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JJ Abrams on working with John Williams


Romão

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from the Harry Potter sessions (2001) "Williams is totally professional and focused. He creates a pleasant working atmosphere but does not let anything get past him; he may address people as “angel” or “baby” or even “angel baby,” but they jump when he asks for something."

What does he ask that makes them jump?

They jump, beg, roll over and play dead if need be.

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I think we have seen those 'leather bound' bookshelf of his scores in some interview documentary. Or was it a picture. I remember seeing this on some NBC or CNN special about Williams.

Can anyone re-check.

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I think we have seen those 'leather bound' bookshelf of his scores in some interview documentary. Or was it a picture. I remember seeing this on some NBC or CNN special about Williams.

Can anyone re-check.

Yes, there is a brief glimpse of this bookshelf in the now-famous EMPIRE STRIKES BACK documentary from 1980 (which was a rare commodity once upon a time, but which I now see going viral every few weeks or so).

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Does anyone else reckon JJ probably used the leather bound scores of the 6 films to identify and point out specific themes or cues he wanted Williams to include in TFA? Or perhaps just open up YouTube and dial in a cue he wants imitated? I've got no doubt most of the OT references in the PT were a result of the temp track (the Clash of Lightsabers when Yoda confronts Sidious in ROTS being the best example).

Or would Williams just refer to each theme by name and remember what they are? Footage of spotting sessions is so rare but I'd love to be a fly on the wall for them.

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I think we have seen those 'leather bound' bookshelf of his scores in some interview documentary. Or was it a picture. I remember seeing this on some NBC or CNN special about Williams.

Can anyone re-check.

Yes, there is a brief glimpse of this bookshelf in the now-famous EMPIRE STRIKES BACK documentary from 1980 (which was a rare commodity once upon a time, but which I now see going viral every few weeks or so).

Hmmm yes it could be the same one. But if Im not mistaken there was another one during thelast decade around the time of Angela/s Ashes /prequel era.

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Yes, there is a brief glimpse of this bookshelf in the now-famous EMPIRE STRIKES BACK documentary from 1980 (which was a rare commodity once upon a time, but which I now see going viral every few weeks or so).

Yeah, even the director Ava DuVernay tweeted it - https://twitter.com/avaetc/status/633411222256259073

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But at least we have 33 minutes worth of the original stereo masters.

I wonder how Williams feels about one of his scores truly being entirely lost to time? I'd imagine that maddening for any artist.

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I bet Gia doesn't have leather bound, handwritten versions of his scores (or anyone wanting to read them!)

I actually bet he has - well, leather bound, at least.

Take a look at these:

11001637_10152817647740326_2288975537513

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If you watch one of the joint interviews with Spielberg, you can hear Steven imitating him making a phone call about having seen a rough cut of Jaws, and you can see that JW gets a little embarrassed at it "no, no dear baby boy.... you've made a pirate movie" or something to that effect.

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I imagine a huge williams biopic will be the first thing spielberg does when he can no longer work with JW anymore. i could even imagine the poster, with spielberg in small letters and williams in huge print. we know he must have a stockpile of countless hours of the man at work and in conversation. but let's not get impatient for that particular project.

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