>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE] LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
LAST WEEK I HAD THE EXTRAORDINARY OPPORTUNITY
TO SIT DOWN WITH STEVEN SPIELBERG AND COMPOSER
JOHN WILLIAMS. THIS PAIR HAS BEEN WORKING
TOGETHER FOR OVER 50 YEARS, AND THEIR MOST
RECENT COLLABORATION, "THE FABELMANS," IS UP FOR SEVEN
ACADEMY AWARDS THIS SUNDAY, INCLUDING BEST PICTURE,
BEST DIRECTOR, AND BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR WILLIAMS,
WHICH WILL BE HIS 53RD NOMINATION.
WE WEREN'T ABLE TO FIT IN ALL OF OUR CONVERSATION LAST WEEK,
SO TONIGHT I AM PLEASED TO SHARE THE REST OF MY CONVERSATION WITH
THESE TWO HOLLYWOOD ICONS. JIM.
JOHN WILLIAMS, THANKS FOR SITTING DOWN WITH US.
IS THERE A FAVORITE SCORE FOR STEVEN SPIELBERG THAT YOU HAVE
DONE? >> John: PROBABLY "E.T.."
>> Stephen: IS THERE A REASON WHY THAT ONE HAS A SPECIAL PLACE
IN YOUR HEART? >> John: STRUCTURALLY, THE
DEVELOPMENT OF THE MUSIC, THE STRUCTURE WITH THE STORY WOULD
BE MY ANSWER. WE REMEMBER THE FILM ON THE
BICYCLES TAKE OFF IT PRIOR TO THE BICYCLES, YOU WOULD HEAR TWO
OR THREE NOTES OF THE THING, THAT'S ALL IN THE NEXT TIME YOU
MAY HEAR THREE OR FOUR NOTES. IT'S BEGINNING TO FORM IN YOUR
MEMORY AS WE ARE GOING ALONG WITH THE THING.
AS THE BICYCLES TAKE OFF, YOU HEAR ALL 12 OF THE NOTES ON THE
MELODIES REALIZE AND FINISH. [SOARING ORCHESTRAL MUSIC]
♪ ♪ I LIKE TO BELIEVE THAT THE
AUDIENCE HAS A SENSE OF COMPLETION AND SOMETHING HAS
BEEN MADE AURALLY THAT HAS CREATED THAT VERY MOMENT.
>> Steven: AND ALSO ITS GREAT SHOWMANSHIP.
>> Stephen: TO BUILD IT THAT WAY?
>> Steven: TO BUILD IT THAT WAY.
I CAN GET AN AUDIENCE TO THE BRINK OF CRYING BUT JOHNNY'S
MUSIC MAKES THE TEARS FALL. HE TAKES IT THE REST OF THE WAY,
WITHOUT BEING SENTIMENTAL ABOUT IT.
WITHOUT BEING MAUDLIN OR MAWKISH.
>> Stephen: LETS GO AWAY FROM THAT EMOTION TO A DIFFERENT ONE.
YOU SAID IN "E.T.," A NOTE HERE, TOO NOTES THERE.
LET'S TALK ABOUT THE TWO MOST FAMOUS NOTES YOU'VE EVER PLAYED.
LET'S TALK ABOUT THE "JAWS" SOUNDTRACK.
WHY THOSE TWO NOTES? WAS THE BUDGET THAT TIGHT?
>> Steven: I THOUGHT IT WAS A JOKE WHEN JOHNNY PLAYED IT FOR
ME ON THE PIANO. HE CALLED ME UP AND SAID I HAVE
THE THEME FOR "JAWS." COME OVER AND LISTEN TO IT AND I
WENT RUNNING OVER TO JOHNNY'S HOUSE AND JOHNNY SAT DOWN AT THE
PIANO AND HE WAS REALLY EXCITED TO PREVIEW FOR IT FOR ME, AND HE
TAKES TWO FINGERS. HE DIDN'T NEED ALL TEN.
HE GOES, "DUH-DUH, DUH-DUH." I STARTED LAUGHING.
