1294 replies to this topic

[Stefancos]

The way Spielberg pre-visualises his movies nowadays makes it seem sometimes that he puts all his creativity there and the actual filming is just a necessary evil.

[indy4]

I often wonder if it's a good thing that he shoots so fast.

Yeah, we all know how Raiders of the Lost Ark turned out!

[BloodBoal]

I often wonder if it's a good thing that he shoots so fast.

Yeah, we all know how Raiders of the Lost Ark turned out!

Yeah, RoTLA was shot pretty fast.

[Michael]

It's his style. He's one director that can shoot fast and still have great results. Also, he can shoot fast because he has a giant team behind him.

I always wondered how Kubrick could take so much time in filming a movie and still keep a low budget. Take for example Eyes Wide Shut: It took about 3 years to film and it costed only 60 million! That's impressive.

[Chaac]

I think Spielberg goes int shooting with a very clear idea of what he wants and connects well with the actors.

Kubrick used to shoot gigantic amounts of footage and "created" the film later.

[Incanus]

Spielberg I think became afraid of going over time and over budget so much after Jaws, CEO3K and most definitely after 1941 that he made himself a promise not to go over time with his film shoots ever again. He usually shoots very fast, has a clear picture of what he wants but on the other hand is ready to improvise and change things if input from the actors etc. might prove to be useful to the scene. But he keeps a brisk pace always, having many many set ups a day. He has even finished shooting some of his films like Catch Me If You Can ahead of schedule, if I remember correctly. It seems to have become a point of honor to him.

[Matt C]

Someone actually got their picture taken with Spielberg in Richmond:



I'm very jealous. This is the first time I've ever seen Spielberg posing for pictures with bystanders, most of the time he's very discreet and private.

[Luke Skywalker]

Steven Spielberg: Master of Disguise....Come on Steve! The cap gives you away...

I mean if i saw spielberg without a cap i would think i had just seen on the street a bearded middle aged man that resembpled SS.

[BloodBoal]

Someone actually got their picture taken with Spielberg in Richmond:



I'm very jealous. This is the first time I've ever seen Spielberg posing for pictures with bystanders, most of the time he's very discreet and private.

That's not Steven Spielberg! That's a look-alike! Thats... That's Bob Hoskins!

[mrbellamy]

Behind-the-scenes pic of DDL in full Lincoln garb: http://thefilmstage....incoln_full.jpg

[Jason LeBlanc]

Looks awesome!

That pic was blocked at my work so here's an imageshack version: http://img842.images...ldaylewisli.jpg

[Incanus]

Looks awesome indeed!

[Alexander]

Fantastic!

[Romão]

According to this post on FSM (http://filmscoremont...mID=1&archive=0), Lincoln will be recorded by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra

[indy4]

That's great - the Chicago Symphony is supposed to have one of the best brass sections in the world. Maybe this will motivate JW to finally write a trombone concerto.

[Maurizio]

Great news. I think the CSO never recorded a film score, so this is a primer. It's known that JW has lots of love for this orchestra.

[Richard Penna]

Lewis really does look like Lincoln - awesome

We could have another War Horse with the score - it's bang in the middle of JW's comfort zone.

"The Story of Abraham Lincoln"

[Michael]

That is actually quite interesting. Maybe it means that the score will sound more acoustic instead of the "Hollywood studio orchestra" we've had with the latest releases...

And I still wonder if Williams will go for his usual Americana style or try something a little more different. Lincoln's Theme will obviously be Americana, but what about the rest? Maybe it will sound like an Oliver Stone film... Oh well, we'll just have to wait and see.

It's very exciting, though

[mrbellamy]

That's great - the Chicago Symphony is supposed to have one of the best brass sections in the world. Maybe this will motivate JW to finally write a trombone concerto.

JW did write his Horn Concerto for Dale Clevenger, the principal hornist of the CSO. Makes me wonder if we'll be hearing a lot of French Horn solos in this score.

[Stefancos]

Id be surprised if we didnt.

[Miguel Andrade]

Maybe this will motivate JW to finally write a trombone concerto.

He kind of did, by adapting his Tuba concerto for bass trombone.

[indy4]

Not a ton of new information here, but Katie Couric does reveal at the end that the reason Lincoln isn't coming out until December 2012 is that Spielberg doesn't want it to affect the US presidential election.

[Stefancos]

Wait?

Is Lincoln running again?

[indy4]

Well, he has to win the primary first. The Republicans have been a little fickle so far, so it's not clear.

[Stefancos]

What happened to Herman Cain? He was promising. His stance on foreign policy was very illuminating.

[indy4]

He was accused of sexually assaulting a few women, his ratings shot down and he dropped out.

[Stefancos]

Please Indy. No politics.

[indy4]

[indy4]

According to Mr. Richardson, JW's personal assistant, "John has just commenced composing a major new film score, which will keep him fully occupied for the next 6 months."

