The Force Awakens Williams talks The Force Awakens (LA Times)

[Maurizio 5,893]

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-cm-star-wars-force-awakens-music-score-john-williams-20151217-story.html

"I don’t make a particular distinction between ‘high art’ and ‘low art.’ Music is there for everybody. It’s a river we can all put our cups into, and drink it, and be sustained by it.”

What a sweet, amazing man he is.

[BloodBoal 7,544]

"I don’t make a particular distinction between ‘high art’ and ‘low art.’ Music is there for everybody. It’s a river we can all put our cups into, and drink it, and be sustained by it.”

And yet another "Williams on drugs" quote!

[crocodile 9,211]

So where can I find the softer part of Kylo Ren's theme then? Any ideas?

Karol

[Maurizio 5,893]

I think he's referring to the figure heard prominently in the end credits section, before the five note motif enters.

[Muad'Dib 1,946]

Or maybe some of the stuff at the beggining of Torn Apart? Though I'm not sure if that's based around anything in particular.

[Marcus 395]

The softer part is what I elsewhere refer to as Kylo Ren's tragic motif, a descending figure of a repeated minor third down to the second degree, finally falling to the leading tone (maj7).

[Maurizio 5,893]

Yes, exactly.

[Marcus 395]

I think he's referring to the figure heard prominently in the end credits section, before the five note motif enters.

Yes.

[Not Mr. Big 4,818]

Great interview!

[Demondm810 437]

He sounds so positive about everything in this article. Sure sounds like if he's asked, he's doing VIII. And he obviously has a little crush on Ridley

[crocodile 9,211]

Thanks, good people!

Karol

[Romão 2,428]

"“It’s an interesting challenge with her,” he said, “because it doesn’t suggest a love theme in any way. It suggests a female adventurer, but with great strength. She’s a fighter, she’s infused with the Force, and it needed to be something that was strong "

This is great. It is indeed a very uncliched female theme.

[Not Mr. Big 4,818]

"“It’s an interesting challenge with her,” he said, “because it doesn’t suggest a love theme in any way. It suggests a female adventurer, but with great strength. She’s a fighter, she’s infused with the Force, and it needed to be something that was strong "

I liked how her theme was feminine but not "girly". It reminds of a bit of (from what I can remember) Tauriel's theme for The Desolation of Smawg.

[nightscape94 967]

Even the rhythmic part that accompanies of her theme portrays a sense of adventure.

[fommes 161]

And he obviously has a little crush on Ridley

He'll be crushed by Bloodboal's post here then!

[karelm 3,191]

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-cm-star-wars-force-awakens-music-score-john-williams-20151217-story.html

"I don’t make a particular distinction between ‘high art’ and ‘low art.’ Music is there for everybody. It’s a river we can all put our cups into, and drink it, and be sustained by it.”

What a sweet, amazing man he is.

I agree with you. He's a treasure.

[Muad'Dib 1,946]

How could anyone not fall in love with this gorgeous woman?

It's the kind of girl I wanna date, but not the one I deserve.

[fommes 161]

Too bad that her mouth's shape resembles Keira Knightley's - that was so distracting. Fortunately Ridley can act.

[Bespin Copilot 9,633]

I feel so lucky to have such taste in music and the opportunity to celebrate such a great, kind, wonderful and gifted living composer.

I LOVE YOU MR. WILLIAMS!

[KK 3,310]

Lovely interview.

[artguy360 2,025]

I love how JW intentionally wrote Rey's theme to be close to the Force theme. You can hear how he played with the two throughout the score and I hope he will continue to evolve Rey's theme and align it with Rey's theme in Ep. 8.

[A. A. Ron 2,263]

Too bad that her mouth's shape resembles Keira Knightley's - that was so distracting. Fortunately Ridley can act.

I think everything about her is distracting. Not surprising though, I'm a straight male and only slightly older than she is.

[Brónach 1,318]

Too bad that her mouth's shape resembles Keira Knightley's - that was so distracting. Fortunately Ridley can act.

