soundsonline-forums.com/showthread.php?t=30499

On the last point he mentions something about harp glissandos.  I don't know what he's talking about.  A long time ago I took a good look at the written score and I didn't notice any big harp things which were cut out of the movie.  Perhaps the poster misheard harpsichord as harp, since I remember there were some harpsichord parts in the written score that are either missing or mixed very low in the final score.

Beggs also did "Sleepers" and JW did him a big favor by respecting the sound effects.  In 2020 Beggs said: "I did a Barry Levinson picture, Sleepers, where I put a tonal sound in a temp mix--a dramatic sound--that had no basis in reality. It worked well. I got a call from John Williams's music editor. John wanted the original sound so he could listen to it and score against it. But not everyone will do that."

No fun allowed!

I already know you and Once are exceptions.  I'm just saying -- four years later and the same conversations are being had, usually by the same people who have already had them several times.  Get some new material, JWFan!

No fun allowed!

https://musicbrainz.org/release/b127c472-2053-4e0c-9f96-b4db2f1d8c57/cover-art
 
THE WIZARD OF FILM SCORING TACKLES 'HARRY POTTER'
Article by Richard Dyer published May 18, 2001 in the Boston Globe

 
 
THEY SHOOT, HE SCORES
Article by Geoffrey McNab published September 24, 2001 at The Times


 
WILLIAMS CASTS SPELL FOR 'POTTER' SCORE
Article by Richard Dyer published November 11, 2001 in The Boston Globe


 
DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS DISCOVERED THE RIGHT COMPOSER FOR 'HARRY POTTER'
Article by Richard Dyer published November 11, 2001 in the Boston Globe

 
WILLIAMS BRINGS MUSICAL MAGIC TO 'HARRY POTTER'
Article by Andy Seiler published November 13, 2001 in USA Today
https://web.archive.org/web/20160802130006/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/movies/2001-11-13-john-williams.htm


COMPOSER JOHN WILLIAMS TRIED TO MAKE MAGIC WITH 'HARRY POTTER' SCORE
Article by Matt Wolf published November 15, 2001
https://web.archive.org/web/20210703192947/https://www.deseret.com/2001/11/19/19617515/williams-works-his-wizardry

 
HARRY POTTER - CHILDREN'S SUITE FOR ORCHESTRA
 
 

https://musicbrainz.org/release/b127c472-2053-4e0c-9f96-b4db2f1d8c57/cover-art
 
THE WIZARD OF FILM SCORING TACKLES 'HARRY POTTER'
Article by Richard Dyer published May 18, 2001 in the Boston Globe

 
 
THEY SHOOT, HE SCORES
Article by Geoffrey McNab published September 24, 2001 at The Times


 
WILLIAMS CASTS SPELL FOR 'POTTER' SCORE
Article by Richard Dyer published November 11, 2001 in The Boston Globe


 
DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS DISCOVERED THE RIGHT COMPOSER FOR 'HARRY POTTER'
Article by Richard Dyer published November 11, 2001 in the Boston Globe

 
WILLIAMS BRINGS MUSICAL MAGIC TO 'HARRY POTTER'
Article by Andy Seiler published November 13, 2001 in USA Today
https://web.archive.org/web/20160802130006/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/movies/2001-11-13-john-williams.htm


COMPOSER JOHN WILLIAMS TRIED TO MAKE MAGIC WITH 'HARRY POTTER' SCORE
Article by Matt Wolf published November 15, 2001
https://web.archive.org/web/20210703192947/https://www.deseret.com/2001/11/19/19617515/williams-works-his-wizardry

 
HARRY POTTER - CHILDREN'S SUITE FOR ORCHESTRA
 
 

https://musicbrainz.org/release/b127c472-2053-4e0c-9f96-b4db2f1d8c57/cover-art
 
THE WIZARD OF FILM SCORING TACKLES 'HARRY POTTER'
Article by Richard Dyer published May 18, 2001 in the Boston Globe

 
 
THEY SHOOT, HE SCORES
Article by Geoffrey McNab published September 24, 2001 at The Times


 
WILLIAMS CASTS SPELL FOR 'POTTER' SCORE
Article by Richard Dyer published November 11, 2001 in The Boston Globe


 
DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS DISCOVERED THE RIGHT COMPOSER FOR 'HARRY POTTER'
Article by Richard Dyer published November 11, 2001 in the Boston Globe

