Close Encounters


[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TubeNet BBS ] [ FAQ ]

Posted by Jim Self on July 11, 2000 at 22:36:59:


FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH!!!!

The Conversation in Close Encounters of the Third Kind begins with lots of low F's. The 5 note motive is in the key of Ab(beginning on Bb). There are many pedal Ab's later on.

On the recording session there were four musicians--two oboes in unison (John Ellis and Bill Criss), and tuba and contra-bassoonin unison (me and Norm Herschberg). That's why it sounds "electronic" (the peculiar way the two sound in unison). The cue wasdone as a "pre-score" and the movie was made to sync to the music--so the theme pitches would trigger different colored lightsin the film. The session with composer John Williams was in June 1976 at Warner Bros. Studio. The movie was filmed later that year, scored with full orchestra in the Spring and released in Summer 1977.

Hope this helps.

JIM SELF



Follow Ups: