# Rey's Theme? - How was it written?



## milesito (Apr 4, 2016)

Hi all,

I just saw The Force Awakens yesterday in theatres after listening to Rey's theme way more times than I feel comfortable sharing. I noticed that the song as it stands is never played as it is on the soundtrack. Only segements of it are played "as-is" during moments of the movie and even in those cases it's sometimes different.

So, did John Williams put together this Rey's Theme piece as it is found on the CD and in the sheet music after he already scored the movie and he connected segments and elaborated? And if he did it all before scoring the film, how did he know the exact tempos to put into the them (if he wrote it before) such that when he dropped it in it would work?

It's kind of a chicken or egg scenario, but it was an interesting experience having heard the soundtrack so many times before seeing the film.

Thanks!


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## RiffWraith (Apr 4, 2016)

milesito said:


> Rey's Theme? - How was it written?



Pen and paper.





milesito said:


> So, did John Williams put together this Rey's Theme piece as it is found on the CD and in the sheet music after he already scored the movie and he connected segments and elaborated? And if he did it all before scoring the film, how did he know the exact tempos to put into the them (if he wrote it before) such that when he dropped it in it would work?




At JW's advanced age, who knows if he still does as much as he used to. I - as well as many of us, I am sure - would love to believe that he can. And maybe he in fact does. But who knows...

A few possibilities:

1. He writes the cue to picture, including the tempo, timing, etc., and it is recorded as-is.
2. He writes the cue to picture, including the tempo, timing, etc., and it is recorded as-is. The picture then changes, and he (or a member of his team) makes adjustments to the cue, which is then re-recorded.
3. He writes the cue in a "general sense" (standalone and not to picture) and has one of his team iron out the tempo, timings, where to get in and out, and all of the other fine details.
4. He writes the cue in a "general sense", it is recorded that way, and then the music editor cuts the recorded cue to fit the picture. This can be tricky, for a host of reasons, but is not beyond the realm of possible.
5. He calls Hans Zimmer - "bro, help me out here!"


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## dcoscina (Apr 4, 2016)

Williams has traditionally adapted central themes into concert works. Seeing that he worked on the orchestration himself it's likely he followed suit and derived the piece Rey's Theme from different presentations throughout the score.


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## tack (Apr 4, 2016)

I noticed a few cues in the soundtrack were edited in the film. Notably for me was Finn's Confession which I thought was saying something in the music that never actually materialized on picture because it was cut short.

From what I understand, JW didn't get a locked picture. I _suspect _that he composed to a relatively late cut that was subsequently edited, which is why we see some hits from the OST land in the right places, but not nearly with the same cohesion of the original trilogy.


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## David Story (Apr 4, 2016)

Guys, it's a little of several of the good guesses. John had nine months of writing and recording TFA. He starts with composing character themes, but will start writing cues and keep refining the themes as he goes. It was not constant, he'd get a reel and score it, then later he'd get a new cut and rescore it. That's where the music editor and Bill Ross helped the most. JW insists on writing every note including the instruments. But fitting it to picture is being tweaked up to the last minute of the dub. It gets pretty complicated, including shifting the cue, time stretching, etc. When he records, though, he's very precise in tempos and hits. It's the director and producer that change.

The concert suites are his arranging the main themes and bits of cues into what he feels is "the best listening experience". These are additional recordings done after the film cues with the same orchestra. For example, Rey's Theme was recorded and edited separately from the music placed in the movie. This is how he's done it his whole life, even the times when the film is edited to his music.

There is about 40 minutes he wrote and recorded that aren't in the film. 

Personally, I like to hear the cues as they appear in the movie. IMO they are the most eloquent and have the finest performances. But that's me.


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## RiffWraith (Apr 5, 2016)

Just curious - and I am not trying to insinuate you are wrong - where are you getting this info from?


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## RiffWraith (Apr 5, 2016)

David Story said:


> There is about 40 minutes he wrote and recorded that aren't in the film.



Umm, gee, I wonder where some of that went.... hmmmmm.......


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## Ashermusic (Apr 5, 2016)

RiffWraith said:


> Just curious - and I am not trying to insinuate you are wrong - where are you getting this info from?



Like me, David knows John's brother Don, a great studio percussionist,but I only know him a little and David knows him very well.

What David told you is the gospel.


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## Ashermusic (Apr 5, 2016)

David Story said:


> Personally, I like to hear the cues as they appear in the movie. IMO they are the most eloquent and have the finest performances. But that's me.



Me too, David.


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## RiffWraith (Apr 5, 2016)

Ashermusic said:


> What David told you is the gospel.



Yeah, I wouldn't call it "the gospel".

Accurate or not, I'd like to hear the answer from David, if you don't mind.


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## Ashermusic (Apr 5, 2016)

RiffWraith said:


> Yeah, I wouldn't call it "the gospel".
> 
> Accurate or not, I'd like to hear the answer from David, if you don't mind.



David doesn't come here very often any more, but i will give him a call and let him know.


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## RiffWraith (Apr 5, 2016)

Ashermusic said:


> David doesn't come here very often any more



What? He was just here.


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## Ashermusic (Apr 5, 2016)

RiffWraith said:


> What? He was just here.



I know, but like I say, he rarely participates here anymore.


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## David Story (Apr 5, 2016)

RiffWraith said:


> Umm, gee, I wonder where some of that went.... hmmmmm.......


Love to hear more of them, but it's up to Disney. I posted a while back the "For Your Consideration" links that have more of the cues as they were heard in the movie, that was a great gift from Disney!

As Jay mentioned, I know Don and several other players from the sessions, the prep lead, and other folks that I won't name but all tell similar stories. Plus I've spoken to John Williams about his process. And many other artists: Glass, Bear, Bates. If you come to the Academy of Scoring Arts Ravel group you'll hear from successful composers, orchestrators, and studio players who are there when the rubber hits the road. On current films, TV shows and games, plus in depth looks at concert music.

Don't rely on guesswork, get info from the people who create the big projects. We'll have a new Larry Hopkins's Tech Report (he consults on music tech for the major studios and symphony orchestras) in a couple weeks.

Our next event is a panel with the Drunk History showrunner and cast:
https://www.facebook.com/academyofscoringarts/
We have several events a month and give you hours of live interaction with A-list talent, plus good food and networking for only ~20 bucks. Over a thousand members.

Sign up for the newsletter and stay in the know!


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## RiffWraith (Apr 5, 2016)

Thanks for the info David.

My comment of _Umm, gee, I wonder where some of that went.... hmmmmm......._ was meant to be sarcastic. Not directed at you, of course, but someone/something else.

Cheers.


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## SterlingArcher (Apr 5, 2016)

RiffWraith said:


> Umm, gee, I wonder where some of that went.... hmmmmm.......



Personally I'll hold out hope for a Ultimate Force Awakens soundtrack set like they did for Phantom Menace.


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## RiffWraith (Apr 5, 2016)

SterlingArcher said:


> Personally I'll hold out hope for a Ultimate Force Awakens soundtrack set like they did for Phantom Menace.



That would be way cool. TPM ext. vers is just too awesome.

But that's not what I meant either.


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