Williams Envy

by Doug Adams

It's my goal, when I'm doing these articles, to try and tap into something that's happened recently in films. I think that long-term retrospectives work better for the actual FSM magazine, for obvious reasons. However, what's big in movies right now? Pleasantville was well made, indeed, but it came and went pretty quickly. I don't think there's going to be any in-depth analysis of The Waterboy's score (though, I'd love to read one just to see what one could say about it). No, the big news in movies right now is... a trailer. That's right, the buzz of the moment is the Star Wars trailer. It's even reared its omni-present head on our very own FSM Message Board and, in an unusual show of tolerance, no one has flamed people for introducing a non-film music topic.

I don't have any comment about this crazy Star Wars mania, but the uber-hype does get me worried when it comes to film music. Don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to John Williams's new Star Wars score as much as any reasonable person could, but I'm concerned that it's going to put another coal on a fire that could hinder film music for the coming years. I'm speaking, of course, of Williams Envy. Don't roll your eyes, I'm not kidding.

Star Wars came at the tail end of a long hot streak for film music. Likewise, it kicked off one of the best periods in John Williams' career. However, it also spawned a bevy of half-baked Williams' imitations, none of which did much to further the art of film music. Sure, there was the occasional Horner or Craig Safan score that could hold its head high in mixed company, but for every meager success there were about fifteen frothy nothings. To paraphrase Homer Simpson, John Williams must have been rolling around in his grave.

What's to blame? Well, we can be certain that studio honchos were drilling this aesthetic into composers' heads pretty severely. But, I think that it can be equally attributed to an exaggerated fan-base for Mr. Williams. Fans of this style of neo-Romantic style love John Williams. This fandom extends to young composers, many of whom assume that they're the true heir to the throne of Williams, hence they found it satisfying to write pseudo-Williams scores. This has died out during the past five to ten years as Williams has dug into darker and more adult fare, but you can't bet that it's going to make a comeback this summer, at least to some degree. And if the new Star Wars music is really good, the impact could be frighteningly wdiespread.

I think that many young composers assume that, to be real composer, one must follow in the footsteps of one's idols. It's an understandable assumption. You listen to something, you love something, you are inspired to become a composer. It's only natural to assume that one should work in the genres that one loves to listen to. The problem is that, if a young composer only writes in styles that he or she has heard and adores, he or she will do nothing but work in established genres and styles. We can see this right now where certain composers are doing ninth and tenth generation rehashes of the scores they've loved in the past. And as we all know, this results in nothing but watered down, safety-capped scores.

One of the toughest turns composers must make requires them to think, "I love this. Now, I'll never touch it." Yet, in a way, it's the only respectful thing to do. If a young composer falls in love with the big, actiony John Williams style, what honor is he doing it or its composer by doing an inferior version of it? In other words, if you're going to attempt to write a John Williams-style score, why bother doing it unless you can do it better than he can? More than anything, it's doing this style a disservice--why create a dip in the line chart? From both an artistic and business standpoint, what are you gaining by doing something that you know someone else can do better? (Of course, much of Williams's music is written in established styles itself, but Williams is kind of the exception to the rule, here. He actually could do a better John Williams score than anybody else.)

Who are the true greats of film music--the absolute upper echelon? You can tick them off on your fingers one by one, and in each instance you'll find that they wrote great scores as only they could. Herrmann wrote great Herrmann scores. Goldsmith writes great Goldsmith scores. North wrote great North scores. And so on. Goldsmith didn't write a great North score, and vice versa. Individuality does far more for art than idolization. That can be a scary prospect for a young composer, because every composer begins life as a listener. Just like the casual listener, they fall in love with the idea of music through the efforts of others. They also learn vicariously through these efforts. What individuality requires--what it demands--is that the composer throw out what he or she has learned to work. Want to write a piece that represents a foreign world, an upended social structure, and a desolate environment of prejudice? Jerry Goldsmith did it with serial strings and woodwinds, mixing bowls, elephant bells, rams horns, and low reeling piano figures. It's called Planet of the Apes. Now do it again... but differently. You can't use serial writing; you can't use these unique colorful instruments. You can't use Herrmann's theremins, electric violins, tubas and vibes or minimalistic patterns. You can't use John Williams' octatonic scales, double reeds, and post-Romantic phrasings. See the conundrum? You have to uncouple all of the associations you've built up as a listener over the years, but find something that's just as natural a match.

I'm looking forward to the new Star Wars films. I even stopped by a theater on the way home Tuesday night to catch the trailer. But, I sincerely hope that people will take this in stride. If it's good, love it, but don't emulate it. Love it as someone else's achievement, not a model for your own work. Composers always need to be brave enough to say something in their own voices-to say something as only they can. Be the first Composer X, not the next John Williams.

Next time: Less soap box, more movies.

Doug@filmscoremonthly.com