I just came back to watch this again and noticed that the sound is completely out of sync from the video by at least 7 seconds. At any video resolution. What gives??
I really think that this is one of those occasions where a random sound design guy is watching this at home and shouts that “HEY HONEY, SOMEONE NOTICED THAT I TUNED THE LIGHTSABER SO THE CHORD BECAME HALF DIMINISHED!!! OMG!”
Don't underestimate the work of the sound designer. Usually they have a very musically trained ear and work very closely with composer and director together. Sometimes working on it together before showing it the director. So yes, I think it is very intentional. :)
Yeah, probably not intentional in the way as the composer writing in the score "and then the lightsaber comes in with an E", but it was intended by _someone_ on the team.
I agree with this take. The siren starts on D and glissandos down to G, fitting in the G minor chord. The lightsaber reharmonizing the Gm chord to an Em7b5 chord. I think it was all intentional sound design.
@@jovanj2717 It may have been intentional composing. I haven't listened side by side, but all the sound effects sound the exact same as in A New Hope (for the sirens) and Empire Strike Back/Return of the Jedi (Vader's lightsaber). So it very well may have been the composer going, "Hey sound designers, are you going to use the same effects/methods of obtaining the effects as the original movies? If so, I've got a big surprise for you."
@@KyleDavis328 I can totally see the sound designers sampling the original sound effects, then working with Giacchino and the mixing engineers so the sound effects are in tune with the score.
My heater is an F. When I played an F1 on my keyboard my heater started to vibrate like crazy. And it actually sounds somewhat like a light saber. Absolute useless piece of information, I know
I hear many appliances constantly emitting musical notes. Most commonly: -Drills in F (though most recently I've heard them in C) -Shaving machines in Eb (when away from hair) or A (when in contact with hair). -Anything related to cold (I think temperature in general) in E.
12:40 there's no winds in High Orbit. Vader was making his cape flutter dramatically with the force. You can't be the Fist of the Emperor without a little showmanship.
Technically it's cuz the hanger is pressurized and there's a force field covering the gaping hole that is the entrance to said hanger, but I like your explanation better.
Fun fact: the sound of Vaders saber slashing is a bassline to the piece ALL the time, the guy shouting „take it“ adds to the chord in the same way the saber is (somewhere between the 3brd and 3rd) as well as the blaster shots and Vaders breath. Finally a really demonstrative score that shows, what film music actually does/is supposed to do!
@@jackbob9961 Since Baby Driver is mostly licensed music I don’t think it technically counts. although you are right in that the soundtrack for BD always fits the energy of the scenes, Mickey Mousing is more when you annunciate an action (like a character slipping and falling) with accompanying musical sound effects (like a slide whistle).
@@jackbob9961 I believe Baby Driver was more about sequences being choreographed to pre-existing songs, rather than music being written around the action in the film.
I love how at the beginning of the video, the part of this song that is playing is actually in tune with Across the Stars (Anakin and Padme’s romance theme basically), and then goes into the craziness that is the hallway scene, only to end with the Imperial March. It’s almost like a musical version of the tragedy of Anakin becoming Darth Vader
Being a composer and having worked with a ton of sound engineers, I can blindly vouch for this being 100% planned. However, I didn't know why this was my favorite Star Wars scene in the last 15 years and now I know. I got chills when you explained this. Please geek out like this in every video, I enjoyed it so much.
You guys realize he only had 4 WEEKS from initial phone call to make the soundtrack because Williams unexpectedly fell through and last minute reshoots? Absolutely nuts how intricate this score is.
Williams was never involved. Desplat was replaced by Giacchino with a little over a month to write the whole thing. He did a great job though, it's a solid ST
Your harmonic analysis of the pieces that you have covered are remarkable. The pure joy you express during your analysis is inspiring. Keep up the awesome work.
Alexandre Desplat was actually supposed to do the soundtrack but he had to dropout due to his schedule and the late reshoots. That's when they brought in Giacchino. I don't think Williams was ever involved.
Reminds me of the line from “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” that Blondie says about every gun having it’s own particular sound (right after the scene where Tuco shoots someone while taking a bath. It’s loud enough for Blondie to hear and he figures out Tuco is in the same town as him.)
@@joermnyc this makes me think about Revy from Black Lagoon! She uses modified 92F Berettas that make a very specific "PING" sound, and the protagonist Rock is able to recognize her presence when she fires them.
What's astonishing to know, is that the Vader hallway scene wasn't in the original cut of the film, it was added when they did the reshoots. To think a scene that became one of the most iconic in the franchise almost didn't make it, tells you just how special it is.
@@zoundbiestudio4021the above comment isn’t exactly right. They were debating between two Vader scenes. One is this scene, the other would have him storming the beach on Scarif. They chose the right move
@@oXRaptorzXo yeah they chose right but i'd love to have seen the other too. imagine how terrifying it would be for the rebels as they were outnumbered by quite alot already but to witness Vader himself would just crush your hope
7:30 Vader is actually deflecting the blaster bolts in tact with the music. Thats what pinches it for me. This was very likely on purpose and absolutely ingenious. With the strings leading into the sirens like they herald Vaders aproach, the lightsabre changing the pitch of the music and the music pacing itself to Vaders actions? Thtat is some genious soundtrac and sound design as well as non verbal storytelling. Vaders simple presence is so powerful it warps and twists the score of the movie. It gives him so much more impact and weight here. While unnoticed by most consiously, subconciusly they definitely notice it.
10:23 those two chords (Gm->Ebm) are the chords of the Imperial March. The lightsaber may not be intentional but those two chords are ALWAYS used to represent Darth Vader, throughout the saga
By extension, that movement of a minor chord, moving down a minor 3rd to a minor chord is something William's, and many other composers of his era, use ubiquitously to represent evil in a lot of scores he's done. Comes out of the octatonic scale.
@@cleverman383 I’m not sure if we know what exactly causes those with synesthesia to associate specific aspects of sensation (ie: E specifically) with others from a different sense (ie: red specifically). It’s probably something like that, though I personally think it was likely a children’s colorful toy piano, but there are so many I doubt I’ll ever find it. As for this specifically, it completely depends on whether Vader’s lightsaber was also in E in the original movies.
I worked in a cinema during the release period of rogue one. Much to my boss's dismay, the entire ushering team would all run to a screen when we knew it was approaching the Vader sequence. We watched this scene literally 20+ times on opening week and it was chilling EVERY single time. 10/10, would Vader-in-Hallway again.
I'm now convinced those lego star wars clips of Darth Vader conducting his own theme music with his lightsaber are actually cannon. Vader is definitely enough of a drama queen to change the pitch of his lightsaber to enhance the music.
@@janmelantu7490 fun fact: when Vader is standing on the edge of the ramp towards the end there, it's fanonically accepted that he was using the force to blow his cape around, as there's no wind in space. At the beginning of the hallways scene, he also turned off all the lights on his suit so he could just step out of the darkness, illuminated only when he ignites his lightsaber, and finally, in an episode of Star Wars Rebels, he used the force to land his TIE Fighter while he was standing on top of it, implying that he flew his TIE to Malachor, got out, got on top, and flew it from on top of it. So basically, Darth Vader is still that bitch lmaooo
I understand NOTHING about music theory, BUT, the energy you had is INCREDIBLY infectious, and I found myself sitting through the whole video despite not understanding a single thing you said. I love this.
It's not that hard. Think of the scale "do ray me fa so la ti do" as "1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8". A major cord would be 1 3 5 8. For the minor cord lower that 3 "me" by half a step. Now if you take the cord and start adding certain other notes, it becomes dissonant sounding. Most common is to add the 7th "ti" but here he's talking about adding the 5th "so". That's it, that's all there is to what he is saying.
no need...the thing to take away is this: It's unclear if this was intentional or not but the pitch of the lightsaber sound adds to the music and creates a even more dramatic sound...
Fun fact Vader actually turned off his life support to be completely invisible So basically he turned off what's keeping him alive to be a badass while entering
Part of why I love Rogue One is that it is a tragic story. Star Wars is one of those strange war-for-kids stories, when real war is desperate, tragic and good people die. It was something that the franchise needed and I think needs more of.
They also need less of “the good guys always win” since it ruins the tension when you know that everyone will love and get the outcome they want except the space nazi
@@floppywalrus3426 Ironically this is exactly why _The Empire Strikes Back_ was originally kind of hated when it first came out, as was _The Last Jedi:_ they're both films where the protagonists fail (and in the _Last Jedi's_ case everyone fails). These days _Empire_ is considered the best of the original trilogy and people are coming around on _Last Jedi,_ but when they were both new people _didn't_ want to see anything other than "the good guys always win". As the second acts in the extended 3-act structure of a trilogy it makes complete sense why the heroes would reach the lowest point of their story, that's traditionally how the 3-act works, too bad _Rise of __-Palpatine-__ Skywalker_ didn't have the payoff of _Last Jedi_ clearing the road for it.
@@Vespuchian Actually, Empire was very universally liked when it came out… saying it was hated? That’s a myth. The “hate” ESB got is a recent myth due to the hate TLJ got. ESB was never universally hated like TLJ. Stop falling for these myths.
Three more things: 1. That Vader Theme is called "Hope" 2. You can here the Blockade Runner theme when you see the ship 3. If you speed the soundtrack up, it becomes the imperial march
@@grantmalone And that stable frequency is practically exactly E... and then F# just a few moments later, as the music requires. Must have warmed up from being used a lot. What a weird coincidence.
@@adamkozakiewicz6766 Right, but not actually E, and not synced with the music but cutting with the shot, and not actually F# but dancing around it, and not actually "as the music requires" but clashing with the music until it changes chord at which point it kinda fits with it. A weird coincidence that the lightsaber changes pitch when moving? For other examples of this see every lightsaber fight ever. I guarantee you you'll find plenty of examples where the saber hum happens to vaguely fit with the music. Especially if we're allowing for notes outside the chords actually being played. Add any note to any chord and you get a new chord. Sorry, gotta go, just saw the face of Yoda in a cloud... :)
Unrelated to the Music: When it all clicked, it makes the confrontation between Vader and Leia in ANH even better. It's literally a child lying to a parent in a 'they know that I know that they know I'm lying' situation. "We are on a diplomatic mission!" *"I WATCHED YOU RUN AWAY."*
I have the opposite reaction. According to Rogue One, he didn't "trace the rebel spies to her" he watched them fly away, they knew he did, and he just followed them. It would have been so much better if the escaping ship WAS NOT the Tantive IV. Also why TF was Leia just sitting in a corvette inside some cruiser? A huge part of the rebellion, uselessly exposed to destruction but not doing anything. Makes no sense.
Fun fact I thought Charles would talk about: That Gm to Ebm chord progression is the exact same one that drives (most of) the iconic Imperial March theme.
That's exactly what I thought! I was like "obviously bro! Gmin to Ebmin is the most recognizable aspect of the Imperial March." Glad someone else thought that.
Yep... Giacchino not really doing a great job "not being Williams" when he's using the same chords, in the same key, as arguably the most iconic theme from the entire saga. Not trying to gatekeep but I find it odd that a self-proclaimed star wars fan and serious musician wouldn't realize this lol
The Lightsaber sound does not really get cut out, it just gets hard panned to the left and there is a treble cut, but the low, low E is still clearly there
It's very intentional. At least in the sense that they've said in bts materials that music is tricky in saber fight scenes because the sabers are so musical themselves, in fact George Lucas started out always intentionally not having music in saber fights, saying "the sabers _are_ the music" essentially. Of course they eventually started having music in the saber fights but they likely alter the pitches of the sabers to not clash too harshly or dissonantly with the music.
Did I intentionally notice the minor 7b5? No Did I feel it in the moment? Absolutely This is why movie scoring matters more than most people realize. The music will make you feel something whether you realize it or not. The right music absolutely sucks you in on a subconscious level. The wrong music did the opposite and can make the viewer completely disconnect.
This is in large part why I think the studio heads thought they had a turkey on their hands when the original Star Wars was in rough cut form. The film still needed needed Marcia Lucas to tidy up the editing, and John Williams to tie the whole thing together.
This brings back so hard *Light of the Seven* vs *The Night King* Light of the Seven was off-putting at first, because it confused you, but extremely quickly you were feeling it throughout the scene, and the initial confusion was extremely smart executed in the way that it showed that something was very off. The Night King instead was surprising at first, the same way, but it never stopped feeling so. For the duration of the scene it was cheesy and inconsistent with what we were seeing and the emotions we should have had. I love Ramin Djawadi and mad respect for the guy, he's pretty much up there with the best composers in Hollywood history. But that was not a good decision (from either him or the directors).
Same. I love watching technical deconstructions but I have absolutely no idea what this guy is talking about. This sound is made of sound, that's all I know.
I understand some music theory, and I'm sure you do know what this guy is talking about, because you can hear music and you can feel what the composer wanted listeners to feel. You just don't understand the jargon (yet).
@@juanmoralesvideo you underestimate my inability to feel music. I can't detect dissonant chords or when a piece is played an octave too high or too low. I'm basically one step above tone deaf.
omg I'm not hte only person that does this... I was in theatre watchin thte dark knight, Zimmer was doing D-F. D-F as the theme with the Dmin running under it and I was WAITING for the modulation to Bb maj in the Horns, and when it hit in the last scene I jumped up out of my seat and fist bumped the air so hard everyone thought i'd lost it!
When Vader ignites his saber, that's the moment where Star Wars goes from Space opera to Space OPERA. The music is describing the action, the Lightsaber joins the music, and the shouts of the Rebels join in as well.
As a sound designer, I tune everything. Although I'm usually only thinking of consonance and dissonance. Even atmosphere can do a lot in terms of psychoacoustics. The sound of waves against cliffs, winds, anything.. can all be tuned/eq'd to impart a particular feeling, be it conscious or subconscious.
As a sound designer, I would never interfere with the soundtrack to the point of changing the way you perceive a chord, that would be overstepping my role. You are right saying that it's our job to fine tune things to avoid contrasts with the music, but in that case you would pick the root, the 5th or the 3rd, leaving the feeling of the chord intact.
@@ChristianIce I don't agree. That's no fun. I do whatever feels right and sounds good to me. Sure.. keep a safe backup, but push your ideas and creativity... that's the job, in my opinion.
@@DanHackettSound If I find it cool I would at least call the songwriter and ask if he's ok if I change the root of his theme :) That is, of course, if it was intentional and the guy thought "let's turn it into a diminished chord", while probably he just thought "sounds ok, print it".
7:17 the chord is actually the same as the opening chord of Verdi's Dies Irae! The very jarring nature of it was also an instantly noticeable similarity, and while I'm sure it wasn't intended, it certainly invoked the same chaotic feeling that Dies Irae stimulates!
That’s pretty progressive for classical, it is a m7b5! The musical allusion is likely strong here to contextualize, but it’s also just inherently destabilizing or tension-inducing
Interestingly enough, it's also the Imperial March, a.k.a. Darth Vader's theme song. Makes you wonder whether John Williams did that on purpose, and this new composer guy too.
@@gillianomotoso328 Oh yeah sorry I think Dies Irae is just a regular g minor chord, certainly no flat 5 in it, but the voicing etc sounds similar. Don't have the Star wars orchestral score to compare exactly
@@NielDLR it's literally everywhere, listen to the first four notes when the full orchestra kicks in at 3:08 as it plays the main heroes' theme from the movie. First four notes of dies irae. Pretty cool when you think about how dies irae is usually used to denote death and mourning, literally means "day of wrath," and they made the heroes' theme echo its beginning as they all die in the end.
In Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, there's a speeder chase scene where Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker are in an airspeeder chasing an assassin (Zam Wesell) also in an airspeeder. In regard to the sounds of the assassin's airspeeder, the sound designer Ben Burtt had this to say: "The howl of Zam's speeder was produced with an old electric guitar. I play drums in a church band and I asked guitarist Dave Weaver to make the sounds for me one day after practice. I chopped the sound up with a synthesizer program and ran it through an old time spring reverb system. The idea was to produce a sound as if Zam's speeder were not rocket-powered, but ran on some sort of magnetism, perhaps in a field produced by the automatic Coruscant traffic control." And in regard to the sound of lightsaber - yeah, I would bet they DID think about it, in relationship to the background music. Watch the video titled "Sound Design - Star Wars Episode II (FULL)" that's on UA-cam.
@@peejay1981 I think it was tuned intentionally. It's all about the timing of the swings of the saber in relationship to where the musical score is. That's just not accidental.
Just an fyi! every lightsaber has the “hum” but every lightsaber sounds different. (Especially on ignition). Soo anyone other than Vader would have had a saber that wouldn’t fit with the themes created by John Williams in the original trilogy and Michael’s work on Rogue One. Freaking amazing
This ending sequence was one of the best horror films I've ever seen, and it's the moment I saw "ah. THIS is why Vader is terrifying." The original trilogy didn't give us THIS.
The original trilogy was limited by the technology of the time - and back then it was groundbreaking stuff. And the fact that it was not normal for actors back then to do months of physical preparation for a role to make elaborate action scenes convincing. Of course modern films can much "flashier", over the top action scenes. I mean look at Obi Wan vs Vader fight on the miniseries. I makes you wonder how awesome a remake of the original trilogy could be, if they actually did it right. Then you remember that they'd probably make Obi Wan gay, Tarkin would be trans and Chewbacca would be rainbow coloured, and Leia would comment every five minutes how men are useless while single handedly doing everything better than everyone else because reasons.
I am inclined lean towards intentional just because of the impacts of the lightsaber at 9:57 lining up rhythmically with the score. That shows clear intent with the sound design of the lightsaber and the writing of the score. There's also some really cool stuff going on with the mixing when he extends his lightsaber. It entirely overwhelms the score initially, then when the camera angle changes to the rebels the hum of the lightsaber is lowered significantly and moved to the left side of the soundstage, giving room for the "Open fire!" to be delivered through the ride side of the soundstage. It's really hard to hear but the lightsaber hum crescendos with the rest of the orchestra and moves back to the center of the soundstage during the crescendo leading up to the "Open fire!"
Hats off to that extra for REAL. Honestly all the actors in this film knocked it out of the park 100%. Those who don't like it seriously need to take an unbiased look at this movie because it's so amazing
Another commenter said that was the director and I honestly don't know if they were referring to that line and I did absolutely no research of my own. So.....take everything with a grain of salt.
I thought that scene was dumb. Vader could have just used the Force to grab either the object from the guy or the guy himself and brought it to him in like two seconds and then still kill all the rebels.
and the point of the writers turning a decades old boomer plot hole meme abt the death star weakness into the most touching revenge plot was absolute class.
Then when you immediately cut to the opening of A New Hope and Leia is like “we’re on a diplomatic mission. I don’t know what you’re talking about?” Like he didn’t just slaughter two hallways full of YOUR CREW not half an hour ago! Lol
@@deadfromhell1235 A daughterz gotta do, whut a daughterz gotta do! She may not appreciate, da fact, dat dadz been around da block, a time or 2, & knowz all about whut shez doing.
@@DavidSmashGames WOW!!! Current eventz, should show u, dat a bold-faced lie, can git u far. If u blieve they r telling da truth, about just about anything going on n 2daze newz, then Princess Leiaz lie, probably woulda worked on u 2!
As someone who isn’t so musically knowledgeable, I never noticed the stuff going on with the music and lightsaber in that scene. But I think I never noticed because the music is doing it’s job. It really blends into the emotion of that scene and enhances it so that all your focus is on the absolute chaos that Vader is dishin out
Even if you don’t notice it consciously. You’ll still feel it on a subconscious level. It’s why the saber does sound so incredibly menacing. It’s pitch is as far from the key as possible while also being in the bass register.
I just realized that the "star wars sound" I recognized as a "phantom of the opera sound" is probably intentional... because Star Wars is a space opera.
The score of The Mandalorian somehow proved that Star Wars can still feel like Star Wars without John Williams, or even without pretending to be Williams.
A lot of the times it felt amost like a different genre of music compared to the classical Williams score, especially the title theme. But it still feels like it fits and belongs in the same world. It's just a different story in another part of the galaxy.
@@LaurierLachance Yes and it fits just right, not only because it's a theme associated with Luke, but because he's bringing that part of the Star Wars saga with him now. God it's great!
So, when the lightsaber is closed off, that "sip" sound it makes is /perfectly/ timed with the music. So are several of the other hit timings. I have trouble seeing how this was in any way /not/ intended. It has to have been. And that makes it more likely to me that the tones are intentional, too.
The title was a little clickbaity, which is strange, because the video overdelivers. For a fan of music and Star Wars and filmmaking, this video is pure gold. Excellent work.
You're forgetting that the Gmin to E flat maj chord progression comes from the first two chords of the Imperial March/Vader's theme chord progression.... same key too. When it modulates to Cmin later and maintains those same chordal qualities, same Imperial March chords, just modulated 🤯
And Michael Giacchino had just 4 weeks to write this score, being a replacement composer. And during that short time, he composed possibly the best score of Disney Star Wars era next to John Powell's Solo.
Of the Disney films, yeah, Rogue One stands above. I think my favorite of the non original trilogy was 3, Revenge of the Sith. The acting had improved, the tone was different and heavier, and it was well written. Lots of nuance to notice as Anakin became more and more Vader. The music for the epic fight on Mustafar between Anakin and Obi-Wan was also just, so great!
As someone in the film industry, I would be extremely surprised if this was not done on purpose. The music rings out here, the lightsaber rings out here; they absolutely would’ve cross-checked to make sure they were tonally complementary. For instance, in Ford v Ferrari, the composer was instructed by the director to use a key that would complement the pitch of the Ford GT’s engine.
Absolutely intentional. As someone with quite a bit of sound design and also score composition experience, the pitch of the lightsaber would definitely never be far from my mind. From a musical perspective, using the lightsaber to reinforce either the root of the chord or the third of the chord is a brilliant and powerful choice.
The part that made me super emotional was when they started playing 'Your Father Would Be Proud'. When the Death star appeared, building up all the way to Jyn and Cassian hugging each other as they get swept away by the blast. The score during that killed me.
Fun music theory fact: The two minor chords a major third apart actually make a relationship known as a "chromatic mediant". This relationship is commonly used in film because it adds a very dark and ominous sound. In the case of this scene and the Star Wars series in general, it serves as the basis for Darth Vader's theme (the Imperial March).
I took music theory in class and was pretty well known as a Star Wars fan, and my teacher would always look at me whenever we discussed chromatic mediant chords and say, "Otherwise known as the Star Wars chord." Because it's everywhere in the Star Wars score!
Cant it also be a minor 3rd apart? Because a chromatic mediant is 2 chords that are 3rds apart and have only one note in common so am (a c e) to cm (c eb g) is a minor third and has 1 common note.
A chromatic mediant isn't necessarily 2 minor chords a major 3rd apart, it's just that the mediant (3rd scale degree) or submediant (6th scale degree) is altered relative to the original key. So in G minor the chromatic mediant would be Bb minor (instead of Bb major diatonically). The chromatic submediant for G minor is Eb minor (again, instead of Eb major).
original series: "a lot of people died to get us this information" literally the entire script of rogue one. But the end scene literally adds 10 minutes to the older fan loved movies beginning. So that one time, we forgave Disney.
