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John Williams talks The Force Awakens


karelm

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Excellent interview, thank you for sharing.

 

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Is there a lesson you’ve learned over your career that could benefit film composers who are coming up in the field today?

 

The lesson I would probably offer anyone is to not call themselves a film composer but to call themselves a composer, and to compose for the theater, compose for film, compose for the church or the synagogue or educational music or instrumental, choral, secular, or religious music. Whatever they do; the ballet, and the theater certainly. Film is one thing that we do, and it’s good for young composers to know how to do that and desire to do it and find work doing it if they can.

But I think they should think of themselves in a broader sense because film music is restricting in many ways. You’re subjugating yourself to a soundtrack filled with sound effects and dialogue and other things that are in many ways equally important. Most of the great composers in history also have been great performers. So I think attending as many performances as one can is important. If one can play or sing, one should play and sing. If one can conduct, one should do that also. I guess that would be my singular first step in trying to advise anyone.

 

Very interesting!

 

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We actually worked on [The BFG], just yesterday and today. And after this phone call I’m going to go and begin on reel one and that will be the rest of my day.

 

It's happening!

 

Btw did you know that J.J. Abrams is young?

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That phone interview transcript reads like well-prepared written responses. If ever there was an 83-year-old mind untouched by age, it is his^. 

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I think he meant was, when he is finally finished with a film, and moves on to the next, like any other composer. He doesn't dwell on his other scores in other words, he moves on from them at the same exact time of him finally completing them. I don't believe that he meant that he was done with Star Wars..

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1 minute ago, E.T. and Elliot said:

When he said he was done with Star Wars, he could have just been referring to TFA, but I suddenly had a bad feeling about this.

 

Do you mean this: " I’m fixed on what’s on my desk and what is in front of me. Star Wars is done; I’m now working on Spielberg’s new film."?  Call me a naive fool, but I still think there is Star Wars left in him.

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Always enjoy a Williams interview, no matter what, but for each of these, my wish for a more in-depth interview that evades the "same old stories" becomes greater and greater.

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Well nightscape thought it was a bit repetitive. And then you agreed with him that it was a bit repetitive. Taking all that into consideration, and reading the article, I also agree and think it was a bit repetitive.

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I did think it was a bit repetitive, and I'm glad that both BB and KK agreed with my statement about its repetitiveness, though their repetitiveness about the my comment about the articles repetitiveness is getting a bit repetitive.

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I wonder, what kind of questions would people want to ask Williams that haven't been asked before in a published interview?

 

E.g. I'm curious to know what career path he would imagine himself taking had he not become a musician. 

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41 minutes ago, loert423 said:

I wonder, what kind of questions would people want to ask Williams that haven't been asked before in a published interview?

 

E.g. I'm curious to know what career path he would imagine himself taking had he not become a musician. 

 

I would ask if he scoring Episodes 8 and 9.  Nobody has asked him yet!  However, it's nice to hear confirmation that he's currently working on The BFG.

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5 hours ago, Alexander said:

I can imagine Williams as a historian, or a biologist.

 

Yes.  Henry's theme from TLC has always been what I think of as Williams' own theme.  It ties into that image of him. 

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