JOHNNY HAD A SENSE OF HUMOR BUT HE HAD NEVER TEASED ME BEFORE
AND I THOUGHT IT'S A NEW SIDE OF JOHNNY.
WE HAD ONLY DONE ONE MOVIE TOGETHER.
NOW HE IS LOOSER. WE ARE BUDDIES AND HE CAN TEASE
ME. HAND THEN SAY HERE'S THE REAL
MUSIC AND HE SAID NO, I'M SERIOUS.
>> Stephen: WHAT DID YOU TAKE OF HIS REACTION?
>> John: HE DID SAY, YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS.
I SAID WE'LL TRY IT. CELLOS AND BASE.
ONE NOTE. >> Stephen: WHAT WAS THE
INSPIRATION FOR YOU? IT IS BOLD TO DO LESS.
>> John: IT'S CERTAINLY A CHALLENGE.
IT'S A CHALLENGE, HE GIVES ME THESE FILMS AND IT'S TERRIFYING.
>> Stephen: WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THE VALUE OF
ANXIETY. WHAT IS THE VALUE OF ANXIETY FOR
YOU? >> John: IT DOES A LOT.
IT TRIGGERS, BEFORE A PERFORMANCE, CERTAIN ADRENALINE.
>> Stephen: IF YOU'RE NOT NERVOUS, THEN YOU'RE NOT TRYING.
>> John: OUR PERFORMANCE LEVELS WILL GO UP BEFORE A
CONCERT, OR A FILM, RECORDING. I WAS THINKING, WHAT COULD BE
THE SIMPLEST POSSIBLE THING? IT HAS TO BE LOW BECAUSE THE
SHARK IS VERY DEEP. IT HAS TO BE SOMETHING THAT WHEN
IT'S APPROACHING YOU, IT IS COMPLETELY UNSTOPPABLE, THERE
ISN'T A FORCE ON EARTH IT'S GOING TO STOP A SHARK IN HIS
ATTACK AND I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, IT'S MINDLESS BUT SOMEONE WHO
KNOWS THAT WILL SAY THAT THE SHARK IS A VERY INTELLIGENT
CREATURE AND NOT AT ALL MINDLESS.
ANOTHER BIG ISSUE WITH US WAS THAT IF YOU PLAY THIS VERY
SOFTLY AND SLOWLY, YOU ADVERTISE OR YOU ADVANCE THE THOUGHTS.
THE SHOCK IS THERE JUST BY HEARING THE MUSIC.
THERE IS NO SHARK NEARBY BUT IF IT SPEEDS UP AND COMES CLOSER TO
YOU AND GETS LOUDER AND LOUDER, THIS SEEMED TWO NOTES.
YOU'VE GOT AN ACTOR THAT YOU CAN'T SEE AND A THREAT THAT BY
SOME PRIMORDIAL INSTINCT YOU ARE THREATENED BY, AS WE SHOULD BE
BY A GREAT PREDATOR. [MUSIC ACCELERATES]
>> Steven: THE SHARK WASN'T WORKING ANYWAY SO I DIDN'T HAVE
SHARK. THE SHARK WAS IN THE SHARK SHED
GETTING FIXED SO ALL I COULD DO WAS GO OFF AND FIGURE OUT, I'VE
GOT TO MAKE MY MOVIE WITHOUT A SHARK.
SO I DID. I SHOT A LOT OF SCENES WHERE
THERE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE A SHARK BUT THERE WAS NO SHARK IN
THE SCENE SO I STARTED MAKING STUFF UP.
LIKE THE PURE GETS PULLED OUT. >> Stephen: YOU WANTED TO USE
THE SHARK BUT YOU COULDN'T GET IT?
>> Steven: THE SHARK WAS SCHEDULED BUT THE SHARK DIDN'T
MAKE IT. IT WAS GETTING FIXED ALL THE
TIME. JOHNNY SORT OF SAVED THE MOVIE
BECAUSE HE BECAME THE SHARK AND THEN MUSIC SUBSTITUTED FOR THE
ABSENT SHARK WHICH MADE IT A HELL OF A LOT SCARIER AND MORE
SUSPENSEFUL THAN HAD I HAD THE SHARK WORKING PERFECTLY.
