Star Wars Music Minute Questionnaire
Guest Answers (A NEW HOPE season)
The SWMM Questionnaire:
In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
What’s something related to Star Wars music or sound that you’re curious/want to learn more about?
What’s a score or soundtrack besides anything Star Wars that you’re fond of?
In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
Majestic French horns. (Alex Robinson)
Aunt Beru's kitchen. (Pete the Retailer)
Beyond the horizon. (Element7)
California radio voiceovers. (Ender from AurekFonts)
Action, danger, romance. (Mat from Blue Bantha Milk Co.)
Expansive. Dramatic. Romantic. (Aiden Feltkamp)
Dissonant pedal notes. (Frank Lehman)
Minor planing triads. (Frank Lehman)
Pwsh vrrrrum shhpt. (Justin Leo Kennedy)
John Fucking Williams. (Elizabeth Lain)
Triumphant brass fanfares. (Alex Ludwig)
Ominous contrapuntal warblings. (Alex Ludwig)
A galactic symphony. (Star Wars Lawyer)
Galactic thematic masterpiece. (Justin Mitnik)
Sweeping expressive proclamations. (Ralph Attanasia)
Analog but magical. (Moe from Triad of the Force)
Beepbeep! Kshh-Paaa. Grrrrrwwwwwrr! (Gus from Triad of the Force)
James Earl Jones. (Nani from Triad of the Force)
Ben. John. James. (Brandon from Talking Bay 94)
Epic space magic. (Riley Silverman)
Opera without words (Jeremy Sawruk)
The heroes win. (Steele Saunders)
Mythic orchestral memory. (Dan Golding)
Raw triumphant heroism. (Father David Mowry)
Timeless space adventure. (Trevor Mowry)
Original space opera. (Nick Norton)
John. Ben. James. (Alex Cunningham, who gives a shoutout to Nani from Triad of the Force for saying this answer first.)
Hope, bravery, curiosity. (Mollie Damon from Star Wars Explained)
Bwaaap tscheww pew! (Alex Damon from Star Wars Explained)
Powerful, evocative, grandiose. (Samantha Tripp)
Pew pew pew. (Justin Scheid)
The Band Batch. (James Waterman)
The Cosmic Force. (Chrysanthe Tan)
2. What’s something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to know more about?
A documentary featurette explaining what the process of scoring a film is. A scene of Star Wars following all the steps. (Alex Robinson)
Pete the Retailer: Watch a sound design commentary from Ben Burtt or any sound department special. (Pete the Retailer)
Element7: Lightsaber sounds.
Ender/AurekFonts: Ender would like to see the making of one musical cue from start to finish (similar to the documentary Star Wars Within A Minute: The Making Of Episode III Documentary). This might include things like John Williams looking at a scene, writing sketches, passing it on to copyists, all the way to editors and sound team working on the final mix.
Mat/Blue Bantha Milk Co.: What happens with unused music cues?
Aiden Feltkamp: R2D2.
Frank Lehman: What we're musically in store for as Star Wars moves onto the next chapters of its development. Also: What was the actual score to Episode IX supposed to be (before changes)?
Justin Leo Kennedy: "Duel of the Fates" orchestration
Elizabeth Lain: A super detailed deep dive on C-3PO's voice; like, the very, very specifics of specifics, including which effects units they put on it, what the raw recordings sound like, what microphones they use, etc.
Alex Ludwig: What it's like for new composers (Michael Giacchino, John Powell, Ludwig Göransson, etc) to play in the playground of Star Wars music -- to have all these themes at their fingertips, get to use them and take them to new places. "What is it like to get the keys to this kingdom as a composer?"
Star Wars Lawyer: A deeper dive into the Star Wars themes (motifs, etc)
Justin Mitnik: All the distinct sound effects. Justin has always been fascinated by them and could never tell what comprises them.
Ralph wants to know what he doesn't know about the music, then learn that which he doesn't know.
Moe: Max Rebo's Band
Gus: How all the sounds (especially from the original trilogy) were created.
Nani: The thought process, methods, and approaches to scoring new Star Wars media in the post-John Williams era.
More behind the scenes stuff about the music and sound design in the Disney-era stuff. (Brandon from Talking Bay 94)
How do people go about designing music for a scene or character in the first place? Writers start with a blank page and somehow use words to convey scenes; what is the musical/sound version of that process like? (Riley Silverman)
Jeremy Sawruk: Musical / orchestrational “filler.” And sound effects and foley.
Steele Saunders: David W. Collins's experience doing sound editing for The Book of Boba Fett (and other current Star Wars media)
Dan Golding: Given all the new directions that various Star Wars scores have gone since John Williams was at the helm (ex. Solo: A Star Wars Story, The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, etc), will we ever return to the original sort of orchestral sound? If so, how will we get there? It takes a specific set of talents to make this kind of music. Trying new things is great, but will Star Wars ever be able to return to the sound in that same way?
