I think of myself as a film composer.
John WilliamsRead
When we see Rey, we want to hear Rey's theme, and when the Force is referred to or felt, we want to hear the Force theme, and so on. We hope that these references make sense to the fans and make the aural connections that we want them to have.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of musical themes in storytelling, particularly in films, to evoke emotions and connections with the audience.
John Williams highlights the significance of musical cues in film, specifically how recurring themes associated with characters or concepts, like Rey or the Force, enrich the storytelling experience. This connection enhances audience engagement, allowing them to feel a deeper emotional resonance with the narrative as they anticipate familiar melodies that reinforce their attachment to the characters and the story.
Themes
MusicThemesStorytellingFilmEmotions
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about film soundtracks, this quote can illustrate the crucial role of thematic music.
More from John Williams
All quotes →I don't make a particular distinction between 'high art' and 'low art.' Music is there for everybody. It's a river we can all put our cups into and drink it and be sustained by it.
John WilliamsRead
Similar quotes
I love to take actors to a place where they open a vein. That’s the job. The key is that I make it safe for them to open the vein.
Mike NicholsRead
Two questions I can't really answer about fiction are 1) where it comes from, and 2) why we need it. But that we do create it and also crave it is beyond dispute.
Marilynne RobinsonRead
I'm tempted to say, 'Writing treatments is like designing a film by hiring six million monkeys to tear out pages of an encyclopedia, then you put the pages through a paper-shredder, randomly grab whatever intact lines are left, sing them in Italian to a Spanish deaf-mute, and then make story decisions with the guy via conference call.' But no... compared to writing treatments, that makes sense, too.
Terry RossioRead
All art is a kind of confession, more or less oblique. All artists, if they are to survive, are forced, at last, to tell the whole story, to vomit the anguish up.
James A. BaldwinRead
I said Yo Jay, I can rap. And I spit this rap that said I'm killin' ya'll *****s on this lyrical sh*t, mayonnaise colored benz, I push miracle whips.
Kanye WestRead
The arts can enrich all of us in this nation as individuals. The arts can enrich all of our communities and the country. And the arts can connect us to each other like nothing else can.
Michelle ObamaRead