Hearing Death at the Movies: Dies Irae Deep Dive (with Alex Ludwig)
Alex Ludwig explores the evolution of the Dies Irae musical motif in film music, discussing its historical usage and impact across various genres in this interview.
3 Feb 2025
TROS 29: Rise of Skywalker Music and Sound Crew (Minutes 141-142)
We've reached the end of the The Rise of Skywalker (minutes 141-142)! In this season finale, Xanthe goes through the music and sound credits and explains how each role contributed to the production. We also compare the "transition to end credits" music across all 9 Skywalker Saga films and discuss how The Rise of Skywalker's version fits into a larger trend.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Hello there!
1:20 - Question about season/film order
3:06 - Going through every music and sound credit
3:54 - Supervising Music Editor
6:50 - Supervising Sound Editors, Re-Recording Mixers
10:53 - ADR
13:20 - Production Sound Mixer, Sound Assistants
20:56 - Post Production Sound Services by Skywalker Sound
25:22 - Music Conductor, Music Preparation, Music Librarian
30:31 - Orchestrations
47:34 - Scoring Engineer
48:30 - Music Contractor
52:45 - Score Recorded at Streisand Scoring Stage
55:30 - Why aren't the individual musicians credited?
1:01:10 - Second Unit sound
1:03:05 - Source music credits
1:04:18 - Comparing "transition to End Credits" music across the Skywalker Saga films.
1:21:01 - Podcast intro/outro theme (Anthem of Evil cover)
1:27:26 - What does Star Wars sound like according to this season's guests?
1:33:47 - Tips for using the SWMM website
1:41:57 - Acknowledgements
Things to Check Out:
The Sound of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker | 2020 Oscars® | Dolby Institute Podcast - https://youtu.be/_ENrGVzr0bs?si=bbKZCO6u6diK9hLQ
May the Fourth Spotlight on Joann Kane Music - https://www.finalemusic.com/blog/may-the-fourth-spotlight-on-joann-kane-music/
Sandy DeCrescent’s Impact on the Motion Pictures Industry - https://www.impactmania.com/im/sandy-decrescents-impact-on-the-motion-pictures-industry/
Legacy Conversations: Sandy DeCrescent - https://thelegacyofjohnwilliams.com/2019/12/17/sandy-decrescent-podcast/
‘The Rise of Skywalker’ Editor Maryann Brandon Talks Production Challenges, Carrie Fisher’s Death, and ‘The Last Jedi’ - https://www.awardsdaily.com/2019/12/13/maryann-brandon-star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-editor-interview/
Sony Pictures Dedicates Music Building to John Williams on Historic Lot - https://variety.com/2024/artisans/news/john-williams-dedicated-music-building-sony-pictures-lot-1235877118/
Hollywood Exec Sounds the Alarm on State of Screen Music in L.A.: “I See the Infrastructure of the Recording Industry About to Fail” - https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/save-screen-music-los-angeles-executive-call-to-action-1236112859/
Star Wars Live Table Reads: https://swliveread.com
Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars (by Frank Lehman): https://franklehman.com/starwars/
Musical Themes:
1b. Main Theme (B Section)
2. Rebel Fanfare
18) Descending Heroic Tetrachords
9. Throne Room
Where are we in the soundtrack?:
OST 19. "Finale"
---------------
STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE:
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
TROS answer: Genius and craftsmanship.
ESB answer: Filigree, fanfares, flow.
SOLO answer: Intricate orchestral storytelling.
ANH answer: The Cosmic Force.
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
TROS answer: I want to see (or hear) what John Williams's very first drafts and seeds of ideas sound like, and then I want to see how he refines the music until he's satisfied with it.
ESB answer: Is there an internal "sonic style guide" at Lucasfilm or Skywalker Sound that's specific to Star Wars? I mean even things like relative loudness of music and dialogue, a specific protocol for mic'ing or looping in aliens, etc. Especially curious if there's anything in the Star Wars style guide that goes against current industry norms.
SOLO answer: The working relationship between the composer and music editor.
ANH answer: I'm curious about how other people experience and engage with the music of Star Wars, on both a macro and micro level. I want to know how other people are making sense of it or analyzing it with
27 Jan 2025
TROS 28: Harmonic Secret Sauce (Minutes 136-140 with Dennis Hamm)
Reach and audience
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YouTube views
269,340
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
31 ratings
Spotify
4.4 / 5
13 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 73 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
78
Social presence
0
YouTube
86
Engagement
85
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