Live Event: Williams and Spielberg together IN PERSON "Spielberg/Williams — 50 Years of Music and Movies" Jan. 12, 2023

[Will 2,165]

Wonderful news about him continuing to score Spielberg’s films!! Already had been hinted at but this was the most definitive statement yet.

[Thor 6,721]

43 minutes ago, Michael Grigorowitsch said:

Was this recorded / will it be available to stream somewhere?

 

My question exactly.

 

Didn't know that Jon Burlingame hosted, but I suppose that goes without saying. He's the biggest film music journalist around, and has a previous record with Williams.

[Miguel Andrade 1,150]

6 hours ago, BB-8 said:

I love: "A day without music is a mistake."

German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said, “Without music, life would be a mistake.”

5 hours ago, mrbellamy said:

John Williams on retirement 

 

 

To make things clear, he never said he would retire from music making, just would stop writing for film, focusing on concert music.

[Marian Schedenig 7,491]

No quote I've seen explicitly confirms that he will absolutely continue scoring Spielberg's films, but at least he's clearly open to it, so it mainly depends on what & when Spielberg does next. As most of us expected anyway, but this quasi confirmation is still a nice little birthday gift if I do say so myself.

[Luke Skywalker 1,668]

Maybe he scores indy VI!!!

[Thor 6,721]

9 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

No quote I've seen explicitly confirms that he will absolutely continue scoring Spielberg's films, but at least he's clearly open to it, so it mainly depends on what & when Spielberg does next. As most of us expected anyway, but this quasi confirmation is still a nice little birthday gift if I do say so myself.

 

Happy birthday, Marian!

[Muad'Dib 1,772]

6 hours ago, mrbellamy said:

John Williams on retirement 

 

 

He could form a club with Miyazaki. 

[mrbellamy 5,990]

Nice write-up on the event

 

53 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

No quote I've seen explicitly confirms that he will absolutely continue scoring Spielberg's films, but at least he's clearly open to it, so it mainly depends on what & when Spielberg does next. As most of us expected anyway, but this quasi confirmation is still a nice little birthday gift if I do say so myself.

 

I think him adding "I'll stick around for awhile" makes it pretty clear that he's in. I guess it would just depend mostly if Spielberg wants to do Ready Player Two. 

 

And it is interesting that Spielberg was visibly surprised, so it must have been seriously discussed and agreed between them that Williams would bow out. 

 

Quote

Steven is a lot of things,” Williams said in response to a question from veteran music journalist Jon Burlingame about packing it in. “He’s a director, he’s a producer, he’s a studio head, he’s a writer, he’s a philanthropist, he’s an educator. One thing he isn’t is a man you can say ‘no’ to.” After an eruption of applause from the audience, Williams noted that he knew Spielberg’s late father, Arnold, who worked at Spielberg’s Shoah Foundation until he was 100. “So I’ve got 10 more years to go. I’ll stick around for a while!” He added, “Also, you can’t ‘retire’ from music. It’s like breathing. It’s your life. It’s my life. A day without music is a mistake.”

 

Spielberg, who was visibly taken aback at Williams’ change of plans, cracked, “I’d better get to work to find out what the hell I’m doing next!”

 

Do the western, Steven. 

[BB-8 2,943]

5 minutes ago, Muad'Dib said:

 

He could form a club with Miyazaki. 

And Alfred Brendel...

[DangerMotif 984]

6 hours ago, mrbellamy said:

John Williams on retirement 

 

I don’t think he ever really was planning on retiring after Indy 5. Obviously nothing is official until he starts writing though

pretty detailed transcript 

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/steven-spielberg-john-williams-50-year-collaboration-retirement-1235298681/

 

Grown adults were grinning like awestruck children as the legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg and composer John Williams discussed their unparalleled 50-year collaboration during an American Cinematheque celebration of the duo at the Writers Guild of America Theater in Beverly Hills on Thursday night (Jan. 12) — and that was before Williams, 90, thrilled the crowd, and surprised Spielberg, by rescinding his prior declaration that he would retire from film scoring after his latest project with Spielberg, The Fabelmans and then one more Indiana Jones film.

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“Steven is a lot of things,” Williams said in response to a question from veteran music journalist Jon Burlingame about packing it in. “He’s a director, he’s a producer, he’s a studio head, he’s a writer, he’s a philanthropist, he’s an educator. One thing he isn’t is a man you can say ‘no’ to.” After an eruption of applause from the audience, Williams noted that he knew Spielberg’s late father, Arnold, who worked at Spielberg’s Shoah Foundation until he was 100. “So I’ve got 10 more years to go. I’ll stick around for a while!” He added, “Also, you can’t ‘retire’ from music. It’s like breathing. It’s your life. It’s my life. A day without music is a mistake.”

