Hey all.
I’ve been doing some edits for a while but I’ve never posted on here about them before. One of my favourite composers alive is John Williams. His ability to compose is second to none. I hope to one day be able to compose music that is thought of as fondly as his.
In my ever growing attempt to learn what he does (in essence apprentice myself to him from afar) I’ve been studying what he does, the decisions he makes, how he orchestrates those decisions, and just about everything I can learn about him musically speaking.
As my understanding of him grew, and I began to branch out from his albums into more curious areas of research like the actual scores themselves (because the album edits are just that, edits of the scores), I began to learn more. Certain tracks I was always curious about made me wonder where they came from and such.
For example, there was a cue on the Jurassic Park album that I never listened to, and ironically enough, it’s the track that Steven Spielberg specifically speaks about in his notes of the album. “Raptor Attack.” I never listened to it because it didn’t mean anything to me. It wasn’t in the film, it was mostly atonal and not really listen able.
As I began to study the Jurassic Park score, I realized that some of that cue was used in the film during the kitchen sequence, so I layered the rest of the cue over the film and viola! That’s where it was meant!..
And thus began my growing attempt to understand John Williams, his film presence, and the decisions made in post production with the films to better understand the entire process.
I made a few videos about Jurassic Park, but then I branched off into some other films like Star Wars.
I thought I’d make a thread, and talk about the videos, post links to them on from youtube, and allow you all to comment and talk about them here.
I know a few people have done this before, but when I started it I was completely unaware. I found a few of their videos and I have to say, I don’t think they really went to the full extent that I do in these.
I take the DVD’s, rip the video and the 5.1 audio, remove all the un-needed sound/music, and remix in the correct or alternate music.
So lets begin!
STAR WARS Symphonic Forces: Volume I "Binary Sunset"
What better way to begin this process than to look at one of the most iconic moments in Star Wars history.
To better understand this scene we have to look back to 1977 and John Williams career up to that point. John Williams was not the ever-day household name he is today. In 1977, John Williams had, however, done many scores, but most of them in television.
None had matched in the scope or wide acceptance that Star Wars would offer excluding perhaps the disaster flicks from several years earlier and the great “Jaws.”
Because of these factors, one might say that John Williams was still not entirely sure of himself or how best to fit the film musically.
One must also remember the changes that the film scores through John Williams career up to that point had gone through. The previous scores had been very small and intimate. Some were even very dated such as his score to “Daddy-O” or films with a jazz/beach boys like score lol. Then you had other films that called upon his jazz backgrounds but were more pure jazz such as “Cinderella Liberty.”
Again, excluding Jaws (the film that got him the recommendation for Star Wars) and a few other scores, John Williams had not scored many serious orchestral scores.
With all this in mind, John Williams ear, as wonderful as it was, saw/heard things differently than George’s.
When George heard the original composition for the scene Binary Sunset, he asked John for something else. John’s original piece was much more darker, and forebodings. It called upon no real thematic material, but rather upon raw emotions that Luke must have been feeling or sensing, or as an audience member, telling us that whatever Luke sees as his future, or wishes for his future, we know that it is much darker than he could realize. His loss of his only family, the moving into the cold loneliness of space, the dealing with the loss of a friend, fighting for the survival of all his new ones, and his eventual and unavoidable fate of dealing with the Empire and its dark Lord Vader.
Lucas, however, saw the scene as hopeful. Luke looked out to the suns and perhaps in his naive-ity, wished for things much greater. And it is this insight into the character–along with a grand statement of his theme–that Lucas wanted.
The Special Editions released by RCA in 1997 have a booklet and the booklet speaks to this:
Note: Ben’s Theme, The Force Theme, and Luke’s Theme are used interchangeably.
"The subsequent cue, Binary Sunset, begins with flutes playing Luke’s theme, with clarinet interjecting with a key change. Ben’s theme is used to accompany Luke as he gazes longingly at the desert planet’s twin sunset, beginning with French horn and soaring magnificently into full orchestra. Williams originally scored the scene with a darker, mysterious cue that did not utilize thematic material (see track 13). It was revised when George Lucas suggested that Ben’s theme would more effectively convey Luke’s dreams of leaving Tatooine. Three themes then round out the track: flutes briefly state the Rebel Fanfare, Luke’s theme returns with solo clarinet, and a flute/horn combination plays Ben’s theme, punctuated by celeste and chimes. "
Furthermore, the sequence of Luke leaving to go look at the setting suns, as well as the scenes after it, discovering that R2 has run away, are also orchestrated much darker as well.
