Alright, so Clone Wars came out last weekend. I haven't seen it, but I have heard the score and really all I can say is, "Eh?".
Anyway, the thought occurred to me that many of the readers of this blog are film music lovers/part-time film composers/etc. So I thought about a challenge.
Compose a 2'30-3'30 cue to accompany a Star Wars scene.
1. You may invent the scenario for the scene, or you may use a scene from the films or the expanded universe as a basis. However, concepts utilising the expanded universe must be kept to the timeline beginning with The Phantom Menace and ending with Return of the Jedi.
2. You may use any of John Williams' themes at any time for points of reference but they cannot be the actual basis for the cue.
3. The point of the exercise is to write a Star Wars cue. To that end, you're supposed to sound like John Williams.
Whaddya think? As far as I can tell it's loose enough that it can work for anyone. I don't have a deadline in mind but I do think that you shouldn't spend any great amount of time on it, either.
So who's in?
28 comments:
Not me. Trying to imitate John Williams is too much of a challenge for me. I still want to do some diegetic cues like the Mos Espa street band stuff, though.
@ the warrior bard -
"c'mon"
i'm in, as long as you maintain there is no deadline!
I need some time for this one. Mainly so i can rewatch the series and choose my scene.
btw, does the cartoon clone wars cartoon that aired on cartoon network count?
word verification - feazrsf
as in, i feazrsf taking on another responsibility.
P.S. I accept this challenge.
Wait for it... wait for it...
"That's one."
Wait for it...
"General. Count me in."
WAIT FOR IT.......
I was thinking (I know, danger...)...
As an added twist, wouldn't it be interesting to limit the cue even further to match stylistically with the time period we choose. In other words, if I were to write music for an imagined scene that fell somewhere between when Death Star I exploded, and the Rebels arrived on Hoth, shouldn't said music match the styles, techniques and themes of A New Hope and Empire? And shouldn't that music not reference any Jedi or Prequel Trilogy material?
If you think about it, that's kind of what McNeely did for Shadows of the Empire.
And Tim...
Don't be a pussy, just do it already. If this is enough to get me out of my compositional coma, surely you can come up with something! Right?!
I mean, come on! I haven't been this interested in starting up something new since I wrote my string quartet in grad school. It'll be fun, relaxing, enlightening, and somewhat educational...go for it man!
Does anyone think that Reed having access to VSL gives him a distinct advantage regardless of what he writes?
Oh, that reminds me of another proposal...
We should definately sequence whatever we come up with and post it for all to share...
...and mock! ;)
word verification: datdzk - seemed like a good EU character name!
I suppose we could all e-mail our files to Reed to upload to VSL. It's not like he's doing anything, right Reed?
And beware, Pikey. It's not wise to upset a Wookiee.
If this is enough to get me out of my compositional coma, surely you can come up with something! Right?!
No, I can't. And don't call me Shirley. Come out of your coma, and I'll take over in your stead. We tag-team it.
It'll be fun, relaxing, enlightening, and somewhat educational...go for it man!
So would getting a sensual massage from a gay Haitian sign language expert.
Actually, an idea I had for a long time involved Joel McNeely's and John Williams' music, but it doesn't fit the criteria stated, so I "can't" do it.
I wanted to take the melody from The Battle of Gall at 1'25" and spin it out, relating it to various, relatively inconsequential horn lines throughout Episode IV. I would develop it into a sort of new Rebel theme, to relate it to the fighter pilots with more versatility than the fanfare-like motif they already have in the movies.
I always felt that that melody of McNeely's was too distinct to just let slide after one use, but then again John Williams did that ALL THE TIME throughout the saga, which is what made it so great. Make a brief set piece worthy of being the main theme but only use it once. Into the Trap, for example. And even taking a theme like that and using it wholesale could be awesome if you just make it in a totally different style, like how the farewell scene in Anakin is Free pops up again in the next movie, when he is holding his dying mother in his arms... what a subtle yet effective way to drive the point home. Oh, but I can't use existing material as the sole basis of the cue. So I have to find something else.
If there really is no deadline, then I am already in, whether any of us knows it or not, because eventually I will probably get around to doing something like that. So, on a long enough timeline, I have joined your "pitiful little band."
I had this idea about a year ago, and scrapped it.
Sorry if this doesn't make any sense...
I'm having a hard time typing with all this CHICKENSHIT all over everything.
All kidding aside, I'm suddenly reminded of that South Park episode where Stan tries to get a dance troupe together (a la You Got Served), and as a last resort he asks the goth kids. None of them want to except the one who says something to the effect of, "I'm so non-conformist I'm not going to conform with any of YOU guys...I'll do it!!!"
I think the "no time table" rule is going to have to be amended slightly just to get some people off their asses.
[leans back in chair, chuckling with cigar in mouth]
Good, gooooooood
Okay, we're going to amend the rules slightly.
I'm intrigued by your idea, Tim, and I'd like to hear what comes of it. As you put it, "Do the composer thing". If the whole idea is to sound like Star Wars and be the composers we are, then it seems like it still fits within the parameters of the rules to do what interests you.
Also, the deadline is the 15th of September.
September 15, 2019.
Well you heard 'im! We're now an army!
I'm out of it for a little while and everybody gets delusions of grandeur...
I'm out of it for a little while and everybody gets delusions of grandeur...
There. That's better.
Timmay and the Angry Asshole
...I SMELL SEQUEL!!!!!
Right now, a junior-level marketing exec in Hollywood just stumbled upon this and came in his pants. It's kinda like A.W.E.S.O.M.E. - O spewing out 10,001 variations on the same movie...
Where am I going with this, that's for you to know and me to find out.
...wait. Huh?!
Sept. 15th (unless it is 2019) would be too tight for me. Can amend your amendment to be 3 months from date of issue of challenge?
3 months per challenge, with a four challenges a year. What do you think? what do all of you think?
what i meant to ask was, could YOU amend your original amendment?
Oooooooooh...I like it.
DONE.
November 15th it is.
Awesome.
I also like the idea of doing four challenges a year. I'm already trying to think up the next one. I should stop that now.
also (and this may be unfortunate for me) but VSL doesn't polish turds (i'm fairly certain).
so how would we get a consistant method to produce our variations, besides submitting them to the LSO for recording?
Obviously all any of us is going to be able to do is a synth mock-up. To that end I would say just do the best you can with what you have.
That's what she said!
...... AWWWW. Damn.
I just skimmed above and all I saw was "Polish turds", and thought damn...this one really got off track.
BTW: "the best you can with what you have"?
REALLY?!
He's got VSL, the premier orchestral sample package in the world...with that thing you could make a double concerto for kazoo and "fat man with severe gastrointestinitis" sound like gold man!!!
Welcome home.
umm...thanks?
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