Good to know its now officially confirmed form Williams himself. Now we have to wait for fall 2017 for the recording sessions to start. I wonder if Williams will be able to do other projects besides this as ready Player wont be released until 2018 March.
Been hoping and waiting for this to be confirmed and as is clear from my avatar and username this is a big deal for me, as I'm sure it is for many others. I hope that Mr Williams gets to work on this as soon as possible so as to avoid any potential scheduling conflicts with whatever Mr Spielberg ends up doing. TFA was a sublime score from an absolute Master and I'm thrilled Williams will be building on that. That's said, I dread the inevitable moans of "this is so disappointing" and "Williams is on auto-pilot again" and so on when Ep8 gets released *rolls eyes*
Well, some of these critics take all this for granted. TFA was more than I had expected, to me his writing was an instant throwback to this old stlye and much bigger and upfront than his works from Prequels. Williams is beyond his prime age and whilst he is not obligated to write scores to films he still manages to do so. This is a gift. A bonus to us folks. I always cringed at the thought what if we would have lost Williams before he had even completed the Prequels or the next Indy film. But he managed to surpass not only the prequels but 7th STAR WARS film and Indy 4!
He is one of the greatest of composers of our age and we are so damn lucky to have still contributing to this art form. Williams has honed and developed his craft over the various decades and it now seems he has comfortably nestled himself in a good comfortable spot and is thus able to write music in his preferred style. Its a luxury he has earned (even though he would deny this! such is his humility)
In comparison to what has become of the film music today- Williams continues to hold the standards of an era long since vanished. I repeat: We are so lucky!
I have spent a fair amount of time this spring/summer listening to the Star Wars scores, and I can't help but say I think the level of detail and variation in the OT (Original Trilogy) is greater than the PT (Prequel Trilogy) or ST (Sequel Trilogy). But I also think Williams' age, plus the desires of producers and directors, have influenced what he's writing. I doubt he could get away with doing something with the sheer dynamic and ever-changing energy like The Empire Strikes Back again, because it would be the wrong 'feel' for today's audience. So I don't expect such of Episode VIII, but it would be nice to be surprised.
But, I agree, 'We are so lucky' that Williams is still willing to engage in writing scores.
I wonder if the traditional arrangement of scoring near to locking is something Williams stipulated for his involvement in Ep VIII? He's certainly got the 'clout' to get it, particularly with SW.
I have spent a fair amount of time this spring/summer listening to the Star Wars scores, and I can't help but say I think the level of detail and variation in the OT (Original Trilogy) is greater than the PT (Prequel Trilogy) or ST (Sequel Trilogy). But I also think Williams' age, plus the desires of producers and directors, have influenced what he's writing. I doubt he could get away with doing something with the sheer dynamic and ever-changing energy like The Empire Strikes Back again, because it would be the wrong 'feel' for today's audience. So I don't expect such of Episode VIII, but it would be nice to be surprised.
Ofcourse that score [TESB] was written in Williams golden age period late late 77's to early 80's with solid scores like STAR WARS saga, SUPERMAN, ET. RAIDERS, THE FURY and DRACULA). And You are right, ofcourse by today's standards and changes in film tones and style a lot has changed. What was visually and emotional lacking was filled in by music . Now Williams has to battle the plethora of sound effect channels and and over indulgence of CGI imagery. This exactly how Jerry Goldsmith also re-set himself by writing his pet action cues and specific orchestrations. I think most composers did the same too. Find their comfortable spot. It does inhibit their creativeness, sadly. In the end if they can pull off rabbit out of the hat, then its all worthwhile.
Well, some of these critics take all this for granted. TFA was more than I had expected, to me his writing was an instant throwback to this old stlyle and much bigger and upfront than his works from Prequels. Williams is beyond his prime age and whilst he is not obligated to write scores to films he still manages to do so. This is a gift. A bonus to us folks. I always cringed at the thought what if we would have lost Williams before he had even completed the Prequels or the next Indy film. But he managed to surpass not only the prequels but 7th STAR WARS film and Indy 4!
He is one of the greatest of composers of our age and we are so damn lucky to have still contributing to this art form. Williams has honed and developed his craft over the various decades and it now seems he has comfortably nestled himself in a good comfortable spot and is thus able to write music in his preferred style. Its a luxury he has earned (even though he would deny this! such is his humility)
In comparison to what has become of the film music today- Williams continues to hold the standards of an era long since vanished. I repeat: We are so lucky!
You are right, we ARE so lucky to still still have this man around. His music has HEART, not just the flash and the "everybody-sounds-the-same" sound of many of today's composers. He is a true wonder in the world of film (and TV) scores. I applaud him for taking on (what I'm sure must be) the grueling tasks of such films as those in the STAR WARS series. I truly appreciate his compositions as well as his determination to continue.
Of course I welcome the announcement of Williams or any great composer getting another franchise assignment because they will figure out how to bring something new to it more than your average composer. And yet these don't excite me as much as new subject matter or some new challenge that would inspire a new sound or approach. To boldly go where no composer has gone before. But that's another story.
Of course I welcome the announcement of Williams or any great composer getting another franchise assignment because they will figure out how to bring something new to it more than your average composer. And yet these don't excite me as much as new subject matter or some new challenge that would inspire a new sound or approach. To boldly go where no composer has gone before. But that's another story.
I have to agree with that. I love his STAR WARS music as much as the next guy, but the mind boggles when it thinks of what Williams could do if he got a really challenging, more cerebral film to work with in his old age -- like IMAGES. I'd like to see him tap into that territory again (it's not that farfetched -- several composers these days, like Jonny Greenwood for Paul T. Anderson, nurture a similarly avantgarde sound).
John Williams confirms he´s doing Star Wars 8.in other news, water is wet.
Exactly but some people on this board think it's breaking news because of their ego.
How does that work, exactly?
The way it works is that some film music fans think they are "in the know" which makes them feel superior to others who are supposedly not. Even though there was a certain 'iffiness" about Williams scoring this ever since JJ Abrams said he wasn't directing, it makes those who feel it was foregone conclusion feel better about themselves and sooths THEIR egos.
I was just happily surprised he's going to see a cut of the film so soon. Given he starts work on Ready Player One in November, I just assumed he wouldn't begin thinking about Star Wars until after he'd finished with Red Player One.
