Digital Editing - Text 3
By comparison, post-production for The Phantom Menace was less troubled than it was impacted by Lucas’s eager embrace of new technology. Editing began almost immediately as soon as footage was available, and would continue for nearly two years — right up until the release of the film.[5] John Williams began writing the score nearly four months before the recording sessions, though the film continued to change significantly during this time.[6] While the recording sessions were taking place, Lucas screened the film for Steven Spielberg, who recommended making significant changes to the structure of the final 25 minutes of the film.[7] Williams attempted to adjust the score during the sessions to fit these revisions, but was unable to account for all of the changes. As a result, music editor Ken Wannberg would be tasked with making thousands of edits to Williams’s music to finalize the score for the film’s theatrical cut. Much of the final battle sequence, for example, is accompanied by a heavily edited version of “Duel of the Fates”, perhaps the film’s most iconic piece of music. It was, however, originally only meant to accompany the end credits. Wannberg instead used it as a “utility track,” plugging holes in the score that appeared as a result of changes to the film which made Williams’s original music unusable.[8]
