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Just watched this. Still in shock. Incredible. Music is incredible. Obviously hard to say if it's Williams but I hope it is (yes, I know it is clearly beefed up by a music house, but that doesn't rule out it being mostly Williams.) As a word of caution, it is helpful to note that acoustic orchestral sound does not necessarily mean it's Williams. I know that there was at least some live recording for TFA trailer 3, for example, which was not at all Williams. I will say, though, that some spots near the beginning seem very tenderly orchestrated in a way you wouldn't necessarily expect from a music house. Loved hearing the TFA themes!! And the visuals ... man, they didn't even show the planet I most wanted to see, and it was still breathtaking. Hooray for Star Wars!!!

This might get you close

Lando system?

Krayt dragon eats Finn, Ewoks inherit the universe.

Here we go again....

If you're lucky he'll compose a new concerto about you!

Yeah... No thank you.

I like your enthusiasm Will! I dug the trailer also. I like the look and feel of the film, and the music is indeed incredible. I have a good feeling about this.

I will give credit to Disney for doing an incredible job blurring the sound of trailer music and John Williams. That first half genuinely sounded like a Williams composition (complete with orchestra) but as the trailer went on it felt more like trailer house on steroids.

Don't forget: the logo is red. That's turning to the Dark Side too. And C-3P0 has a red arm. So clearly he's going to turn to the Dark Side.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure the beginning at least is Williams. Even if a trailer music company did decide to use Rey and Kylo's themes, I guess it probably wouldn't have sounded like that given the way the Force theme, for example, has been handled in previous promos. Leaning toward the second half being him too, I think, obviously with "enhancements"...the trumpets and the woodwind flourish do sound like a real performance to me, and I'm not sure anybody just writing trailer music would have made that natural connection between the Force theme and the little tag from Rey's theme. I mean, I just don't think it would have occurred to anybody else to continue that thread between the two themes, seems like a bit of an obscure reference and melodically it's a pretty clean line from one into the other there. If it's not Williams, well then respect to whoever was paying attention.

Very curious to get official word on Williams' involvement in the teaser. That first half does sound like it very well could be his work, but I don't hear anything that makes me 100% sure. In any case, I like it a lot. Kudos to the marketing team for letting Rey's and Kylo Ren's themes be featured.

Probably, but I can still dream. I just like the idea of Williams being that versatile that he knows how to get down with the kids when the job calls for it.

Nice combination of Rey's Theme and Force Theme counterpointed, like at the end of TFA end credits. Also Ren's theme as we see the smashed helmet.

Don't worry: Will will be here to remind us that the music may or may not be by Williams, and that there's no way to know for sure unless someone officially confirms it!

I just hope the trailer has music.

LOL. The face says it all. Bam, right into camera. Is Williams waving to Puck?

Found these pics off twitter feed #johnwilliams

If the "Angry Dumbledore" was just that one isolated incident I probably wouldn't mind it that much, but everyone in GOF is so over-the-top and Dumbledore seems constantly pissed throughout the whole film that it makes that scene a convenient scapegoat for the overall issues with its choices in tone and characterization. I think it's actually wildly entertaining as a standalone action/adventure but it reminds me the least of the spirit of the books out of all the films, so it's hard not to be of two minds about it. Whereas a movie like POA, I get the gripes about the adaptation of the plot stuff, but to me it translates the whole vibe of what Rowling was trying to do with that world so well that I give it high marks as an adaptation. Characterization is mostly respectful of the book counterparts (I think this movie has the best Harry, actually), and visually it reminds me a lot of her wordplay in those books -- the way it emphasizes the seasonal transitions, or compositions that show off the geography of the castle or casually draw your eye to little details. Columbus/Newell were always a little more insistent on the magical stuff than Rowling, whereas Yates generally kept himself a little too distant from it all for my liking (while paradoxically being a bit too cutesy on the occasions that he did engage in the whimsy, such as IMO the Dumbledore's Army training montage or the potions class in HBP.)

While you're at it, could you ask him why he doesn't write choral music anymore? Thanks.

It would seem the best way these days is to play the Star Wars theme outside his house.

FAMILY PILOT is a good example of this.

No thanks.

Hehehe... Dipshit!

Or the mstrox thread!

The Victory Of The Daleks is gre....no wait!