Father David Mowry: How much has the transition to digital sound production changed the feel of Star Wars?
Trevor Mowry: Everything about the Cantina Band, the human beings behind Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes. Where did they get these people? Where did they get a steel drum player who could shred like that?
Nick Norton: More about Ludwig Göransson's process. How is/was the work divided (between Göransson and Joseph Shirley) in The Book of Boba Fett? How do electronics and sound design feed into the sound of The Mandalorian?
Alex Cunningham: Alex would love to ask Ben Burtt what other sound designers he admires.
Mollie Damon: The psychology behind how different chords of music make someone feel. How does sound evoke different emotions?
Alex Damon: How Ben Burtt made the X-wing sounds!
Samantha Tripp:
Solo Season: Musician stories from recording the sequel films, particularly The Rise of Skywalker. What is it like sitting in the orchestra, hearing those themes, and trying to make connections in the film ahead of time?
ANH Season: What was it like for the musicians recording the original trilogy, particularly the first film? Did they realize that they were playing something so iconic? Did they realize the impact that the music would have as they were playing it?
James Waterman: The idea that John Williams composes with pencil and paper. What is his writing process like? James wants to know all the little factoids.
Justin Scheid: How all the sound effects were made. Justin would love to be a fly on the wall while the sound designers and foley artists are doing their thing.
Chrysanthe Tan: I'm curious about how other people experience and engage with the music of Star Wars, on both a macro and micro level. I want to know how other people are making sense of it or analyzing it with frameworks different than mine. Basically, I'm interested in doing what this podcast already gives me the excuse to do -- talk to people about Star Wars music.
3. What’s a score or soundtrack you’re fond of besides anything Star Wars?
Alex Robinson: Superman
Pete the Retailer: The Black Hole
Element7: The Last Samurai (composed by Hans Zimmer)
Ender/AurekFonts: Knives Out (composed by Nathan Johnson)
Mat/Blue Bantha Milk Co.: Tenet (composed by Ludwig Göransson), Horizon Zero Dawn (video game) (composed by Joris de Man, and The Flight), The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (composed by Ennio Morricone), Inception (composed by Hans Zimmer), Interstellar (composed by Hans Zimmer), Loki (series) (composed by Natalie Holt)
Aiden Feltkamp: TRON (composed by Wendy Carlos)
Frank Lehman: Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) (composed by Jerry Goldsmith)
Justin Leo Kennedy: I, Robot (composed by Marco Beltrami), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) (composed by John Du Prez), Spirited Away (composed by Joe Hisaishi)
Elizabeth Lain: Chernobyl (miniseries) composed by Hildur Guðnadóttir
Alex Ludwig: The Social Network (composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross) and Sunset Boulevard (composed by Franz Waxman)
Star Wars Lawyer: Interstellar (composed by Hans Zimmer), Tron: Legacy (composed by Daft Punk), Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (composed by Michael Giacchino)
Justin Mitnik: Gladiator (composed by Hans Zimmer)
Ralph Attanasia: Beetlejuice (composed by Danny Elfman), The Addams Family (composed by Duke Ellington, Irving Mills, Marc Shaiman and Saxie Dowell).
Moe: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (composed by Yugo Kanno)
Gus: Hook (composed by John Williams) and Fellowship of the Rings (composed by Howard Shore)
Nani: Atonement (composed Dario Marianelli)
Brandon from Talking Bay 94: Halloween (composed by John Carpenter)
Riley Silverman: Doctor Who, which has gone through dozens of composers over the decades. The original theme was composed by Ron Grainer and realized by Delia Derbyshire.
Jeremy Sawruk: Older score: North by Northwest by Bernard Herrmann. Newer score: Loki by Natalie Holt. Other John Williams score: Catch Me If You Can
Steele Saunders: CB4 (1993 American comedy film directed by Tamra Davis, starring Chris Rock). Jaws (composed by John Williams) - especially the main theme. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (composed by John Williams)
Dan Golding: Vertigo (composed by Bernard Herrmann)
Father David Mowry: Baby Driver (directed by Edgar Wright)
Trevor Mowry: Vertigo (composed by Bernard Herrmann)
Nick Norton: Blade Runner 2049 (composed by Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch)
Alex Cunningham: Akira (composed by Geinoh Yamashirogumi). Runner-up: The Harder They Come (primarily featuring Jimmy Cliff)
Mollie Damon: Lord of the Rings. (composed by Howard Shore). Also: Tarantino soundtracks, Moulin Rouge, and the new West Side Story.
Alex Damon: Lord of the Rings (composed by Howard Shore)
Samantha Tripp:
Solo Season: The Shape of Water (composed by Alexandre Desplat)
ANH Season: Spider-Man: No Way Home (composed by Michael Giacchino)
Justin Scheid: The Village (composed by James Newton Howard)
James Waterman: Hereditary (composed by Colin Stetson)
Chrysanthe Tan: There Will Be Blood (composed by Jonny Greenwood)