Here, you can view the original “Binary Sunset.”
STAR WARS Symphonic Forces: Volume II "Pod Racing"
Perhaps not one of my better edits (as I had a lot of trouble ripping this, it kept ripping at a really really slooow speed and I tried to speed it up as much as possible but it never quite fit right, not to mention the original music protruding through).
From the first edit, we now go to Episode I.
For the first time in twenty years, Lucas and Williams return back to the Star Wars universe and bring us the tale of Anakin and his turn to the dark side.
One of the scenes Lucas most wanted was a “high speed race,” but being in Star Wars, it had to be alien yet familiar, so he created the pod races. Most of this sequence is without music up until the sabotage that Sebulba left on Anakin’s Pod-Racer begins to take effect.
The music in the film begins with the correct cue, “Sebulba’s Evil Deed,” but the second the piece of Anakin’s pod falls off, the cue is replaced with “Escape from Naboo.” This cue plays all the way until the two pods get connected, and then another cue is tracked in, “Gungan Escape” which then plays to it’s end, several tense moments before Anakin crosses the finish line.
Perhaps the best explanation for this change is those few moments without music. Williams original cues play all the way through and then segues into “Hail to the Winner.” In the film, those tense moments gives you a sort of “Wait? did he just? He did! HE’S GONNA–! HE WON!” sort of moment… where as the original Williams version you continue on with a sort of excitement of knowing he’s done it before he’s done it, which can often be a problem with film scores at times, telling you somethings going to happen before it happens. Imagine hearing the “Jaws theme” before he arrives. You know he’s there. Same sort of problem here.
(Ironically, “Gungan Retreat” is tracked to replace “Pod Racing,” (the cue right after “Sebulba’s Evil Deed”) and “Pod Racing” is latter tracked into the film to replace “Gungan Retreat.” This may also be another reason why. With the Battle for Naboo completely re-edited and restructured, the need for music to cover some of it was imperative. “Gungan Retreat” is much shorter than “Pod Racing,” so using “Pod Racing” instead was a simple answer.
The problem, however, is that Tatooine has a certain sound to it. There are two things musically usually used to signify Tatooine. One is this motif that plays as R2 and 3PO fall to Tatooine in the escape pod from the Tantive IV and also in Episode I as the Queen’s ship arrives at Tatooine. The second is a certain percussive sound that I call the “Tatooine Percussion.” First heard in A New Hope as the Tuscan Raiders attack Luke, this percussion in A New Hope consists primarily of tuned logs, slap sticks, and steel plates to create an appropriately savage sound. Here, some of that percussion is used again in a very similar motif to the beat used in A New Hope, but re-orchestrated of course without using the percussion as the center-piece like in A New Hope.
The problem then of course becomes what to do about the percussion. Well, modern recording processes have changed greatly since 1977. The percussive tracks of any recording can be tracked in and out at will. (Did you know, for example, that Escape from Naboo had a much more active percussive track, as did Arrival at Coruscant. Both are all but tracked out and minimized.)
In doing so, you create alternates (hence why my set lists the alternates as percussive alternates and the others as “Tatooine Percussion.”
Here, you can view the original intended usage of the two cues “Sebulba’s Evil Deed” and “Pod Racing Complete”
PS: Sorry about the occasional moments where the original sound comes through. This was back before I had the great programs I have now heh.
STAR WARS Symphonic Forces Volume III "The Arena"
Jumping now from Episode I to Episode II, “The Arena” is perhaps one of the most sought after changes to Episode II.
The reasons for this change are explained a bit in the DVD to Episode II. Ben Burt, sound designer and head editor of sound for the 6 films is somewhat notorious in John Williams circles.
