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John Williams Writes New Theme for ESPN College Football Championship - OF GRIT AND GLORY


DangerMotif

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9 minutes ago, Gibster said:

he definitely scored to picture


Well it couldn’t have been locked picture since they didn’t know who would be playing in the game when it was recorded, but I’m sure they had similar stand-in footage that they just replaced with TCU and Georgia footage where necessary

 

EDIT:

Ah another Williams video now!  A different one!

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For anyone who tuned out after it was over, the broadcast just showed a new montage with an abridged version of the score (<30 seconds) and footage from both teams, along with snippets of Williams and the orchestra.

 

It was also used as underscore directly afterwords as people entered the field.

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I love it!

 

I love how they used footage from the recording session too. It's not just a piece of underscore, it is a concept between the beauty of making music with playing football. (Of course, I had to also watch my USC Trojans lose to Texas again - and I was at that game!)

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1 minute ago, SpaceCoyote said:

For anyone who tuned out after it was over, the broadcast just showed a new montage with an abridged version of the score (<30 seconds) and footage from both teams, along with snippets of Williams and the orchestra.


I saw it; man, I really want to see and hear the whole piece again!

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6 minutes ago, SpaceCoyote said:

For anyone who tuned out already, the broadcast just showed a new montage with an abridged version of the score (<30 seconds) and footage from both teams, along with snippets of Williams and the orchestra.

 

It was also used as underscore directly afterwords as people entered the field.

 Ah man! I had to go on dad duty and get the kids ready for bed so I missed the second part. 

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3 minutes ago, p0llux said:

who's got the clip?!?! help!!!!11


The ones at the end capture the desperation and envy of us non-Disney-bundlers!

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2 minutes ago, LB Makes Stuff said:

The ESPN camera crew did exceptional with the footage in the Sony Scoring Stage, those shots were absolutely wonderful.

 poll:

 

1-a few days from now

2-20 years from now the sessions might surface somewhere

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Just now, Nemesis said:

What a great piece! Waiting for digital release...

I think it’ll come soon. Even if the article said it hadn’t been discussed, this was one of the big selling points for the game. They’re smart enough to release it.

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5 minutes ago, Jay said:

Did nobody notice ESPN officially posted this, this afternoon? 

 

 

 

 

Isn't that the same video they posted on Twitter a couple days ago?

 

EDIT: Posted same time as Gibster :P

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1 hour ago, Toillion said:

https://fb.watch/hYtqayOYGi/?mibextid=v7YzmG

 

posted on ESPN’s Facebook 

 

YES!!!

 

2 hours ago, Gibster said:

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https://www.espnfrontrow.com/2023/01/espns-creative-content-unit-scores-with-cfp-national-championship-open-collaboration-with-legendary-composer-john-williams/

 

 

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Tonight’s College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T (7:30 ET, ESPN) represents the pinnacle of the season.

A game of this magnitude requires an opening for the ages, and ESPN’s Creative Content Unit has delivered just that with an original score from celebrated composer John Williams.

Titled “Of Grit And Glory,” the anthem is “magical, hopeful and powerful,” according to co-director and producer Martin Khodabakhshian.

“‘Star Wars,’ ‘Jurassic Park,’ ‘Harry Potter,’ ‘Home Alone,’ ‘Indiana Jones’ . . . John Williams is a genius,” Khodabakhshian said. “On the cusp of the release of ‘Indiana Jones 5,’ he wrote us an original composition, and it’s a big score. It’s like he took the best pieces of all his scores and did something special for ESPN.

“We’re going to try to make some people cry at the end of this thing. I can’t oversell it. It’s beautiful. It’s amazing. [This process] was one of the most extraordinary experiences I’ve ever had and a highlight of my career.”

 

Khodabakhshian dreamed up the concept with game producer Bill Bonnell and co-director and editor Mike Sciallis of Victory Pictures. Khodabakhshian and Sciallis wrote Williams what they described as a “love letter,” expressing their adoration for Williams’s influence through movies and sports.

The legendary composer received the letter and was moved to write the score. The piece features a 96-piece orchestra; the musicians got the call six days before recording and – in less than three hours on Dec. 21 – saw the music for the first time, did a couple of run-throughs, and then recorded it for the tease.

ESPN’s camera crew captured the recording session of this extraordinary composition created for the night of college football’s biggest game.

“You trust that it’s John Williams, so what he’s written we’re going to love,” said ESPN Vice President of Production Julie McGlone, who oversees the Creative Content Unit and The SportsCenter Enhancement Unit. “It was the best musicians in the industry and a fascinating exercise to watch it unfold.”

The anthem features one of the greatest legends in music paired with some of college football’s greatest legends, as Tony Dorsett, Vince Young, Tommie Frazier, Peter Warrick, and Tim Tebow – now an ESPN/SEC Network college football analyst – give voice to their myth-making championship moments and what made their trophy-winning nights so extraordinary.

Williams, who is now 90, maintains the distinction of being the record holder for the most Oscar nominations for a living person (52) and ranks only behind Walt Disney (59) as the most-nominated person in Academy Awards history.

“Intercollegiate football has been at the heart and soul of our nation’s life for so long, that the opportunity to musically salute this great tradition has been a particularly meaningful joy for me,” Williams shared exclusively with Variety.

“I was thrilled and excited when ESPN suggested that I write a theme for the January 9th championship game. The games themselves always raise the collective spirit, and in the end, the competition brings us all closer to a place where the concept of winners and losers dissolves into mutual respect and admiration. The invitation to write this music constitutes a great honor for me, and I feel especially privileged to make a small contribution to one of our country’s most treasured traditions.”

“John Williams doesn’t miss,” Khodabakhshian gushed. “When you initially hear [the score], you’re like, ‘Holy crap, I was not expecting that for college football, a championship game.'”

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So much love, admiration and respect for the Maestro. Rightly deserved, too!

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They used a little bit of the ostinato at the end of the first quarter!

 

Btw, if you want to push for a release of the music, perhaps you could try tweeting at @bhofheimer_espn if you have a Twitter account. No idea if he has any power over this, but can't hurt.

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