Watch rare footage of Steven Spielberg and John Williams composing ‘E.T.’
John Williams’ film themes are some of the most beloved and instantly recognisable of all time. His long-running collaboration with director Steven Spielberg saw him compose music for Jaws, Jurassic Park, and the Indiana Jones trilogy. Here, you can see the duo working on the iconic music for E.T.
By 1982, William had already established himself as one of the most prolific and sought-after composers in Hollywood. Film composition is not an easy job, especially for those who grow attached to their work. In the concert hall, the composer is her own master; in the film industry, she is subjected to the whims of directors. Composers are frequently asked to adapt their work to the requirements of the cut, meaning that their music is often regarded as incidental. As you can see from this footage, the beauty of Spielberg’s partnership with Williams was that the former respected the composer’s contributions to the extent that he was happy to tweak the final cut of the film to make room for his music.
Now that footage from the film’s production has emerged, it’s possible to see this creative partnership in action. It’s often assumed that all composers craft their music in dark rooms far from the madding crowd. While this might be the case at certain moments, Williams was also a very collaborative composer, working closely with Spielberg to ensure his cues were as tight as possible.
Here you can see the director showing Williams an early cut of E.T. while the composer tinkles away on the piano, showcasing the new themes he’s been working on. For Williams and Spielberg, meetings like this were essential – providing both of them the opportunity to adapt their work to suit the needs of the other. There are no egos here, only a determination to make the best work possible.
The footage also reveals just how much Spielberg enjoyed being involved in the musical side of his films. Indeed, the director found so much pleasure in William’s scores that he ended up playing on one of them. In an early scene in Jaws, a high school band plays a shoddy rendition of a John Sousa march during a street parade. Williams’ issue was that he was working with one of the best studio orchestras in the world. As such, it was going to be a hard task to get a bad performance from them. Thankfully, Spielberg offered his services, having confessed that he once played clarinet in a high school band. He was promptly thrown into the orchestra pit to join a number of world-class musicians. “He added just the right amateur quality to the piece,” Williams said. “A few measures still survive in the movie.”