Spielberg, who was visibly taken aback at Williams’ change of plans, cracked, “I’d better get to work to find out what the hell I’m doing next!”

Between carefully curated clips from some of the 29 films they have teamed up for, Spielberg and Williams discussed how they met (a Universal executive suggested that Spielberg, a young director in need of a composer, and Williams, an up-and-coming composer, meet for lunch), how they work together (Williams rarely accepts Spielberg’s offer to read a script prior to production, opting instead to wait until it’s done, at which points, Spielberg says, “John sees the movie, then we sit down the next day, and we just start discussing where there should or should not be music”) and they spoke about the role that music plays in the movies, generally, and in their movies, specifically.

“Music is probably older than language,” Williams asserted. “It is a very important thing in all of us — when we’re grieving, when we’re happy. We don’t know why. It’s unknowable.” As for how he determines if a film scene does or does not require musical accompaniment? “In the end, the film tells us, if we pay attention enough. It’s mainly intuitive.” Spielberg paid tribute Williams’ contributions by stating, “I tell a story, and then John retells the story musically.”

Spielberg was aware of Williams’ work before they met, having worn out his copy of the vinyl soundtrack for The Reivers, a 1969 film that Williams had scored. When they first sat down together, Spielberg — a student of film history and film music whose late mother, Leah, was a classical pianist — “seemed to know more about film music than I did,” Williams realized, so Williams agreed to work with him on Sugarland Express. 

They began on that film in 1972 — it was released in 1974, and then a year later came Jaws, the first of their truly immortal collaborations. Of Williams’ simple but haunting score for that thriller, Spielberg admitted to Williams, “I was scared when you first played it for me on the piano. I didn’t know you that well. I thought you were pulling my leg.” But Williams had hit on something: “You could play it very softly or very quickly, or soft or loud, so you could kind of manipulate an audience,” he explained.

Music was a central part of the plot of 1977’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind, with its five-note signature tune — arrived at after 100 permutations were considered — representing a means of communication between humans and aliens. Discussing 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark and 1982’s E.T., with their iconic themes, Williams said to Spielberg, “You and I have always been talking about tempo on films,” observing that the addition of music can make four minutes of screen time feel like two.

Both men faced two massive challenges in 1993: Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List. Spielberg marveled that Williams had scored the former without the dinosaurs having already been added via visual effects, and yet still captured musically the childlike sense of wonder of the characters, who were, at least at that time, played by actors who were “looking up at nothing.” Williams scored Jurassic Park while Spielberg began work on Schindler’s, marking one of the few times that the filmmaker wasn’t present for a Williams scoring session. 

As for the role that music would play in Schindler’s? “I really didn’t have a plan,” Spielberg admits. When he finally showed a cut of the film to Williams, Williams was so moved that he was unable to speak for several minutes. “Then,” Williams recounted, “I said, ‘Steven, you need a better composer than I to score this film.’ And he said, ‘I know, but they’re all dead.’” Williams’ violin-centric score ended up being one of his masterpieces, as the film is one of Spielberg’s.

Sometimes, the duo explained, less is actually more when it comes to music in films. They said they never even considered incorporating music into the famous opening sequence of 1998’s Saving Private Ryan, but decided to employ the trumpet and low strings to stir emotion in later scenes, most famously in the hushed and reverential choral finale. “Musically, it honors all of the veterans, both today and yesterday,” Spielberg said of Williams’ composition for that film, “and it’s why the military is always asking if they can play this score.”

[mrbellamy 5,990]

The main thing this is making me think is that he was probably hinting at the franchise stuff more than anything with that original quote. Spielberg has always been efficient with Williams's time. 

 

I do hope this makes Spielberg prioritize projects that Williams would be most interested in.

[DangerMotif 984]

6 minutes ago, mrbellamy said:

The main thing this is making me think is that he was probably hinting at the franchise stuff more than anything with that original quote. Spielberg has always been efficient with Williams's time. 

 

I do hope this makes Spielberg prioritize projects that Williams would be most interested in.

And actually need/use his music

[igger6 846]

Fantastic news!  I've actually been Googling "Spielberg's next project" for a couple of days now trying to theorize.   When Williams mentioned "a graphic novel" at the Milan concert, I Googled that, too, but the only thing that came up was Maus (probably because the author's last name resembles Spielberg).  That got me thinking, could Spielberg return to animation for a Holocaust story with mice?  As it turns out, though, apparently the author of Maus had some beef with the Beard over An American Tail, so maybe that's a pipe dream.  And I think JW already spoke his definitive musical piece on that chapter of history.  Bring on the Western indeed!