The “many bothans died to bring us this information” relates to acquiring the plans for the second death star, rather than the events depicted in Rogue One to acquire the plans for the first death star.
At first I would've said it was a happy accident, but the fact the lightsaber noise actually moves with the chords tells me it Has to be deliberate. Fantastic sound design, great video!!!
hands down one of the TOP 3 most amazing moments in a theater. the entire theater full of people ROARed....its what we should have had with ALL the movies in the Disney era.....WHY is this so hard to achieve?
WAS THIS INTENTIONAL I HAVE TO KNOW
i don't know you creeper!
It has to be… right?
You weren't
Probably.
Please do an episode on The Incredibles it has great music
brb gotta go tune my lightsabers
Dont tell me you are trying to produce a dyad…
Are y m m B. Bbb I do
C the
H a
Bum. B
Knock I'm a
I got a bad no'e. \
J
Third comment on checkmark yessir
lmao that sent me. thanks Adam you're low-key a babe
😅👍👍👍👍
I just came back to watch this again and noticed that the sound is completely out of sync from the video by at least 7 seconds. At any video resolution. What gives??
Glad it isn't just me. I have watched this one before and didn't notice that as being a thing at all, but it is definitely borked now.
Imagine writting a villain so good that when he appears on screen the audience cheers.
only Star Wars
@@peterlacey5187 Vergil in DMC
This, THIS
@@poorcolossus they were not motivated enough when they said Only SW
The Darth Vader of Rogue One is the villian we had been searching for over 30 years. He never showed up in the prequels.
9:11 apparently "that guy" is the films director.
Darth Vader: slaughters an entire team of innocent Rebel soldiers
Charles: WUHWUHWUHWUH
Is that what the word innocent means?
Honestly...is anybody innocent in this franchise
If you're military you're not innocent.
@@suburbanindie They weren't military. They were rebels loyal to the royal family. Basically insurgent terrorists.
LMAO underrated comment
I really think that this is one of those occasions where a random sound design guy is watching this at home and shouts that “HEY HONEY, SOMEONE NOTICED THAT I TUNED THE LIGHTSABER SO THE CHORD BECAME HALF DIMINISHED!!! OMG!”
This xd
I hope so hard that happened.
Yea this comment is gonna live rent free in my head for a few days
@Michael Afton Will it outlast riding horses in space on top of a space ship?
Leo pointing at TV meme
Don't underestimate the work of the sound designer. Usually they have a very musically trained ear and work very closely with composer and director together. Sometimes working on it together before showing it the director. So yes, I think it is very intentional. :)
Yeah, probably not intentional in the way as the composer writing in the score "and then the lightsaber comes in with an E", but it was intended by _someone_ on the team.
I agree with this take. The siren starts on D and glissandos down to G, fitting in the G minor chord. The lightsaber reharmonizing the Gm chord to an Em7b5 chord. I think it was all intentional sound design.
Sound designers muscially trained? Bro they're usually straight up musicians lol
@@jovanj2717 It may have been intentional composing. I haven't listened side by side, but all the sound effects sound the exact same as in A New Hope (for the sirens) and Empire Strike Back/Return of the Jedi (Vader's lightsaber). So it very well may have been the composer going, "Hey sound designers, are you going to use the same effects/methods of obtaining the effects as the original movies? If so, I've got a big surprise for you."
@@KyleDavis328 I can totally see the sound designers sampling the original sound effects, then working with Giacchino and the mixing engineers so the sound effects are in tune with the score.
That was incredible.
6:08 "I'm sorry. I'll stop geeking out."
*geeks out for another 11 minutes*
me
@@emr1d341 too
Me three
Do one on the Incredibles because the music for that movie goes hard
True, the waltz theme is my favorite. (when he's training to get back on the job)
I've been wanting this for so long, he should do it!
YAS
And the Mandalorian theme!!
He also did the soundtrack to Space Mountain at the Disney parks!
1:41. %100 agree. Rogue One is one of the best Star Wars films.
Same!
same
"The light saber is in E" is definitely not a phrase I thought I would hear today...
My heater is an F. When I played an F1 on my keyboard my heater started to vibrate like crazy. And it actually sounds somewhat like a light saber. Absolute useless piece of information, I know
@@joda3615 resonate frequency!!! We love vibrating things by making noise
I hear many appliances constantly emitting musical notes.
Most commonly:
-Drills in F (though most recently I've heard them in C)
-Shaving machines in Eb (when away from hair) or A (when in contact with hair).
-Anything related to cold (I think temperature in general) in E.
“The combination makes this dramatic disastrous sound”
Like we’re 12 seconds away from having a room of corpses?
LMFAO I know, right?
yup
12:40 there's no winds in High Orbit. Vader was making his cape flutter dramatically with the force. You can't be the Fist of the Emperor without a little showmanship.
Technically it's cuz the hanger is pressurized and there's a force field covering the gaping hole that is the entrance to said hanger, but I like your explanation better.
Vader has traits of Anakin, his attitude and arrogance and flashiness. Makes sense tbh
Yeah, but there's a full array of rockets speeding away from him... maybe enough t flutter a cape
Perfect comment of the day. You win. Per.Fect.
He also held the door closed and turned off the lights on his suit for *drama* lmao
Absolutely glorious! Super cool! 😎👌🏻
Fun fact: the sound of Vaders saber slashing is a bassline to the piece ALL the time, the guy shouting „take it“ adds to the chord in the same way the saber is (somewhere between the 3brd and 3rd) as well as the blaster shots and Vaders breath. Finally a really demonstrative score that shows, what film music actually does/is supposed to do!
Yeah that’s an old technique called “Mickey mousing” where the music literally narrates the action and melds with the sound fx
@@rnttnzr774 would Baby Driver be an example?
@@jackbob9961 Since Baby Driver is mostly licensed music I don’t think it technically counts. although you are right in that the soundtrack for BD always fits the energy of the scenes, Mickey Mousing is more when you annunciate an action (like a character slipping and falling) with accompanying musical sound effects (like a slide whistle).
@@jackbob9961 I believe Baby Driver was more about sequences being choreographed to pre-existing songs, rather than music being written around the action in the film.
@@rnttnzr774 that's a bit ironic considering the owner of star wars rights
I love how at the beginning of the video, the part of this song that is playing is actually in tune with Across the Stars (Anakin and Padme’s romance theme basically), and then goes into the craziness that is the hallway scene, only to end with the Imperial March. It’s almost like a musical version of the tragedy of Anakin becoming Darth Vader
Nice analysis and i think i can agree with that!!!
call me crazy/paranoid but that sounds intentional
The tragedy of Darth Vader is not a story the Jedi would tell you...
@@151monka But Obi-Wan does exactly that lol.
Holly shit good catch
Being a composer and having worked with a ton of sound engineers, I can blindly vouch for this being 100% planned. However, I didn't know why this was my favorite Star Wars scene in the last 15 years and now I know. I got chills when you explained this. Please geek out like this in every video, I enjoyed it so much.
15 years? pretty sure this movie came out in 2016
@@tobiastangen37 yeah but he means in the 15 years prior to when he saw this movie
I think the Luke hallway scene in mandalorian is just above this one for me, but this takes second place by an enormous margin.
@@tobiastangen37 IN the last 15 years 🤦♂️
@@tobiastangen37 Read the line again ...
00:08 love how he just plays this beautiful melody so casually😭…like howwww
You guys realize he only had 4 WEEKS from initial phone call to make the soundtrack because Williams unexpectedly fell through and last minute reshoots? Absolutely nuts how intricate this score is.
The fuck that’s insane
Williams was never involved. Desplat was replaced by Giacchino with a little over a month to write the whole thing. He did a great job though, it's a solid ST
Your harmonic analysis of the pieces that you have covered are remarkable. The pure joy you express during your analysis is inspiring. Keep up the awesome work.
