Sounding the Story: Why John Williams’ film music is more than music
5:30pm - 8:00pm /
Wednesday 26th February 2020
Type: Lecture /
Category: Department
- Dr Helen Thomas (School of the Arts)
- Suitable for: All welcome
- Admission: Free
- Book now
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What does music do within a film and why is John Williams such a master of the art?
It is sometimes said that the best film music is the music the viewer doesn’t notice, the music that does not draw too much attention to itself. Yet few are the people who, if they have seen the films, would not immediately recognise ‘that’ music from Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter or E.T.; in fact, imagine those films without that music. Moreover, Williams’ film music is so much more than the sum of its memorable and hummable theme tunes. In this lecture, Dr Giles Hooper explores the deeper role and function of film music, through the lens of John Williams’ output, in order to demonstrate its pivotal role in not only supporting but actively directing, the filmic narrative and the viewer’s emotional investment.
Third of five FREE Public Lectures in the Arts promoted by the University of Liverpool on the theme 'Beauty, Utility, Time'
It is sometimes said that the best film music is the music the viewer doesn’t notice, the music that does not draw too much attention to itself. Yet few are the people who, if they have seen the films, would not immediately recognise ‘that’ music from Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter or E.T.; in fact, imagine those films without that music. Moreover, Williams’ film music is so much more than the sum of its memorable and hummable theme tunes. In this lecture, Dr Giles Hooper explores the deeper role and function of film music, through the lens of John Williams’ output, in order to demonstrate its pivotal role in not only supporting but actively directing, the filmic narrative and the viewer’s emotional investment.
Third of five FREE Public Lectures in the Arts promoted by the University of Liverpool on the theme 'Beauty, Utility, Time'