>> Stephen: WHAT ARE THOSE TWO NOTES?
>> John: ORIGINALLY THE E AND F.
THREE NOTES REALLY. D.
>> Stephen: I'M TERRIFIED JUST HEARING IT.
"CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND."
FIVE NOTES THAT ARE CRUCIAL TO COMMUNICATING WITH THE ALIENS.
BUM-BUM-BUMBAH-BUM. WHY THOSE FIVE NOTES?
>> John: I HAVE PAGES OF ATTEMPTS.
KEPT COMING BACK TO THIS ONE. WHY THOSE NOTES?
[HUMMING] IT'S OVER, THAT'S THE RESOL
RESOLUTION. NOW WE GO DO, SOL , IT IS LIKE
"AND" OR "BUT," IT'S A CONJUNCTION.
>> Stephen: A CONTINUING ST STORY.
>> John: AFTER-THE-FACT RATIONALIZATION.
>> Stephen: THAT'S WHAT IT FEELS LIKE.
>> John: THAT'S WHAT IT FEELS LIKE.
IN THE LATIN TRADITION. I DON'T THINK I CAN SING IT.
IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS IT SEEMS TO BELONG TO CIVILIZATION.
BUT I THINK IF YOU END A SENTENCE AND START SOMETHING
ELSE WITH A SHORT CONJUNCTION OF ONE OR TWO NOTES, WILL DRAW YOU
IN RATHER THAN [HUMMING] IT'S OVER.
THAT'S A VENDING. >> Steven: IT'S ALSO A
CONVERSATION. I CAN SEE IN THE SCRIPT THAT
MUSIC IS HOW THEY FIRST MAKE EACH OTHER'S ACQUAINTANCES,
THROUGH MUSIC. [DELICATE MUSIC]
♪ ♪ [BOLD MUSIC]
>> Steven: I DON'T KNOW WHERE THAT CAME FROM, PROBABLY MY
FATHER WHO WAS A MATH GENIUS. MY MOM WAS A MUSICAL GENIUS.
>> Stephen: I READ THAT YOU IMAGINE THAT MATH WOULD BE THE
LANGUAGE. >> Steven: MUSIC IS MATH IN
THAT SENSE. I DIDN'T WANT THEM PUTTING
COMPLICATED EQUATIONS ON BLACKBOARD SO THAT MUSIC WILL BE
THE QUICKEST WAY TO THE HEART OF THE AUDIENCE TO GET THEM TO
UNDERSTAND THIS SORT OF FIRST CONTACT BETWEEN AN EXTRAORDINARY
EXTRATERRESTRIAL CIVILIZATION, ADVANCED CIVILIZATION AND WE
HERE ON EARTH. >> Stephen: PEOPLE WERE UNDER
THE IMPRESSION THAT "THE FABELMANS" WOULD BE YOUR
LAST SCORE AND THAT YOU'D BE RETIRING BUT NOW I UNDERSTAND
THAT THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY THE CASE.
IS THAT MAN TO BLAME? IS HE ROPING YOU BACK IN?
>> John: HE WOULD BE CERTAINLY TO BLAME.
I MUST'VE PUT MY FOOT IN MY MOUTH SOMEWHERE HAVING SAID TH
THAT. STEVEN IS A LOT OF THINGS BUT HE
IS A MAN THAT YOU CAN'T SAY NO TO, THAT'S FOR CERTAIN.
I WANTED TO SAY AT THE BEGINNING, WE HAVE BEEN TOGETHER
50 YEARS WHICH IN ANY KIND OF MEASURE, COSMIC MEASURE OR
SPIRITUAL MEASURE, IT'S A VERY, VERY SHORT TIME.
WITH TIME. >> Steven: EARTH TIME.
>> John: I WANT TO THINK OF IT AS A GOOD START.
THAT WE CAN GO FROM HERE FOR ANOTHER 50 YEARS.
>> Stephen: THANKS AGAIN TO STEVEN SPIELBERG AND JOHN
WILLIAMS. YOU CAN WATCH "THE FABELMANS" IN
THEATERS AND AT HOME NOW. WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.