 
WILLIAMS BRINGS MUSICAL MAGIC TO 'HARRY POTTER'
Article by Andy Seiler published November 13, 2001 in USA Today
https://web.archive.org/web/20160802130006/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/movies/2001-11-13-john-williams.htm


COMPOSER JOHN WILLIAMS TRIED TO MAKE MAGIC WITH 'HARRY POTTER' SCORE
Article by Matt Wolf published November 15, 2001
https://web.archive.org/web/20210703192947/https://www.deseret.com/2001/11/19/19617515/williams-works-his-wizardry

 
HARRY POTTER - CHILDREN'S SUITE FOR ORCHESTRA
 
 

https://musicbrainz.org/release/b127c472-2053-4e0c-9f96-b4db2f1d8c57/cover-art
 
THE WIZARD OF FILM SCORING TACKLES 'HARRY POTTER'
Article by Richard Dyer published May 18, 2001 in the Boston Globe

 
 
THEY SHOOT, HE SCORES
Article by Geoffrey McNab published September 24, 2001 at The Times


 
WILLIAMS CASTS SPELL FOR 'POTTER' SCORE
Article by Richard Dyer published November 11, 2001 in The Boston Globe


 
DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS DISCOVERED THE RIGHT COMPOSER FOR 'HARRY POTTER'
Article by Richard Dyer published November 11, 2001 in the Boston Globe

 
WILLIAMS BRINGS MUSICAL MAGIC TO 'HARRY POTTER'
Article by Andy Seiler published November 13, 2001 in USA Today
https://web.archive.org/web/20160802130006/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/movies/2001-11-13-john-williams.htm


COMPOSER JOHN WILLIAMS TRIED TO MAKE MAGIC WITH 'HARRY POTTER' SCORE
Article by Matt Wolf published November 15, 2001
https://web.archive.org/web/20210703192947/https://www.deseret.com/2001/11/19/19617515/williams-works-his-wizardry

 
HARRY POTTER - CHILDREN'S SUITE FOR ORCHESTRA
 
 

https://musicbrainz.org/release/b127c472-2053-4e0c-9f96-b4db2f1d8c57/cover-art
 
THE WIZARD OF FILM SCORING TACKLES 'HARRY POTTER'
Article by Richard Dyer published May 18, 2001 in the Boston Globe

 
 
THEY SHOOT, HE SCORES
Article by Geoffrey McNab published September 24, 2001 at The Times


 
WILLIAMS CASTS SPELL FOR 'POTTER' SCORE
Article by Richard Dyer published November 11, 2001 in The Boston Globe


 
DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS DISCOVERED THE RIGHT COMPOSER FOR 'HARRY POTTER'
Article by Richard Dyer published November 11, 2001 in the Boston Globe

 
WILLIAMS BRINGS MUSICAL MAGIC TO 'HARRY POTTER'
Article by Andy Seiler published November 13, 2001 in USA Today
https://web.archive.org/web/20160802130006/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/movies/2001-11-13-john-williams.htm


COMPOSER JOHN WILLIAMS TRIED TO MAKE MAGIC WITH 'HARRY POTTER' SCORE
Article by Matt Wolf published November 15, 2001
https://web.archive.org/web/20210703192947/https://www.deseret.com/2001/11/19/19617515/williams-works-his-wizardry

 
HARRY POTTER - CHILDREN'S SUITE FOR ORCHESTRA
 
 

Hi! Some of you may know that Eddie Karam was Williams's trusty orchestrator for a long time. Karam gave a talk in 2013 for The Academy of Scoring Arts where he discussed his life in music, his work with various composers (Williams, Mandel, Horner, etc.), and gave some very funny anecdotes. I don't think a thread about this video has been made before, so here are the comments he made regarding Williams.
 
Meeting John Williams:
 
 
Orchestrating Williams's music:
 
 
Dividing work between himself and Conrad Pope:
 
 
"Crystal Skull" story
 
 

Here's a story Conrad Pope told several years ago:
 
 

Here's a story Conrad Pope told several years ago:
 
 

Here's a story Conrad Pope told several years ago:
 
 

Here's a story Conrad Pope told several years ago:
 
 

Here's a story Conrad Pope told several years ago:
 
 

Here's a story Conrad Pope told several years ago:
 
 

Here's a story Conrad Pope told several years ago:
 
 

Here's a story Conrad Pope told several years ago:
 
 

Here's a story Conrad Pope told several years ago:
 
 

Here's a story Conrad Pope told several years ago:
 
 

Here's a story Conrad Pope told several years ago: