TLJ 13: Timpani In, Timpani Out

How can music and sound assist the transitions in a film? In this episode, we take 10 cuts/transitions from The Last Jedi and examine what's happening musically. Spoiler: There are lots of timpani rolls!

Main Points:

• Terms Explained: mix, transition, crescendo, riser, volume axis vs. pitch axis, timpani, sustained, music bed, single note vs. chord

• 10 Transitions:

  1. 1:00:40 - Luke and Rey in Cave --> Flashback dark ext. shot of temple

  2. 1:00:48 - Dark ext shot --> Luke standing over Ben

  3. 1:00:53 - Temple crumbling --> blackout --> Luke kneeling with temple in flames

  4. 1:01:20 - Luke kneeling by R2, lip quivering "But it was me. I failed..." --> Back to POV Rey and Luke in the temple

  5. 1:02:02 - Cave Rey says "You didn't fail Kylo. He failed you. I won't." --> ext. shot of space battle stuff

  6. 1:02:18 - Ext. space battle stuff --> interior of the Supremacy

  7. 1:02:32 - int. Supremacy --> various space battle stuff

  8. 1:02:42 - Pilot looking at hologram Holdo --> Holdo looking at hologram pilot

  9. 1:03:05 - Cut to exterior of Canto Bight prison

  10. 1:03:10 - Exterior to interior of the jail.

  11. 1:04:50 - Bonus! The moment Rose and Finn decide to chase after DJ.

• 3 Transition Techniques:

  • Swell

  • Timpani in / timpani out

  • Single sustained notes

Themes Referenced (in order of appearance): Luke and Leia, Han and Leia, Imperial March (tease), Rey's theme, a Rebel fanfare?

Where we are in the soundtrack: "Who Are You?"

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