Alexandre Desplat was actually supposed to do the soundtrack but he had to dropout due to his schedule and the late reshoots. That's when they brought in Giacchino. I don't think Williams was ever involved.
Williams wasn't involved
just imagine if everyone's lightsaber's had their own specific note, and the character's themes were based around it all.
Reminds me of the line from “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” that Blondie says about every gun having it’s own particular sound (right after the scene where Tuco shoots someone while taking a bath. It’s loud enough for Blondie to hear and he figures out Tuco is in the same town as him.)
I kinda thought they already did tho…
I know each lightsaber has its own sound, but I didn’t even think about how it could be reflected in the score… Further Research Is Needed.
@@joermnyc this makes me think about Revy from Black Lagoon! She uses modified 92F Berettas that make a very specific "PING" sound, and the protagonist Rock is able to recognize her presence when she fires them.
That's an awesome idea, actually!
What's astonishing to know, is that the Vader hallway scene wasn't in the original cut of the film, it was added when they did the reshoots. To think a scene that became one of the most iconic in the franchise almost didn't make it, tells you just how special it is.
Tells you just how lame they are at choosing their scripts sometimes, god. THis is glod. Everything they made after it is just meh.
@@zoundbiestudio4021the above comment isn’t exactly right. They were debating between two Vader scenes. One is this scene, the other would have him storming the beach on Scarif. They chose the right move
@@oXRaptorzXo yeah they chose right but i'd love to have seen the other too. imagine how terrifying it would be for the rebels as they were outnumbered by quite alot already but to witness Vader himself would just crush your hope
alot of the best scenes in tv almost didn't make it.
@@nickf.6027if they had both, the hallway scene wouldn't be as effective.
7:30 Vader is actually deflecting the blaster bolts in tact with the music. Thats what pinches it for me. This was very likely on purpose and absolutely ingenious. With the strings leading into the sirens like they herald Vaders aproach, the lightsabre changing the pitch of the music and the music pacing itself to Vaders actions? Thtat is some genious soundtrac and sound design as well as non verbal storytelling. Vaders simple presence is so powerful it warps and twists the score of the movie. It gives him so much more impact and weight here. While unnoticed by most consiously, subconciusly they definitely notice it.
10:23 those two chords (Gm->Ebm) are the chords of the Imperial March. The lightsaber may not be intentional but those two chords are ALWAYS used to represent Darth Vader, throughout the saga
Same thing i was thinking. With that being said it has to be intentional
Indeed
Was waiting for him to realize this!
The music in the scene is the Imperial March, just slower.
By extension, that movement of a minor chord, moving down a minor 3rd to a minor chord is something William's, and many other composers of his era, use ubiquitously to represent evil in a lot of scores he's done. Comes out of the octatonic scale.
As someone with synesthesia who perceives E as red, the fact that Vader’s lightsaber sound is in E feels extremely satisfying
Omg you too 😂 why does this chord sound so red ?
If you watched Star Wars while young, could Vader's lightsaber have caused your perception of E?
@@cleverman383 I discovered Star wars late x)) but it surely is a similar reason, I agree with you.
@@cleverman383 I’m not sure if we know what exactly causes those with synesthesia to associate specific aspects of sensation (ie: E specifically) with others from a different sense (ie: red specifically).
It’s probably something like that, though I personally think it was likely a children’s colorful toy piano, but there are so many I doubt I’ll ever find it.
As for this specifically, it completely depends on whether Vader’s lightsaber was also in E in the original movies.
Awww man...I get orange
My dude was like “I know that’s the sound of the twin ion engines, not the lambda shuttle. Shut up, nerds.”
RIP MF DOOM 😪
Please look at Solo, it's so much better than people say it is, it's one of my Fav new era movies period
I worked in a cinema during the release period of rogue one. Much to my boss's dismay, the entire ushering team would all run to a screen when we knew it was approaching the Vader sequence. We watched this scene literally 20+ times on opening week and it was chilling EVERY single time. 10/10, would Vader-in-Hallway again.
The phrase "10/10, would Vader-in-Hallway again" has me giggling hysterically! Thank you for tickling my grammar nerd brainstem.
I'm now convinced those lego star wars clips of Darth Vader conducting his own theme music with his lightsaber are actually cannon. Vader is definitely enough of a drama queen to change the pitch of his lightsaber to enhance the music.
Anakin was always a showboating, swashbuckling hero. Vader never lost his showboaty nature
@@janmelantu7490 fun fact: when Vader is standing on the edge of the ramp towards the end there, it's fanonically accepted that he was using the force to blow his cape around, as there's no wind in space. At the beginning of the hallways scene, he also turned off all the lights on his suit so he could just step out of the darkness, illuminated only when he ignites his lightsaber, and finally, in an episode of Star Wars Rebels, he used the force to land his TIE Fighter while he was standing on top of it, implying that he flew his TIE to Malachor, got out, got on top, and flew it from on top of it. So basically, Darth Vader is still that bitch lmaooo
@@charliebeckham2391 Vader understands that villainy without theatrics is, quite simply, a travesty.
Bruh I am dead, this thread is hilarious
@@Boyde712 he understands the difference between a regular villain and a *super* villain
11:44 "Props to that guy! He had one line, and he nailed it!"
That was the director, Gareth Edwards
Gareth is the guy who pulls the lever immediately after dude screams launch.
Yeah, he's talking about the guy that yelled "Launch" and not the director who pulled the release.
That's a Willheim Scream too
Apparently it's actually Christopher Nolan (no relation)
@@piraka_mistika i heard his name was actually Darude S. Storm
I'll die on the hill defending this man.
0:04 There is a good boy in this picture.
I understand NOTHING about music theory, BUT, the energy you had is INCREDIBLY infectious, and I found myself sitting through the whole video despite not understanding a single thing you said. I love this.
It's not that hard. Think of the scale "do ray me fa so la ti do" as "1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8". A major cord would be 1 3 5 8. For the minor cord lower that 3 "me" by half a step. Now if you take the cord and start adding certain other notes, it becomes dissonant sounding. Most common is to add the 7th "ti" but here he's talking about adding the 5th "so". That's it, that's all there is to what he is saying.
No, the 5th is already there, you meant the 6th
no need...the thing to take away is this: It's unclear if this was intentional or not but the pitch of the lightsaber sound adds to the music and creates a even more dramatic sound...
I understood what he said, but I get your feeling! I was also watching because he was so genuine! Such a good youtuber!
@@chrisaustin9949 You just didnt hahahahahahaha
Fun fact Vader actually turned off his life support to be completely invisible
So basically he turned off what's keeping him alive to be a badass while entering
Or maybe he used the force to hide the light/alter their perception, like siths can change the way they look so nobody notices who they are
That's dedication right there
Theres also no wind in space, so he’s also taking a note from “How to Make an Entrance” by Obi-Wan Kenobi
evidence where?
Well if you're going to murder a dozen people, you should do it with style!
1:35 YESSSS CHRIS I LOVE YOU
Part of why I love Rogue One is that it is a tragic story. Star Wars is one of those strange war-for-kids stories, when real war is desperate, tragic and good people die. It was something that the franchise needed and I think needs more of.
They also need less of “the good guys always win” since it ruins the tension when you know that everyone will love and get the outcome they want except the space nazi
If you haven't read Shatterpoint, you'd probably like it. It was another moment where Star Wars kind of dipped into the reality of war
@@floppywalrus3426 sorta the thing with clone wars. We know half the characters will be ok
@@floppywalrus3426 Ironically this is exactly why _The Empire Strikes Back_ was originally kind of hated when it first came out, as was _The Last Jedi:_ they're both films where the protagonists fail (and in the _Last Jedi's_ case everyone fails). These days _Empire_ is considered the best of the original trilogy and people are coming around on _Last Jedi,_ but when they were both new people _didn't_ want to see anything other than "the good guys always win". As the second acts in the extended 3-act structure of a trilogy it makes complete sense why the heroes would reach the lowest point of their story, that's traditionally how the 3-act works, too bad _Rise of __-Palpatine-__ Skywalker_ didn't have the payoff of _Last Jedi_ clearing the road for it.
@@Vespuchian Actually, Empire was very universally liked when it came out… saying it was hated? That’s a myth. The “hate” ESB got is a recent myth due to the hate TLJ got.
ESB was never universally hated like TLJ. Stop falling for these myths.
Three more things:
1. That Vader Theme is called "Hope"
2. You can here the Blockade Runner theme when you see the ship
3. If you speed the soundtrack up, it becomes the imperial march
I never never poo old have figured that out.
Whaaat
The fact that the lightsaber WAS such a pitch-oriented sound tells me they had some intention of context into the pitch mix.
If I weren't lazy, I'd check Darth Vader's lightsaber pitches throughout the original trilogy to compare.
But that's just normal for a lightsaber. When they are turned on and not moving they hum at a stable frequency, like lots of electrical things.
@@grantmalone However, they chose for it to be stable pitch, AND fairly in tune with conventional pitch.
@@grantmalone And that stable frequency is practically exactly E... and then F# just a few moments later, as the music requires. Must have warmed up from being used a lot. What a weird coincidence.
@@adamkozakiewicz6766 Right, but not actually E, and not synced with the music but cutting with the shot, and not actually F# but dancing around it, and not actually "as the music requires" but clashing with the music until it changes chord at which point it kinda fits with it.
A weird coincidence that the lightsaber changes pitch when moving? For other examples of this see every lightsaber fight ever. I guarantee you you'll find plenty of examples where the saber hum happens to vaguely fit with the music. Especially if we're allowing for notes outside the chords actually being played. Add any note to any chord and you get a new chord. Sorry, gotta go, just saw the face of Yoda in a cloud... :)
7:28 I think it was intentional since the guy yelling "HELP US" is in tune with the music, especially when you hear its small echoes "help us!" 7:30
Unrelated to the Music: When it all clicked, it makes the confrontation between Vader and Leia in ANH even better. It's literally a child lying to a parent in a 'they know that I know that they know I'm lying' situation.
"We are on a diplomatic mission!"
*"I WATCHED YOU RUN AWAY."*
I have the opposite reaction. According to Rogue One, he didn't "trace the rebel spies to her" he watched them fly away, they knew he did, and he just followed them.
It would have been so much better if the escaping ship WAS NOT the Tantive IV. Also why TF was Leia just sitting in a corvette inside some cruiser? A huge part of the rebellion, uselessly exposed to destruction but not doing anything. Makes no sense.
Fun fact I thought Charles would talk about:
That Gm to Ebm chord progression is the exact same one that drives (most of) the iconic Imperial March theme.
Me too
That's exactly what I thought! I was like "obviously bro! Gmin to Ebmin is the most recognizable aspect of the Imperial March." Glad someone else thought that.
Yeah same!!
And Duel of the Fates
It's the general "John Williams menace". Voldemort for example is Am to Fm. But the Imperial March was first, and it was in G.
10:23 "That is a very Star Wars sound" says Charles as he is playing the chords to the Darth Vader Theme. Gm and Ebm. lmao
Thought i was the only one who noticed
I was yelling at my screen "IMPERIAL MARCH CHORDS BRO YOU'RE PLAYING IT RIGHT NOW!"
Yeah, I heard it the first time we saw the film in theaters. Of course, I'm probably one of the biggest "Star Wars" fans ever, so...
I was looking for this comment. 😂
Yep... Giacchino not really doing a great job "not being Williams" when he's using the same chords, in the same key, as arguably the most iconic theme from the entire saga. Not trying to gatekeep but I find it odd that a self-proclaimed star wars fan and serious musician wouldn't realize this lol
Boy at 10:38 I got major Phantom of the opera vibes with how you were showing progression.
The Lightsaber sound does not really get cut out, it just gets hard panned to the left and there is a treble cut, but the low, low E is still clearly there
No one:
Charles: That imperial shuttle is playing a Ab/Bb
It's very intentional. At least in the sense that they've said in bts materials that music is tricky in saber fight scenes because the sabers are so musical themselves, in fact George Lucas started out always intentionally not having music in saber fights, saying "the sabers _are_ the music" essentially. Of course they eventually started having music in the saber fights but they likely alter the pitches of the sabers to not clash too harshly or dissonantly with the music.
7:39 right there, the lightsaber also has a note and it's in harmony with the rest of the chord!!
Did I intentionally notice the minor 7b5? No
Did I feel it in the moment? Absolutely
This is why movie scoring matters more than most people realize. The music will make you feel something whether you realize it or not. The right music absolutely sucks you in on a subconscious level. The wrong music did the opposite and can make the viewer completely disconnect.
"wrong music"
**Suicide Squad has entered the chat**
This is in large part why I think the studio heads thought they had a turkey on their hands when the original Star Wars was in rough cut form. The film still needed needed Marcia Lucas to tidy up the editing, and John Williams to tie the whole thing together.
True. The composer took the adage "music is important in film" to heart, and did a fantastic job at applying it
This brings back so hard *Light of the Seven* vs *The Night King*
Light of the Seven was off-putting at first, because it confused you, but extremely quickly you were feeling it throughout the scene, and the initial confusion was extremely smart executed in the way that it showed that something was very off.
The Night King instead was surprising at first, the same way, but it never stopped feeling so. For the duration of the scene it was cheesy and inconsistent with what we were seeing and the emotions we should have had.
I love Ramin Djawadi and mad respect for the guy, he's pretty much up there with the best composers in Hollywood history. But that was not a good decision (from either him or the directors).
Charles (off handedly): “maybe we should do something on The Incredibles”
Me: Punches through screen screaming YES!!!!! DO IT!!!!! I WANT!!!!!
Agreed.
Absolutely
*Me knowing nothing about music:*
"Ah yes, the gee-miner and ee-flat at 3/4th quarter point cord, naturally naturally..."
Same. I love watching technical deconstructions but I have absolutely no idea what this guy is talking about. This sound is made of sound, that's all I know.
I understand some music theory, and I'm sure you do know what this guy is talking about, because you can hear music and you can feel what the composer wanted listeners to feel. You just don't understand the jargon (yet).
It is only natural...
😂🤣 im dying...
Naturally ahahaha
@@juanmoralesvideo you underestimate my inability to feel music. I can't detect dissonant chords or when a piece is played an octave too high or too low. I'm basically one step above tone deaf.
omg I'm not hte only person that does this... I was in theatre watchin thte dark knight, Zimmer was doing D-F. D-F as the theme with the Dmin running under it and I was WAITING for the modulation to Bb maj in the Horns, and when it hit in the last scene I jumped up out of my seat and fist bumped the air so hard everyone thought i'd lost it!
When Vader ignites his saber, that's the moment where Star Wars goes from Space opera to Space OPERA. The music is describing the action, the Lightsaber joins the music, and the shouts of the Rebels join in as well.
And then the Stormtroopers lock arms and dance in from the sides
@@00bean00 The clacking of their armor as they march certainly fits…
As a sound designer, I tune everything.
Although I'm usually only thinking of consonance and dissonance.
Even atmosphere can do a lot in terms of psychoacoustics.
The sound of waves against cliffs, winds, anything.. can all be tuned/eq'd to impart a particular feeling, be it conscious or subconscious.
That's super interesting...
I find it fascinating how music has a control on the mood at play
As a sound designer, I would never interfere with the soundtrack to the point of changing the way you perceive a chord, that would be overstepping my role.
You are right saying that it's our job to fine tune things to avoid contrasts with the music, but in that case you would pick the root, the 5th or the 3rd, leaving the feeling of the chord intact.
@@ChristianIce I don't agree. That's no fun.
I do whatever feels right and sounds good to me. Sure.. keep a safe backup, but push your ideas and creativity... that's the job, in my opinion.
@@DanHackettSound
If I find it cool I would at least call the songwriter and ask if he's ok if I change the root of his theme :)
That is, of course, if it was intentional and the guy thought "let's turn it into a diminished chord", while probably he just thought "sounds ok, print it".
7:17 the chord is actually the same as the opening chord of Verdi's Dies Irae! The very jarring nature of it was also an instantly noticeable similarity, and while I'm sure it wasn't intended, it certainly invoked the same chaotic feeling that Dies Irae stimulates!
That’s pretty progressive for classical, it is a m7b5! The musical allusion is likely strong here to contextualize, but it’s also just inherently destabilizing or tension-inducing
Interestingly enough, it's also the Imperial March, a.k.a. Darth Vader's theme song. Makes you wonder whether John Williams did that on purpose, and this new composer guy too.
I would say this was 100% intentional. Dies Irae occurs often in Star Wars scores.
@@gillianomotoso328 Oh yeah sorry I think Dies Irae is just a regular g minor chord, certainly no flat 5 in it, but the voicing etc sounds similar. Don't have the Star wars orchestral score to compare exactly
@@NielDLR it's literally everywhere, listen to the first four notes when the full orchestra kicks in at 3:08 as it plays the main heroes' theme from the movie. First four notes of dies irae. Pretty cool when you think about how dies irae is usually used to denote death and mourning, literally means "day of wrath," and they made the heroes' theme echo its beginning as they all die in the end.
In Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, there's a speeder chase scene where Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker are in an airspeeder chasing an assassin (Zam Wesell) also in an airspeeder. In regard to the sounds of the assassin's airspeeder, the sound designer Ben Burtt had this to say: "The howl of Zam's speeder was produced with an old electric guitar. I play drums in a church band and I asked guitarist Dave Weaver to make the sounds for me one day after practice. I chopped the sound up with a synthesizer program and ran it through an old time spring reverb system. The idea was to produce a sound as if Zam's speeder were not rocket-powered, but ran on some sort of magnetism, perhaps in a field produced by the automatic Coruscant traffic control."
And in regard to the sound of lightsaber - yeah, I would bet they DID think about it, in relationship to the background music. Watch the video titled "Sound Design - Star Wars Episode II (FULL)" that's on UA-cam.
Vader: "Yes, I'm known for slashing jedi, but I also slash chords." 😎
"Subscribe now to get the best of my ..."
"I don't know. That's just what I'm hearing":
2:30 - Luke Theme (tatoine sunset).
3:12 - Anakin Love Theme.
10:00 - Vader Theme kicks in.
Tatooine sunset is the Force theme :)
@@broton69 true.
The ligthsaber being tuned has to have been done intentionally. And it's an epic piece of writing.
100%, no way does a person whose whole job and passion it is to obsess about sound not make these basic considerations
It may not be intentionally musically tuned, but I bet the sound design people could hear the dissonance and said "yeah, that's it!"
@@peejay1981 I think it was tuned intentionally. It's all about the timing of the swings of the saber in relationship to where the musical score is. That's just not accidental.
Ah..the lower pitch of sinthethic crystal. It's those sound effects that make SW unique.
Also the siren being tuned to D lol
8:32 Is it just me, or does the pitch of the lightsaber change at that lower chord?
It does, by a half step to match the tonic of that lower chord. That part feels quite intentional 😊
Just an fyi! every lightsaber has the “hum” but every lightsaber sounds different. (Especially on ignition). Soo anyone other than Vader would have had a saber that wouldn’t fit with the themes created by John Williams in the original trilogy and Michael’s work on Rogue One. Freaking amazing
"It disappointing that the characters die"
True, but hey, you can't ruin their legacy with a terrible sequel if they're dead
That's what prequels are for
Don't underestimate their power...
@@apmarcus *laughs in Disney*
*Laughs in Andor*
Prequels... force gosts... Disney.
2:36 might be simple for piano players but man that was so cool to me lol
This ending sequence was one of the best horror films I've ever seen, and it's the moment I saw "ah. THIS is why Vader is terrifying." The original trilogy didn't give us THIS.
It kind of did, we have to remember that Episode IV is a 45 year old movie. But this takes it to a whoooole new level and I absolutely love it.
Yeah. A solid like 6'3 black shadowey figure who had a blood red lightsaber and could kill you through a tv. The rebels had a righr ro be scared
@@AlechiaTheWitch "could kill you through a TV"....lol, brilliant - not quite sure that is how the force works... but then, hey, who am I to know :))
@@ari.martin wait, The Original Trilogy is around 45 years old? My god…
The original trilogy was limited by the technology of the time - and back then it was groundbreaking stuff. And the fact that it was not normal for actors back then to do months of physical preparation for a role to make elaborate action scenes convincing.
Of course modern films can much "flashier", over the top action scenes. I mean look at Obi Wan vs Vader fight on the miniseries. I makes you wonder how awesome a remake of the original trilogy could be, if they actually did it right. Then you remember that they'd probably make Obi Wan gay, Tarkin would be trans and Chewbacca would be rainbow coloured, and Leia would comment every five minutes how men are useless while single handedly doing everything better than everyone else because reasons.
I would love to see an Incredibles score breakdown
it would be really incredible
Seconded
thirded
Yes please. Please twice.
Fourthed
I am inclined lean towards intentional just because of the impacts of the lightsaber at 9:57 lining up rhythmically with the score. That shows clear intent with the sound design of the lightsaber and the writing of the score.
There's also some really cool stuff going on with the mixing when he extends his lightsaber. It entirely overwhelms the score initially, then when the camera angle changes to the rebels the hum of the lightsaber is lowered significantly and moved to the left side of the soundstage, giving room for the "Open fire!" to be delivered through the ride side of the soundstage. It's really hard to hear but the lightsaber hum crescendos with the rest of the orchestra and moves back to the center of the soundstage during the crescendo leading up to the "Open fire!"
Another fun fact: 7:31 is the same chord progression as the Imperial March!
That blood curdling
“LAUNCH!”
Was definitely one of the best lines given by any extra ever.
Hats off to that extra for REAL. Honestly all the actors in this film knocked it out of the park 100%. Those who don't like it seriously need to take an unbiased look at this movie because it's so amazing
that 1 line is gonna launch his career
Another commenter said that was the director and I honestly don't know if they were referring to that line and I did absolutely no research of my own. So.....take everything with a grain of salt.
The director is in that scene! But rather he’s actually the one who pulls the lever, which is probably what this fact is based on!
"LAUNCH!" In this case means " I am staring death in the face mask, get us the hell out of here!" Lol
9:57 When the lightsaber goes down in pitch, not only does it match the chord but the striking pattern also fits in with the rhythm
I love how Charles' videos are just 15+ min of him just fully geeking out about something.
8:27 You can hear the harmony between the lightsaber and the orchestra better if you don't watch the video and just listen.
That whole ending scene of Rogue One that starts when Vader arrives to intercept the Rebel fleet is a masterpiece.
Sadly it's all been shit otherwise
I thought that scene was dumb. Vader could have just used the Force to grab either the object from the guy or the guy himself and brought it to him in like two seconds and then still kill all the rebels.
and the point of the writers turning a decades old boomer plot hole meme abt the death star weakness into the most touching revenge plot was absolute class.
Then when you immediately cut to the opening of A New Hope and Leia is like “we’re on a diplomatic mission. I don’t know what you’re talking about?” Like he didn’t just slaughter two hallways full of YOUR CREW not half an hour ago! Lol
there is an indertermined amount of time between those two scenes
@@deadfromhell1235
A daughterz gotta do, whut a daughterz gotta do!
She may not appreciate, da fact, dat dadz been around da block, a time or 2, & knowz all about whut shez doing.
Which is why this movie is WORST Star Wars movie in history!
@@DavidSmashGames
WOW!!!
Current eventz, should show u, dat a bold-faced lie, can git u far. If u blieve they r telling da truth, about just about anything going on n 2daze newz, then Princess Leiaz lie, probably woulda worked on u 2!
@@Einnor084 are you ok?
When describing how the lightsaber changes the chord Charles went full sideways and I absolutely love it
I thought the same thing!!
4:24 reminds me of the opening to Final Fantasy Tactics
As someone who isn’t so musically knowledgeable, I never noticed the stuff going on with the music and lightsaber in that scene. But I think I never noticed because the music is doing it’s job. It really blends into the emotion of that scene and enhances it so that all your focus is on the absolute chaos that Vader is dishin out
Even if you don’t notice it consciously. You’ll still feel it on a subconscious level. It’s why the saber does sound so incredibly menacing. It’s pitch is as far from the key as possible while also being in the bass register.
I just realized that the "star wars sound" I recognized as a "phantom of the opera sound" is probably intentional... because Star Wars is a space opera.
I mean the original trilogy predates Phantom, so if anything the inspiration went the other way (which could be the case, I don't know)
Phantom came after
The score of The Mandalorian somehow proved that Star Wars can still feel like Star Wars without John Williams, or even without pretending to be Williams.
A lot of the times it felt amost like a different genre of music compared to the classical Williams score, especially the title theme. But it still feels like it fits and belongs in the same world. It's just a different story in another part of the galaxy.
But thank god we heard the force theme when Luke Skywalker showed up🔥
@@LaurierLachance Yes and it fits just right, not only because it's a theme associated with Luke, but because he's bringing that part of the Star Wars saga with him now. God it's great!
@@gunnarsoderhielm3425 yes 🙌 absolutely!!
So, when the lightsaber is closed off, that "sip" sound it makes is /perfectly/ timed with the music. So are several of the other hit timings. I have trouble seeing how this was in any way /not/ intended. It has to have been. And that makes it more likely to me that the tones are intentional, too.
The title was a little clickbaity, which is strange, because the video overdelivers. For a fan of music and Star Wars and filmmaking, this video is pure gold. Excellent work.
Hey if the video overdelivers then he can clickbait all he wants
Just watching people geek out to stuff like this gives me hope for better days
THIS!
Amen
You're forgetting that the Gmin to E flat maj chord progression comes from the first two chords of the Imperial March/Vader's theme chord progression.... same key too.
When it modulates to Cmin later and maintains those same chordal qualities, same Imperial March chords, just modulated 🤯
I was going to say. I thought it reminded me of imperial March but I couldn't place it.
Yes, thank you. Indeed these two chords form Vader's leitmotif and Giacchino is clearly referencing this here.
And then near the end, you get a little quote of it.
It's not just referencing it. The choral is the imperial March slowed down.
@@jasenjacobs1365 I was talking about 12:42. But now I notice he's playing with it all through the retreat sequence.
Idk if anyone ever pointed this out but the choral parts at 7:17 is the melody to the Imperial March slowed down.
And Michael Giacchino had just 4 weeks to write this score, being a replacement composer. And during that short time, he composed possibly the best score of Disney Star Wars era next to John Powell's Solo.
And Ludwig Goranssons Mandalorian and Boba Fett to a lesser extent
i’d like to see a complete harmonic analysis lightsaber influence on the harmonic structure of music throughout all of the star wars music.
7:25 is a great timestamp for the meat of the vid but the WHOLE thing is worth watching
Rogue One > Disney Star Wars Trilogy
Not that the bar is set high
I also loved Solo, I know a lot of people didn't though
@@trashsmash4561 idk why ppl hate on solo it wasn’t the best but it was entertaining at least yk
No argument there
By far
Rogue One is literally top of my list of Star Wars films. It was outstanding.
@James Black Revenge of the sith is better. So is the original trilogy movies.
@James Black OT and Prequels
Rogue one was good but the Disney Trilogy really went down the drain
Rouge One was great, but... Kyle Katarn and Jan Ors...
Of the Disney films, yeah, Rogue One stands above. I think my favorite of the non original trilogy was 3, Revenge of the Sith. The acting had improved, the tone was different and heavier, and it was well written. Lots of nuance to notice as Anakin became more and more Vader. The music for the epic fight on Mustafar between Anakin and Obi-Wan was also just, so great!
As someone in the film industry, I would be extremely surprised if this was not done on purpose. The music rings out here, the lightsaber rings out here; they absolutely would’ve cross-checked to make sure they were tonally complementary. For instance, in Ford v Ferrari, the composer was instructed by the director to use a key that would complement the pitch of the Ford GT’s engine.
Absolutely intentional. As someone with quite a bit of sound design and also score composition experience, the pitch of the lightsaber would definitely never be far from my mind. From a musical perspective, using the lightsaber to reinforce either the root of the chord or the third of the chord is a brilliant and powerful choice.
11:00 is the _perfect,_ PERFECT spin on the imperial theme.
With the exact same sinister brass Williams gave us back in the day!
Damn, was he forced to cut parts away from the video? Damn copyright. I know what you mean, but wish I could see what was cut out.
@@TealJosh think he meant 11:00
@@thevegastan Yes i did mean 11:00.
No idea why i typed 13:26.
Corrected it. My bad.
The part that made me super emotional was when they started playing 'Your Father Would Be Proud'. When the Death star appeared, building up all the way to Jyn and Cassian hugging each other as they get swept away by the blast. The score during that killed me.
Fun music theory fact: The two minor chords a major third apart actually make a relationship known as a "chromatic mediant". This relationship is commonly used in film because it adds a very dark and ominous sound. In the case of this scene and the Star Wars series in general, it serves as the basis for Darth Vader's theme (the Imperial March).
I took music theory in class and was pretty well known as a Star Wars fan, and my teacher would always look at me whenever we discussed chromatic mediant chords and say, "Otherwise known as the Star Wars chord." Because it's everywhere in the Star Wars score!
Cant it also be a minor 3rd apart? Because a chromatic mediant is 2 chords that are 3rds apart and have only one note in common so am (a c e) to cm (c eb g) is a minor third and has 1 common note.
A chromatic mediant isn't necessarily 2 minor chords a major 3rd apart, it's just that the mediant (3rd scale degree) or submediant (6th scale degree) is altered relative to the original key. So in G minor the chromatic mediant would be Bb minor (instead of Bb major diatonically). The chromatic submediant for G minor is Eb minor (again, instead of Eb major).
Music is math is music... Love this discussion and video
I've never heard the term "chromatic mediant" before but your last name is Yuditskiy so I'll assume you know what you're talking about.
Many Bothans Died to Bring us This Information...
original series: "a lot of people died to get us this information" literally the entire script of rogue one.
But the end scene literally adds 10 minutes to the older fan loved movies beginning. So that one time, we forgave Disney.
Disney did much more good then bad
@@oXRaptorzXo that's.... no...
Yes, when K-2SO died was the moment when I suddenly remembered this quote and realised where the film was going.
The “many bothans died to bring us this information” relates to acquiring the plans for the second death star, rather than the events depicted in Rogue One to acquire the plans for the first death star.
wasn't that for the 2nd death star?
The siren/alarm going off in the background is forever burned into my memories. Absolutely iconic
This video just blew my mind. The light saber changing the chord.. WOW, I can't stop hearing it anymore. The perfect scene just got better.
At first I would've said it was a happy accident, but the fact the lightsaber noise actually moves with the chords tells me it Has to be deliberate. Fantastic sound design, great video!!!
hands down one of the TOP 3 most amazing moments in a theater. the entire theater full of people ROARed....its what we should have had with ALL the movies in the Disney era.....WHY is this so hard to achieve?
Lack of respect for the franchise. All the new directors want to do their own thing.