I'll name that tune in one

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Q.� Who writes the best film music < xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

A.� On the basis of popularity, that would be John Williams.

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Q.� The classical guitarist

A.� No, the 'other' John Williams�- the American composer whose work has contributed to the popularity of some of the biggest�films of the last thirty years.

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Q.� Hang on, films are about visuals and stories, and star actors.

A.� That's not strictly true. It is thanks to the work of composers like John Williams that the hidden impact of incidental music and film themes has become apparent. For years, people accepted that some music enhanced a piece of film, but the impact was always under-rated. Notable exceptions are the music for the shower scene in Hitchcock's Psycho, but John Williams changed all that with his defining composition�- the music for Steven Spielberg's Jaws.

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Q.� Now that was an amazing piece of music.

A.� It was, and Williams displayed his awesome talent for creating a mood and an atmosphere purely by the use of music. If you recall, you don't actually see the shark (and given the primitive effects that's a bonus!) until the last third of the film�- the tension is built purely through photography, skilful editing, and the accelerating sound of the orchestra which creates cinematic tension you can cut with a knife.

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Q.� So John Williams is the man for effective film music

A.� If you look at his credit list, that proves to be absolutely true. Williams is a veteran of TV and film music. His career began in television, scoring music for sixties series like The Time Tunnel and Lost In Space. But it is his collaboration with director Stephen Spielberg�- Williams has scored all but one of his movies�- that has seen the rise in both Williams' profile, and his success, as well as the acknowledgement of a hitherto unknown importance of good music in the overall effectiveness of a film.

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Williams' soundtrack credits are impressive�- Star Wars, Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List, ET, Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, all have benefited from his sure touch and ability to enhance visual images with a musical accompaniment that enriches the experience for an audience who may not even realise the effect the music is having.

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Q.� What sort of effect

A.� The best way to point out the lasting impression that Williams' music makes is to examine the number of sequels he has scored, usually using the same musical theme to provide a connection. The Star Wars series, the Indiana Jones trio, Home Alone, Jurassic Park, all have enjoyed the special stamp of a recognisable musical backdrop that has carried over into a second or more films.

Q.� Is music always just a sound to go with what's on the screen

A.� John Williams has proved that it can be far more effective than that. Working with director Brian De Palma, one of the most visually distinctive and exciting directors in cinema, Williams used music to superb effect in De Palma's movie The Fury. During one scene in which one actor is shot at close range, and another perishes in a fatal car accident. The action is filmed in graphic slow motion, and the impact is enhanced by the total absence of screen sound, only Williams; evocative music captures the horror and drama of the moment. It is an unusual use of music in cinema, and it proves the power that carefully used music can have on the overall impact of a film on an audience.

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Williams' skill is further underlined by the fact that he composed some music for scenes in ET that Spielberg felt did not fit with the scene as he had filmed it. Instead of asking Williams to re-write the score, Spielberg preferred to keep the music, and re-edit his footage to make the film fit round the music�- in direct contrast to the usual method of director and composer's working practices.

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Q.� Why else is John Williams so good at what he does

A.� Apart from an enviable skill in scoring music to fit the mood and tempo of each film on which he works, Williams is not shy about working in different genres, even if his work is not always accorded the acclaim he can be assured by working on a blockbuster adventure. His under-stated accompaniment to Sleepers enhances the dramatic content and storyline of that movie, as does his light and humorous work on the fairytale Hook, contrasts in content and style as movies, linked by the skill of Williams' work on their music. John Williams believes in the old-fashioned virtues of film music. He uses strong stirring themes, which he scores for a full orchestra; no computer enhanced electronic gimmicks for him.�

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Q.� What is next for John Williams

A.� Having completed Call Of The Champions, the official theme to the 2002 Winter Olympics, Williams will no doubt be busy lending his magic to this year's major blockbuster movies.

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Q.� Is John Williams appreciated for his input

A.� Most definitely, he is the most nominated living individual in the history of the Academy Awards, a staggering 38 nominations at the last count�- his regular appearances on Oscar Night ensure that he is probably the most recognised composer in the world, as well as one of the most prolific. Listen, watch and enjoy.

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Andy Hughes

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