[Mr Big]

I sure hope Lincoln won't become "Amistad 2". I'm not a fan of John William's pastoral Americana but I'm guessing it won't be robust Americana like The Patriot. And I really hope it's not soft and understated Americana like Saving Private Ryan.

[Incanus]

I am kind of hoping for Americana writing with a small group of instrumental soloists giving the music unique colouring. Something in the spirit of Air and Simple Gifts.

[indy4]

As long as it's different enough to be fresh, but written with the brilliance that seems to infect almost all of Williams' scores I'll be happy.

[KK.]

I personally love Amistad. The ethnic writing is fantastic and the Americana in the score is great too.

I really like Williams' Americana, especially when fleshed out for a full orchestra.

[indy4]

I love Amistad too. In fact, recently I've been realizing that after studying and analyzing Williams' works there's very few that I don't love, or at least deeply appreciate.

[Incanus]

I personally love Amistad. The ethnic writing is fantastic and the Americana in the score is great too.

I really like Williams' Americana, especially when fleshed out for a full orchestra.

It is a really wonderful score that combines the familiar Americana with the African choral and percussion in a great way.

I love Amistad too. In fact, recently I've been realizing that after studying and analyzing Williams' works there's very few that I don't love, or at least deeply appreciate.

Pretty much my sentiments exactly.

[KK.]

I personally love Amistad. The ethnic writing is fantastic and the Americana in the score is great too.

I really like Williams' Americana, especially when fleshed out for a full orchestra.

It is a really wonderful score that combines the familiar Americana with the African choral and percussion in a great way.

I think the score is sometimes underrated. Judging from some of the comments I've read on this board, not many people like Amistad as much as his other works. But when I first heard the score, it blew me away. The African choral parts are absolutely (I love Cinque's Theme) and the Americana is breathtaking in cues like The Long Road to Justice. A great score in my opinion.

I love Amistad too. In fact, recently I've been realizing that after studying and analyzing Williams' works there's very few that I don't love, or at least deeply appreciate.

The same goes for me. This is why I love the man so much. Not many (if any) film score composers have achieved that same level of consistency. Williams always tends to offer great scores. Even his weaker efforts are miles ahead of the average scores. His come back this year with Tintin and War Horse just proves that he can obliterate his competition whenever he wants to.

[Augie]

I didn't warm up to WAR HORSE, yet. Sometimes it needs time.
When I first listened to MUNICH and ANGELA'S ASHES, I didn't
enjoy them at all. With Williams' drama scores for films scheduled
during awards season, it happens quite a lot, although I usually
love and treasure every note my favorite composer writes, in some
way.

AMISTAD - as a score - was a highly interesting thing that didn't
come together as a fully rounded experience. We've got "Cinque's
Theme" which clearly foreshadows "Anakin's Theme" but stands
on its own as one of Williams' saddest compositions. Very rich.
The choir pieces are obviously modelled after Hans Zimmer's
"The Lion King" which were also the temp track (you can clearly
hear Williams channeling Zimmer, who outpassed him, popularity-
wise, in the 90s, during that time). At the same time, they have
the same class and substance as the Welsh choir material in
"Empire of the Sun" - which, in turn, was also temp tracked by
another composer (namely Morricone, The Mission). But there
are also Americana parts in there that are more on the boring
side - and so was the whole movie. I can see why it flopped.

AMISTAD was also suffering from a blundering album edit like
most of Williams' scores of the Nineties and the Noughties which
didn't do much for it as a listening experience. As a transitional,
but compromised piece it holds up well in my eyes. Just as the
last-minute replacement scores JW did at the same time, like
the beautiful, but not fully fleshed out STEPMOM, SLEEPERS
and ROSEWOOD, which were done in a hurry. In that respect,
AMISTAD is one of many.

William's real masterpiece of the late Nineties must be SEVEN
YEARS IN TIBET, though. That was a replacement score as well,
but it doesn't come across as truncated as the pieces mentioned
above.

Talking LINCOLN, I'm hoping JW comes up with an approach that's
more fresh than what he did on WAR HORSE, which - at least in my
eyes - was too much of a drawback to his early Nineties compositional
style, even with the then fashionable synth stuff that sounds akward
today. Get over it - WAR HORSE sounds like a routine job.

LINCOLN, which was shot pretty quick, will have a smaller, character-
driven scope, which always worked very well for John Williams. Also,
if the man has 6 months of time (and without 2 more score assignments
and 3 concertos to distract him), maybe we finally get another major
masterpiece. WAR HORSE wasn't. People just want it to be one.

Augie
(your guy in Mos Eisley)

[Sandor]

Get over it - WAR HORSE sounds like a routine job.

Mr. Funnyman is in the house!

[Stefancos]

I would agree that War Horse, like Tintin is not a top 10 Williams score, not even top 20.

This forum tends to go hog wild on new Williams scores.
We shall see how well they will be remembered.

[Sandor]

I would agree that War Horse, like Tintin is not a top 10 Williams score, not even top 20.

That's not even what he said so who are you agreeing with...?