I was just going to ask you what you thought about it in your own thread. Wasn't expecting to see you fraternising out here.

Jason? In General Discussion, where we arent allowed to discuss John Williams really.

I must say, I'm not really a fan of Cohen. He's more a poet than a singer to me. I never connected (so far) with his material. I'm young to listen to Aznavour... but I connected... his way of singing the time that passes... the youth that passes... It's pretty unique. I'm fascinated by men that have a woman sensibility and used it in their art, without being ashamed of it. So this is why I'm also a fan of Roy Orbison.

A lot that music if not all of it had to be Williams! (in his full embrace of modern trailerific style) Surely! I hope it was all him because it's great!

He's certainly more than earned his semi-retirement from film scoring. I enjoyed the pause right before "...really knowledgeable" like he was searching for the polite way to say "obsessive weirdos who need to get a life."

I also imagine that the number of people who actually hate the prequels so much that they would boo Hayden Christensen in person at a Star Wars convention is pretty low. That's a special kind of asshole, it's just a completely different sort of mood being in the middle of that kind of energy as opposed to playing bitter armchair critic alone at 1am online.....I'm pretty indifferent to the prequels myself and very critical of Christensen's performance, but hell, I smiled when he came walking out to "Battle of the Heroes" with all those fans cheering him on. I mean, fuck it, I would have stood and clapped with everyone else if I was there. To be fair, he came out along with Ian McDiarmid so it was a shared ovation, but he's a likable enough guy who hasn't been around much lately and the dude represents a core part of the saga, like it or not. Is it such a huge surprise that hardcore Star Wars fans want Anakin Skywalker's autograph?

Thanks for your reply Thor! Sadie Roosa, the WGBH rep, claims in the email that if they are able to determine to a certainty that their organisation still has full rights clearance to the footage, that it would be digitised and made available for free anyway. In fact, if I really wanted to take my chances, I'd put up my own $60 if indeed it lead to the episode being made openly accessible. (And I might very do that in the near future). I'm keen to look through a whole heap of episodes; next on my list would be where Joshua Bell performs the Alexander Courage Porgy and Bess Violin fantasy. I totally understand that other people will want to see other episode; and you are right that this will indeed frustrate fundraising efforts if we cannot agree how to best expend out our money to get this done. It would be much easier of course if we knew our money went towards a definitive product/service, but as the email states, we would for the present only be spending money to see if something is at all possible. Sadie also states that if they determine that there is no rights clearance, that the episodes can be made available on their premises for private ('research') viewing for a much more substantive fee; But seeing as I live in Sydney, that's a prohibitive option for me physically as well a financially. Maybe we can invite forum members to suggest episodes, then based on that we can put up an opinion poll to make a short list, and then we can establish a crowdfunding page to raise the funds at least for a 'Rights Assessment' for those particular episodes. Hopefully we can spread the fixed cost across as many members as possible, and make it cheaper for everyone interested. Just my thoughts... Cheers!

My favorite use of choir in a Williams score is definitely Close Encounters, where it mostly serves as subtle coloration. That's generally my favorite way he uses choir, to add an "otherworldliness" on top of the orchestra.

Azkaban is the best of the Potter films

I remember back in 2004 (13 years ago!), some members here (some of the dumb drama queens, I like to call them ) were deeply concerned whether JW would live long enough to do ROTS. And even if he did, whether he would be mentally and physically fit for the strenuous task of composing and conducting the ROTS score. Going on and on and on about his old age, not realizing apparently that harping on somebody's old age can be quite offensive, not to mention annoying and distracting as hell. JW was 72 then. And now look at JW now! I hope he lives for another 15 years at least! Yes, he sometimes does that. Prologue from Hook is the best example, although this theme was of course used in the film proper.

All joking aside, JWFan is not a forum where those distinctions are easily made. Gentle discussions can become heated arguments and go back again quite easily. Topics can completely shift within a few posts and a thread that was about Episode 9 can suddenly be about...I dunno. Forum etiquette? You just gotta go with the flow and use your judgement whether someone is being serious, sarcastic, or a bit of a dick. I freely admit to being all three. Often within a single post. This is a now quite old, niche forum where a lot of people know each other for quite a few years. On and off the forum. So they know each others writing styles, tropes and call backs. I understand that for a newbie that can be confusing.