 

Also, I can't wait for his next Star Wars musical rescue mission.  My prediction: some auteur hires Hildur Guðnadóttir for a streaming series, and Kathy Kennedy has to make another 3 AM phone call.

[mrbellamy 5,990]

"Kathleen Kennedy is many things"

[mahler3 471]

2 hours ago, Thor said:

 

My question exactly.

 

Didn't know that Jon Burlingame hosted, but I suppose that goes without saying. He's the biggest film music journalist around, and has a previous record with Williams.

and best! :-)

[Thor 6,721]

1 hour ago, mahler3 said:

and best! :-)

 

Well....he's excellent, no doubt, and I'm in awe of his knowledge and expertise in certain areas, but there are also some areas where I feel he's lacking in knowledge (especially certain contemporary things, like all things electronic), or approaches things differently than I would have. However, when I was younger, I always wanted to be the "new Jon Burlingame" in terms of his position and access etc. (I dreamt of landing a job at Variety or some such journal, LOL!), so he was always a "carrot" dangling in front of me that way. Oh, the naïvity of youth. 

 

To be honest, I'm not sure who my favourite film music journalist is. Never really thought about it.

[Jurassic Shark 11,039]

3 minutes ago, Thor said:

 

Well....he's excellent, no doubt, and I'm in awe of his knowledge and expertise in certain areas, but there are also some areas where I feel he's lacking in knowledge (especially certain contemporary things, like all things electronic), or approaches things differently than I would have. However, when I was younger, I always wanted to be the "new Jon Burlingame" in terms of his position and access etc. (I dreamt of landing a job at Variety or some such journal, LOL!), so he was always a "carrot" dangling in front of me that way.

 

To be honest, I'm not sure who my favourite film music journalist is. Never really thought about it.

 

You'll never guess who @mahler3 is...

[Thor 6,721]

Just now, Jurassic Shark said:

 

You'll never guess who @mahler3 is...

 

I know who he is! We're good friends. 

[artguy360 1,787]

JW has really fallen in love with this phrasing:

 

The composer said of the filmmaker: “Steven is a lot of things. He’s a director, he’s a producer, he’s a studio head, he’s a writer, he’s a philanthropist, he’s an educator. One thing he isn’t is a man you can say 'no' to.”

[JohnnyD 1,175]

The most historic and impactful collaboration in cinema. This is so awesome.

[Disco Stu 15,483]

3 hours ago, BB-8 said:

 

 

I immediately noticed that Spielberg looked up at the screen while they played the clip and Williams kept his eyes on the floor.  I have no deep analysis of this, but I noticed it!

[MrJosh 794]

51 minutes ago, artguy360 said:

JW has really fallen in love with this phrasing:

 

The composer said of the filmmaker: “Steven is a lot of things. He’s a director, he’s a producer, he’s a studio head, he’s a writer, he’s a philanthropist, he’s an educator. One thing he isn’t is a man you can say 'no' to.”

I'm excited to hear some more variations on this theme.

 

"J.J. Abrams is many things....He's a director, a master of lens flares, lover of the 'mystery box'...one thing he isn't, is a man who can give me a locked picture to score to."

[mrbellamy 5,990]

50 minutes ago, artguy360 said:

JW has really fallen in love with this phrasing:

 

The composer said of the filmmaker: “Steven is a lot of things. He’s a director, he’s a producer, he’s a studio head, he’s a writer, he’s a philanthropist, he’s an educator. One thing he isn’t is a man you can say 'no' to.”

 

The man's got his shtick and he's shticking to it. 

[BB-8 2,943]

8 minutes ago, MrJosh said:

I'm excited to hear some more variations on this theme.

 

"J.J. Abrams is many things....He's a director, a master of lens flares, lover of the 'mystery box'...one thing he isn't, is a man who can give me a locked picture to score to."

Here's another one:

 

"Ernest [Fleischmann] was a man of many things but one thing he was not was a man you could say no to."

 

GRAMOPHONE Presents Film Music 2022, page 11

[MrJosh 794]

I like the unknown aspect to the future here. Will Williams write another Spielberg score? Maybe, what will it be? It's fun to think about the possibilities.

 

SS should cast Daisy Ridley in something, then he'll be back for sure. "Daisy is many things...."

[Jay 34,942]

You're on a roll today Josh!

[DangerMotif 984]

 

[Marian Schedenig 7,491]

"There were people you could say no to, but they're all dead."

[Jay 34,942]

8 hours ago, BB-8 said:

 

 

Finally caught this video.  At 1:35, Burlingame starts asking a new question because he thought JW was done, but JW clearly had more to say.  I wonder what it was.

