Jump to content

J.J. Abrams on working with John Williams


Lewya

Recommended Posts

John Williams on working with J.J

What I have seen is absolutely delightful and witty and funny and engaging. The extensions of the mythology are very cleverly and beautifully written, I think. If I can quote Steven Spielberg... 'J.J. has hit it out of the ballpark.' I'm having a lot of fun with it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Because I can relate to listening to John Willaims CDs for films I had never heard of and imaging a story in my head, it means his Episode 7 film will be good?

What are you talking about?

It's OK. You aren't the first Moderator that has been bought by JJ.

Atleast Neil got a cameo out of it...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ah, so its from the printed Vanity Fair article. I haven't seen scans of that turn up yet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Somebody who read the magazine at the Jedi Council forums. Okay, it's not 100% official but it's from a reliable poster there.

http://boards.theforce.net/threads/the-force-awakens-in-the-media.50029300/page-16

Now that makes it more believable. Always cite the source!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well said KM.

I think Williams is a master at this as well.

Of course for me, I also find Shore's Middle Earth scores highly effective for the same reason.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm having a lot of fun with it.

Aww yeah!

Snark aside, the fact that John Williams is having fun with the project bodes really well for him returning for VIII and IX.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Everything Abrams has been saying about this film has been 100% what I've wanted to hear. Almost too good.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm having a lot of fun with it.

Aww yeah!

Snark aside, the fact that John Williams is having fun with the project bodes really well for him returning for VIII and IX.

I hope so! I was concerned this would have burned him out... maybe it is burning him out, but at least he's enjoying it and I'm glad he is. I'm sure he's going to hit out of the ballpark as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

John Williams on working with J.J

What I have seen is absolutely delightful and witty and funny and engaging. The extensions of the mythology are very cleverly and beautifully written, I think. If I can quote Steven Spielberg... 'J.J. has hit it out of the ballpark.' I'm having a lot of fun with it.

I think a nice thing to take away from this is that they're all rather light adjectives. One concern of mine is that Force Awakens won't quite find the line between fun adventure and darker, emotional story/character development, and that the final result will either come across as too light or too self-serious, ringing hollow in either case. Very tricky to hit that bullseye but crucial to making a successful Star Wars movie, something that really has it all and does it effortlessly. While the early teasers and pictures have been great, they lean slightly on the more intense side of things and so I like that JW's comments tip the scales back the other way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thought I'd just put the full quote here:

"So I would buy John Williams soundtracks, often for movies I had not seen yet, and I would lie on the floor in my room with my headphones on listening to the soundtracks which would essentially tell me the story of the movie that I didn’t know. And I’d look at the photographs on the back of the album and I tried to read what I could about the movie—but really, I would just listen to these soundtracks. "

I can definitely relate to that.

I think it's notable that JW scores "re tell" the story of of the movie. Not many other composers can claim to that. Often JW underscores the "ideas" in a scene like nobody else can and tells his own story through the music

Take that short bit in RotS where Palpatine is talking about Darth Plageis. The scene is just useless by itself but JW manages to create music that evoke mysterious ancient sith lords

I have that experience with most scores....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Droid Fanfare (I doubt JW remembers writing it, or that JJ would ask for it)

Cloud City motif

Could you remind me what these are?

Using 1997 2CD set track names and timestamps

Droid Motif

1-02 Ice Planet Hoth 6:27-6:50

1-03 Wampa's Lair 2:03-2:33

1-05 Beneath The AT-AT 8:02-8:10

1-07 Arrival on Dagobah 1:00-1:30, 1:53-2:04

2-07 Betrayal at Bespin 3:11-3:18

2-08 Deal with the Dark Lord 0:14-0:37

2-11 Hyperspace 6:43-7:08

Cloud City Motif

2-06 Lando's Palace 0:00-0:54

2-07 Betrayal At Bespin 1:06-1:40

2-10 Clash of Lightsabers 1:59-2:06

And heck, while we're at it

Dark Side Motif

1-09 Han Solo and the Princess 3:06-3:26

1-11 The Magic Tree 3:56-4:05

2-10 Clash of Lightsabers 0:07-0:41

2-11 Rescue from Cloud City 0:28-0:47

Boba Fett Motif

2-03 Attacking a Star Destroyer 0:00-0:30

2-05 City In The Clouds 1:51-1:58

2-07 Betrayal at Bespin 1:51-1:56

Captured on Cloud City Motif

2-09 Carbon Freeze 4:17-4:51

2-09 Darth Vader's Trap 8:11-8:19

2-09 Departure of Boba Fett 8:29-8:43

Escape from Cloud City Motif

2-10 Rescue from Cloud City 2:25-2:39, 3:02-3:13, 4:13-5:05

2-10 Hyperspace 5:09-5:15, 5:26-5:33. 5:38-5:41, 5:53-6:01, 6:11-6:16, 8:16-8:27

The Empire Strikes Back is an awesome score.

