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Score Aficionado Q: How did you become a film composer? Choice, accident, destiny? Q: How did you start with IMAX projects? Williams: My first IMAX project was “Amazon”. Kieth Merrill, the director, was familiar with some of my work. Although I had never worked with him, he phoned one morning and said he was finishing up an IMAX film about the Amazon rainforest. It would need a musical score that combined the traditional orchestra with the native ethnic music from South America. He wanted to know if I was first interested and second be able to deliver a completed score in 2 weeks. Two weeks from that phone call, “Amazon” was being mixed on the dubbing stage with a 40-minute score with an 80-piece orchestra, combined with ethnic woodwinds and percussion and choir. That was how I started with IMAX projects. Q: Where do you find inspiration to writing music for your movies? Williams: The inspiration always comes from the images themselves. I use the film to create the inspiration. Q: Are there any classical or film music composers with any specific scores you enjoy? Williams: There are a number of scores and pieces. Too many to name but I will name a few composers whose work I find very inspiring. From the classical world, Vaughn Williams, Stravinsky and Shostakovich. From the film world, certainly the top of the list is the late, great Jerry Goldsmith followed by John Williams. Q: Was there any particular project you were especially proud of? Williams: Certainly “Amazon” was a success. For the film to receive an Academy Award nomination was wonderful. I am also very proud of my work on “The Princess and the Pea”. A very big project! With 7 original songs and nearly 85 minutes of total music, the scope of the project was quite large: choir, soloists and a 95-piece orchestra. Q: What is your collaboration like with directors? Williams: Every director is different. Some know exactly what they want and others are not sure. What I always suggest to directors is to speak in terms of drama and emotion, the same way they speak to actors. It’s my job to translate those directions into musical terms. Q: Do you know how the score should look right after reading the script or does the vision come into existence in the middle of the work? Williams: I have read many scripts and never has the final film looked anything like I envisioned it when I read the script. Reading the script helps with the overall feel of the film but that’s about it. The score evolves as I’m writing it, working with the picture. Q: How much time usually do you have to create the entire score? Williams: As much time as they give me! Actually it seems that there is less and less time. “Amazon” was 2 weeks. “Mark Twain’s America” was 10 days. That’s not normal. Usually 3-5 weeks seems to be normal. I’d love 6 to do a project. It mainly depends upon how much music and the type of music. If it’s a large orchestral score there needs to be enough time to orchestrate the score. This requires more time than say an electronic score. Q: Do you work better under pressure, or do you prefer a lot of time to work on a score? Williams: I always prefer more time but I do work well under pressure. The deadline forces inspiration. That is good sometimes. |
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