[Dr. Rick 1,084]

I would love to see a SS remake of The Cowboys!  It’s been decades since we had a western scored by JW.  

[Darth Mulder 150]

John Williams is the biggest liar in the universe! That son of a gun 

[JohnnyD 1,175]

10 hours ago, Michael Grigorowitsch said:

Was this recorded / will it be available to stream somewhere?

I second this question. I want to see this whole interview and discussion. Like the interview with the Maestro that was held before the Jurassic Park Live-to-Picture concert in Washington, DC on June 24, 2022, which was recorded and posted.

[Trumpeteer 280]

I'm excited there's a possibility that Indy 5 won't be the final John Williams score. Unless it turns out to be as iconic as the scores from the first three Indy movies, it would not have been the best way to go out. Now, we have to see what Spielberg cooks up. Or, maybe JW will branch out and work for another director again?

 

It also means more episodes of "The Baton" down the road! 

[Yavar Moradi 2,096]

1 hour ago, Darth Mulder said:

John Williams is the biggest liar in the universe! That son of a gun 

 

No, people just exaggerated what he originally said.

 

 

1 hour ago, Dr. Rick said:

I would love to see a SS remake of The Cowboys!  It’s been decades since we had a western scored by JW.  

 

 

But what you'd want most is for JW to revisit the same story he already scored perfectly in the 70s? I really like The Cowboys, but I for one would far prefer an *original* SS western film and for Williams to score a fresh story. (And I have nothing against remakes -- those for True Grit and 3:10 to Yuma I think are better than the originals!)

Yavar

[Tom 4,161]

My take on Williams is that he thinks at some fundamental level he should be composing only concert-hall stuff (comments from snobs and even his friends like Previn probably affect him on some level), but, at the end of day, he gets so much more satisfaction from film and event scoring.  So, he might have intended to give up films but is already bored with the concerto-only mindset--hence the ESPN thing and these comments on not retiring.  

[Brando 1,614]

2 hours ago, JohnnyD said:

I second this question. I want to see this whole interview and discussion. Like the interview with the Maestro that was held before the Jurassic Park Live-to-Picture concert in Washington, DC on June 24, 2022, which was recorded and posted.

Where was this posted to? I think I might’ve missed it.

[artguy360 1,787]

Is there video of JW saying the whole "you can't say no to" thing? 

[Jay 34,942]

4 hours ago, Brando said:

Where was this posted to? I think I might’ve missed it.

 

https://www.jwfan.com/forums/index.php?/topic/34736-john-williams-at-the-kennedy-center-jurassic-park-ltp-pre-concert-talk-june-24-2022/

[Damien F 1,614]

JW to Speilberg: "Just when I thought I was out, you pull me back in!"

[Tom 4,161]

20 hours ago, Disco Stu said:

 

I immediately noticed that Spielberg looked up at the screen while they played the clip and Williams kept his eyes on the floor.  I have no deep analysis of this, but I noticed it!

Williams is probably thinking, "You know, I have an interesting childhood too."  

[GerateWohl 3,644]

21 hours ago, Disco Stu said:

I immediately noticed that Spielberg looked up at the screen while they played the clip and Williams kept his eyes on the floor.  I have no deep analysis of this, but I noticed it!

One is a watcher, the other one a listener.

[Jurassic Shark 11,039]

On 13/01/2023 at 5:16 PM, Thor said:

 

I know who he is! We're good friends. 

 

 

I will tell you, that @mahler3 is many things. He's a great artist, and a great man. One thing he is not is Gustav Mahler nor his 3rd symphony.

[Jurassic Shark 11,039]

On 13/01/2023 at 5:11 PM, Thor said:

there are also some areas where I feel he's lacking in knowledge (especially certain contemporary things, like all things electronic)

 

Can't blame him.

[DangerMotif 984]

Pretty amazing photo when the played a clip

[JohnnyD 1,175]

2 hours ago, Gibster said:

Pretty amazing photo when the played a clip

That is a nice photo. From the reflection of his glasses, it appears the clip played was from Saving Private Ryan, the moment when Ryan’s mother is informed about the death of his three brothers.

[Ali Rahmjoo 3]

I refuse to believe it. Spielberg and Williams on the same stage and yet no anecdotes about dead composers?!

[Thor 6,721]

2 minutes ago, Ali Rahmjoo said:

I refuse to believe it. Spielberg and Williams on the same stage and yet no anecdotes about dead composers?!

 

Yes, I believe that anecdote was shared once again.

[BB-8 2,943]

Their next project may be "The Dead Composers Society"...

 

 

[Arpy 4,123]

Decomposition 

[SpaceCoyote 146]

Deadline has shared video highlights from the event (about eight minutes total).