Ever since the release of the Special Edition films, his name has circulated with a bit of a stigma. One of the biggest changes made to A New Hope, was the 90% tracked out fanfare as the Rebels begin to turn into the Death Star trench. Many fans, when watching the new version of the film were appalled by this change that seemingly occurred for no reason except perhaps to highlight the SFX of the newly re-done shots.
In Episode II, Ben Burtt experimented with creating a “music sound” of his own, utilizing all sorts of sounds. This was originally meant to accompany the Factory scene which Burtt was really excited to work on because from a sound effects level, this would be the apex of sound design.
Ultimately, Lucas decided to ask Williams to record a cue (quite late in the game) to use for this moment in the film. Most of the music was unused and edited past recognition, but the damage perhaps had been done.
Burtt then fought to use his percussive sounds in a different scene: The Arena.
In the end we know what won. Most of the Arena sequence didn’t use score. Instead, if you watch the film and listen carefully, you can hear the crowd noises and the percussive beats of unknown percussion.
Also, with the removal of the music, Lucas was able to go back and re-edit some of the sequence, extending and shortening certain moments.
Interesting side note: some of this cue is unavailable and isn’t on the album, however this should replace the original music with only minor edits.
Here, I have gone back and replaced the music in the mix so you can hear how “The Arena” was meant to sound.
STAR WARS Symphonic Forces Volume IV "Boys Into Battle"
Perhaps one of the first things I noticed when I saw Episode III for the first time was the missing intro to “Boys Into Battle,” or “Battle over Coruscant” as some call it. On the album, as the Opening Credits finish, there is a loud fanfare of activity which then goes into a percussive rendition of the theme from Star Wars.
Like the last video, simple percussion is used instead of the full music by John Williams. The removal of the transition leaves the scene rather quiet and instead of the full orchestra, they do a complete opposite of removal of the percussion in “Pod Racing” and remove the orchestra, all but two loud Taiko drums from the cue give a beat until the music is tracked back in after the two jedi fighters fly by.
The tracking out of the music gives the sequence a much more “What’s going on?” feel than it would if John Williams original music had been left in. The length of the missing music is rather short, but the change is quite powerful.
This is where you can view “Boys Into Battle”.
STAR WARS Symphonic Forces Volume V “General Grevious” and "The Elevator Scene"
This next video from Episode III highlights two other scenes meant to have music accompany them but were ultimately left without music (or at least most).
After I made this video, it was brought to light that the music that accompanied the landing of Obi-Wan and Anakin in the hangar of the Invisible Hand was also different.
In the film, you hear most of the cue “Get 'em R2” which has the Rebel Fanfare in it. The film, then edits most of the rest of the cue out, and instead jumps to a bit of music from the end of the cue, then to a bit of music from the scene itself and finishes off with music that was meant to be latter, as Obi-Wan and Anakin head off into the Invisible hand. Most of the second half of this cue is unreleased and completely unheard except for a few moments in the film. The last minute or so of the cue, however IS available. Had I known that the music was meant to accompany the scene from when Obi-Wan asks R2 to find the Chancellor up to when they give R2 the communicator, the video would have started earlier.
If you’d like to view that, I have it in the first few moments of my edit of Count Dooku’s death in my Episode III re-edit thread.
This video, however, starts from when General Grevious is first introduced in the film. The film, however, limits the usage of his theme and simply ends it very promptly after a single statement, once he begins to talk. The cue itself is partially heard on the album, but for the most part is unreleased (except in video games).
This cue finishes in the video. There is some controversy over the shot between these two scenes when R2 sees the two Battle Droids enter the hangar. This may or may not have been in the original edit.
The next sequence is “The Elevator Scene.” This video presents the Album alternate of this cue. There are two versions: one as heard on the album, and one that has some extra percussion in the beginning. In my Count Dooku’s Death re-edit video, you hear the latter of the two.
This video, however, preserves the original Album version of the cue. It’s possible, however, that the percussive version was meant to be the one used as most of the cues in the beginning of the film use a great deal of snare drums and other percussive instruments, highlighting the military-esque aspect of this section of the film.
Here is where you can view “General Grevious” and “The Elevator Scene.”
STAR WARS Symphonic Forces Volume VI "Grevious Flees"
Coming Soon! hehe… I’ve got too many of these to do at the moment… But I thought I’d post this now…