I really like her looks but I never dug Keira's.

[RuBen_Kenobi 20]

Great interview. And it looks to me that if he hasn´t health problems, he is going to make Episode VIII and IX .

[Balahkay 629]

He had health problems this year and still scored TFA!

[McAwesome 1]

On 18/12/2015 at 9:29 PM, artguy360 said:

I love how JW intentionally wrote Rey's theme to be close to the Force theme. You can hear how he played with the two throughout the score and I hope he will continue to evolve Rey's theme and align it with Rey's theme in Ep. 8. 

 

I hope we see that in episode 8. I hope JW will finish the trilogy. I pray for it.

[Incanus 5,858]

A very lovely interview and shows Williams in great spirits and obviously very enthusiastic about the new film for "re-vivifying" of the franchise. Always great to read Williams' thoughts on the actual themes and how he viewed the characters and tried to express them and the story through music.

[Maurizio 5,893]

Tim Greiving has published the full unedited interview with Williams on his own blog:

 

http://projectorandorchestra.com/john-williams-on-the-force-awakens-and-the-legacy-of-star-wars/

 

Check it out, it's a wonderful piece.

 

 

[Incanus 5,858]

Thanks again Maurizio!

[Code 000. Destruct. 0. 4,261]

I read it all in his voice.  

[Loert 2,952]

Me too. It's impossible not too (unless you mistake it with God's voice).

 

 

[Lewya 361]

"In this score, there are no drum machines or electronic tricks. It’s just the orchestra."

 

Hm, did he forget the synth in The Scavenger?

[Taikomochi 1,328]

Is there not also synth choir against Rey's theme in the credits arrangement?  That's what it sounded like to me, anyways.

[Code 000. Destruct. 0. 4,261]

I reckon he means more extensive stuff than the keyboard synth parts he's composed for decades. 

[Not Mr. Big 4,818]

I wonder how he'll respond when Rian Johnson asks for an all electronic score.

[Code 000. Destruct. 0. 4,261]

Probably by thinking up a quasi-symphonic ensemble of synthesized instruments and textures, then writing for them normally as for an orchestra, and leaving the performance/realization to a skilled team.  

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,949]

He will do what he did when he was introduced to Richard Lester for Superman II.

[Marian Schedenig 10,165]

2 hours ago, Lewya said:

"In this score, there are no drum machines or electronic tricks. It’s just the orchestra."

 

Hm, did he forget the synth in The Scavenger?

 

Those are probably considered a part of the orchestra. Note that he doesn't specificy it's just acoustic instruments. But he probably differentiates between electronic instruments that play among the other instruments of the orchestra and "electronic tricks" added as a separate element or for post production effects.

[Loert 2,952]

I think the most amazing thing about this interview is when he's asked "How does 83-year-old John Williams approach a Star Wars film as opposed to 45-year-old John Williams?", and he says that at 45 he worked 10-12 hours a day, and now only around 6 hours a day. Just goes to show where lots of hard work can take you!

 

 

[Sharkissimo 1,975]

1 hour ago, Marian Schedenig said:

 

Those are probably considered a part of the orchestra. Note that he doesn't specificy it's just acoustic instruments. But he probably differentiates between electronic instruments that play among the other instruments of the orchestra and "electronic tricks" added as a separate element or for post production effects.

 

As in the heartbeat from Munich or that sequenced synth marimba in Minority Report (Elevator Confrontation, Containment Center, The Man in the Window) . I always amused those were pre-laid.

 

1 hour ago, Stefancos said:

He will do what he did when he was introduced to Richard Lester for Superman II.

 

What actually happened between Williams and Lester?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,949]

According to Ilya Salkind, John Williams had one meeting with Lester and then asked Salkind to let him go....

[nightscape94 967]

"And so there’s, I think, about 102 minutes of music in the film, and we’ve measured that there’s seven minutes of references to the earlier films. So the great preponderance of material is new—90 percent or more. "

 

Making his Oscar case.

[Jay 42,493]

102 minutes is exactly what I timed from the movie, how about that.