We need a Themes of Star Wars thread!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Droid Fanfare (I doubt JW remembers writing it, or that JJ would ask for it)

Cloud City motif

Could you remind me what these are?

Using 1997 2CD set track names and timestamps

Droid Motif

1-02 Ice Planet Hoth 6:27-6:50

1-03 Wampa's Lair 2:03-2:33

1-05 Beneath The AT-AT 8:02-8:10

1-07 Arrival on Dagobah 1:00-1:30, 1:53-2:04

2-07 Betrayal at Bespin 3:11-3:18

2-08 Deal with the Dark Lord 0:14-0:37

2-11 Hyperspace 6:43-7:08

Cloud City Motif

2-06 Lando's Palace 0:00-0:54

2-07 Betrayal At Bespin 1:06-1:40

2-10 Clash of Lightsabers 1:59-2:06

Thanks Jay.

I knew what the Droid Motif was, but you wrote Droid Fanfare--a fanfare would be something like at the end of Hyperspace when the Falcon jumps to light speed.

A couple of things--I'd retitle what you dub the Cloud City Motif as the Cloud City March, since that's what it is, a stately 'pomp and circumstance' style march. For me the Cloud City Motif is:

2-05 City in the Clouds: 4:17-37 (5 times), 4:51-5:21 (5 times)

2-10 Rescue from Cloud City: 2:13-17, 2:21-23, 3:53-54

And then there's what I call Hans Solo's Funeral March, which incorporates the Cloud City Motif and usually precedes or follows the Captured on Cloud City Motif:

2-09 Darth Vader's Trap 4:59-5:26, 7:33-8:10

2-09 Departure of Boba Fett 9:18-27

BTW, I don't hear the Dark Side motif in Rescue from Cloud City. Are you sure you got your timestamp right?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I knew what the Droid Motif was, but you wrote Droid Fanfare--a fanfare would be something like at the end of Hyperspace when the Falcon jumps to light speed.

Yea, I just used the wrong word by mistake.

For me the Cloud City Motif is:

2-05 City in the Clouds: 4:17-37 (5 times), 4:51-5:21 (5 times)

2-10 Rescue from Cloud City: 2:13-17, 2:21-23, 3:53-54

Woah, good catch! Almost like he has a march for action inside cloud city, and this ostinato-y one for action outside.

And then there's what I call Hans Solo's Funeral March, which incorporates the Cloud City Motif and usually precedes or follows the Captured on Cloud City Motif:

2-09 Darth Vader's Trap 4:59-5:26, 7:33-8:10

2-09 Departure of Boba Fett 9:18-27

Yea, I knew about that one, just never thought about identifying it as a motif... good call!

BTW, I don't hear the Dark Side motif in Rescue from Cloud City. Are you sure you got your timestamp right?

It seems to kind of be that theme slowly in the background, but I could certainly be wrong.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's pretty cool, Jay. I had never noticed that the dark side motif was heard in the Magic Tree

I never even consciously recognised it as a motif.

And then there's what I call Hans Solo's Funeral March, which incorporates the Cloud City Motif and usually precedes or follows the Captured on Cloud City Motif:

Yes, that one always sounded very much like a funeral march to me (and always underscores the "procession" scenes, too).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We need a subforum for stringent musical analysis and shop-talk. I'd also like one exclusively for Nolan films, Zimmer scores, and Eric Whitacre's music so those who are offended by those subjects can have some measure of peace back in their lives. And I wouldn't mind one devoted to the impressionistic/symbolistic school of filmmaking.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We need a Star Wars subforum!

Seconded.

Oh god, in mere months GD is gonna be a trawl fest of Star Wars music threads, swamped by inane polls and duplicates of existing Star Wars conversations.

Oh hang on it's going to be okay - because John Williams is the composer! HOORAH!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice words from J.J.—and I believe them. I mean, how surreal would it be to have JW scoring a film you made, let alone the next chapter in the Star Wars saga? I can't even imagine what that situation would be like.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

He'd rather be working with the next John Williams.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

He'd rather be working with the next John Williams.

Definitely not true.

You don't know that. My theory is just as likely as your opinion.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Guidelines.