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Star Wars: The Last Jedi score

Discussion in 'Star Wars And Film Music' started by Strilo , May 9, 2016.

  1. Strilo

    Strilo Manager Emeritus star 8 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Aug 6, 2001
    I swear I once created a thread to discuss the upcoming score and music for Episode 8, but I cannot find it anywhere. So! Let's talk about it here. What do we expect from Episode 8's score? A few more pieces of the original trilogy music? Perhaps something prequel related? Which themes from TFA do we think will carry over? What will John evolve and mature? Will there be new themes?

    Personally I think it's a given that all the new main themes from TFA will carry over. I look forward to more mature and evolved renditions of Rey's theme. I also think Kylo Ren's theme is just begging to progress and become more complex, perhaps tying into other themes (new or...?)

    I also would love to hear a few statements of Luke and Leia's theme, perhaps one of the most underused, yet beautiful themes in the Star Wars canon.

    What do YOU think??
     
  2. Skydoll

    Skydoll Jedi Master star 1

    Registered:
    Apr 27, 2016
    I suppose the big question is whether Episode VIII will be scored by John Williams. I'm hoping it s of course, and then the themes wil develop the way he always intended.

    If another composer takes over, I wonder how much it'll become more of a corporate exercise - that is, how much Disney will insist that any new composer will use themes originally written by Williams, or how much room a new composer will have to flex their own creativity.

    If Williams is back, what I'd really like to hear I'd the evolution of Klyo Ren's fanfare into a full-blooded theme. It struck me as an element that was - not underdeveloped exactly - but just the first remark in a conversation, if you know what I mean. Something of a root that could grow into a full-bodied tree.

    I really, really loved Rey's theme in TFA... I think it's one of the most beautiful and lyrical themes Williams has written for Star Wars. So I'd like to hear new variations upon that. I think we could reap dividends there. As that theme is both complex and simple in its orchestral color - it could go so many ways.

    It's been said that JW's themes for TFA aren't as instantly recognizable of "easy to hum" as ones from the earlier films, but I've had "Follow Me" stuck in my head ever since I first heard it. If anything, with the exception of Ren's theme for the reasons mentioned above, they're more sophisticated, take more unexpected turns than earlier themes. Maybe I'm imagining that, but it seems to me the more I listen to that soundtrack, the more layers unfurl, the more new elements I hadn't heard first time around make themselves known to me.
     
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  3. Strilo

    Strilo Manager Emeritus star 8 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Aug 6, 2001
    Personally, I'm confident that Williams will be back to score Episode 8.
     
  4. Howard Hand

    Howard Hand Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 11, 2015
    So am I for the most part.


    I'm hoping we get a significantly different "soundscape" for this score. The throwback nature of TFA's writing was a real treat but I wanna see Johnson push Williams to go "weirder" this time around (like Cuaron did for Prisoner of Azkaban).
     
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  5. Strilo

    Strilo Manager Emeritus star 8 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Aug 6, 2001
    That's a great idea. I still feel POA was Williams' best Harry Potter score.
     
  6. themoth

    themoth Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 5, 2015
    Me too.
     
  7. Strilo

    Strilo Manager Emeritus star 8 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Aug 6, 2001
    Do I need to add the (working) title to this thread? ;)
     
  8. Xinau

    Xinau Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 22, 2015
    This seems newsworthy:

    http://variety.com/2016/film/spotlight/john-williams-afi-1201792072-1201792072/
     
  9. themoth

    themoth Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 5, 2015
    He'll do it.
     
  10. Strilo

    Strilo Manager Emeritus star 8 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Aug 6, 2001
    I think it's very likely.
     
  11. TOASTEROVEN

    TOASTEROVEN Jedi Master star 1

    Registered:
    May 24, 2005

    Yeah, I hope that Williams will continue to work Rey's theme into new melodies, and do that with Resistance theme, as well. Maybe he'll take Poe's theme and make a standalone piece around it. Because we've had a few "relationship" motifs before ("Han Solo and the Princess" or "Luke and Leia" or "Across the Stars") perhaps we'll have at least one more for VIII, like "Finn and Rey" or "Rey and Poe" or "Rey and Luke." Hm. Come to think of it, I suppose that it's very likely that Williams will revisit "Luke and Leia." R2-D2 and C3PO's theme could reappear, but this time it could cover BB-8, too.

    Now, has Finn got a leitmotif? John Boyega should contractually demand one. The new character played by Benicio Del Toro might have one, and, with an expanded role, maybe there'll be some recognizable elements for when Captain Phasma appears.
     
  12. Howard Hand

    Howard Hand Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 11, 2015
    While debatable, it's highly likely that the primary action motif from "Follow Me" and "The Falcon" (reprised in "The Rathtars" and the end credits suite) is motif of sorts for Finn. That being said, I wouldn't be surprised if that identity were dropped altogether in favor of something more long-lined and prominent.
     
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  13. DARTH_BELO

    DARTH_BELO Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 25, 2003
    I also am pretty confident Williams will be back for VIII. There's no reason he'd already be set for doing the new Indiana Jones movie (which doesn't come out for a few years yet) but wouldn't do Episode VIII. At any rate, it likely won't even be until early next year that he'd even begin the earliest work. Scores are not really worked on (or completed) until about 4-6 months before a film's release. We still have 18 months till it comes out.

    That said, I would love to hear Rey's theme again, perhaps expanded abit. I also would love to hear some form of "the Skywalker Saga" revisited, if Luke and Leia appear together at any point. I'm hoping for some memorable new themes as well. Each film has their own, and TFA had Rey's Theme and March of the Resistance. I wonder what new we'll hear...
     
  14. Taggle

    Taggle Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Jul 9, 2016
    Well, let's hope Williams is back, despite his age. Not least because there are several hinted at themes in the Force Awakens soundtrack that are ripe for development. The short piece in Jedi Steps being one of them. A new composer would certainly not develop any of these, certainly not in a way that fits.
     
  15. Sarge

    Sarge Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Oct 4, 1998
    When Disney announced the sequel trilogy, JW said publicly that he intended to score them all, and that he is eating his Wheaties.
     
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  16. Strilo

    Strilo Manager Emeritus star 8 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Aug 6, 2001
    So my understanding is that Williams and crew have already been recording score for Episode VIII. It's way way early, but my guess is they already had these sessions scheduled when the release date was originally May 2017 and the picture is locked enough that John can not only begin composing, but recording as well. I am sure pieces will move around and additional sessions will happen closer to the release date, but I think this is really cool. Seems to me Williams does some pretty amazing scores when he has lots of time to compose and record.
     
  17. Howard Hand

    Howard Hand Jedi Master star 4

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    Feb 11, 2015
    Does anybody else find it kind of strange that neither Williams nor Johnson have mentioned each other by name yet? Especially considering that the first recording sessions just took place. Oh well, there'll probably be something by Celebration.
    Johnson's musical preferences have proven to be far different and eccentric than anybody Williams has worked with. I hope that just means that there'll be a madcap musical experiment here or there (and not a strained and sour collaboration where the two can't meet each others' aesthetic).
    That could be it, though he has also has a busy slate for 2017. Had he decided to score VIII normally, he'd have to record 3 scores in the span of less than half a year.
     
  18. RDeckard

    RDeckard Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Dec 28, 2015
    Williams will almost certainly score VIII.

    I'm looking for an expanded Kylo Ren theme, personally. He has a fanfare and a sort of ominous tone, but I think the fanfare of sorts could be fleshed out quite a bit like Rey's theme was in TFA.
     
  19. Howard Hand

    Howard Hand Jedi Master star 4

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    Feb 11, 2015
    He's already scoring it!
     
  20. RDeckard

    RDeckard Jedi Knight star 1

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    Dec 28, 2015
    Sorry, I meant to say 8 and 9
     
  21. Strilo

    Strilo Manager Emeritus star 8 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Aug 6, 2001
    I'm pretty sure the only reason Williams would not score Ep 9 is if he's (god forbid) no longer with us.
     
  22. RDeckard

    RDeckard Jedi Knight star 1

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    Dec 28, 2015
    In all likelihood, if John Williams becomes less able to score films, he might be hired to just write themes on piano for Ep 9 with orchestrations by another person.

    I believe John Williams did this with "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets". I would hope we can get the thematic material from Williams to complete the series.
     
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  23. Howard Hand

    Howard Hand Jedi Master star 4

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    Feb 11, 2015
    To be honest, a couple new Williams themes with orchestrator-adapted old music to fill in the gaps would still be preferable to a complete score by Giacchino (or somebody similar). At least we'd get a couple great new themes and some semblance of cohesion across the trilogy.
     
  24. RDeckard

    RDeckard Jedi Knight star 1

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    Dec 28, 2015
    I'm not sure how I feel about that, because the prequels heavily reuse tracks from each other (Duel of the Fates in particular) and it doesn't fit just right.

    The reason I'm okay with Giacchino is Disney could do a lot worse than that. The idea of Hans Zimmer getting his untalented hands on a Star Wars score isn't just appalling, it's horrifying enough to make the movie unwatchable, regardless of the plot.
     
  25. Strilo

    Strilo Manager Emeritus star 8 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Aug 6, 2001
    Well, we know that Williams is doing the score for Ep 8, so we can breathe easy for now. Time will tell on future works.
     
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