Super 8

Super 8 is the score to the film of the same name (directed by J. J. Abrams), composed by Michael Giacchino

Primary themes

 * The Family Theme: This 15-note theme is made up of 4 sections (three similar, 4-note ones, followed by the final 3 notes), making it easy to reference by simply quoting the first 4 notes. It is introduced under the opening logos (Super 8), and is often used through the score when Joe is thinking or talking about his mother (Mom's Necklace), before finally receiving a grand statement in the finale (Letting Go).


 * The Love Theme: This 8-note theme represents the feelings Joe has for Alice, and is commonly used to indicate Joe is thinking about her (and occasionally that Alice is thinking about Joe). It is a flexible motif that can be played in full form on strings showcasing the romantic aspects ("We'll Fix It In Post-Haste"), or just have its opening notes played quietly ("Thoughts of Cubism") and still be instantly recognizable.


 * The Alien Theme: The most omnipresent theme in the film is also fairly flexible, appearing often in both a 3-note and 4-note variant, usually as a repeating ostinato, though sometimes the 3 notes alone are enough to indicate the creatures presence.


 * Nelec’s Theme: The leader of the military presence in the film gets a 10-note theme that varies between militaristic variations ("Aftermath Class") and menacing ones ("Woodward Bites It").

Secondary themes and supporting motifs

 * The Wreckage Theme: This 4-note descending motif appears only four times in the film. It doesn’t seem to represent anything in particular; it is first used two times in scenes involving the wreckage from the train crash (Aftermath Class), and two times in scenes involving Nelec’s men burning a field and the evacuation buses departing.


 * Family Theme (Descending Variation): While the Family Theme represents the positive thoughts of a family together, there is also a variation used when Joe’s family or friends are in danger of being separated. It is created by taking the first 3 notes of the Family Theme and turning them into a descending, repeating melody. It is introduced at the train crash when Joe tries to find out if anyone else has survived, appears again when he puts up a sign for his lost dog (Looking for Lucy), and is used a third time when Joe and Cary have to separate from Charles and Martin in order to rescue Alice (The Siege of Lillian).


 * The Mystery Theme: Like the Wreckage Theme, this 7-note theme is hard to connect to any specific character or idea. It is introduced when Joe and Alice look at the wreckage of the train crash, returns when Jack examines the scene where the Sheriff was abducted, and then is used for scenes involving Jack as he works toward figuring out the mystery of what is going on with the alien and Nelec’s men.


 * The Evacuation Theme: This 11-note theme receives very little representation in the movie, appearing in only 2 cues (and one of these scenes was removed from the final cut of the film). However, it is clearly meant to represent the military’s evacuation of the citizens of Lillian.


 * Jack’s Action Theme: A 7-note theme used in two cues featuring Jack taking action to get to the kids.


 * The Finale Theme: An 8-note theme used in the penultimate cue (Creature Comforts).

Set pieces

 * Siege Set Piece: A short John Williams/Jaws 2-esque section of The Siege of Lillian (0:28-0:36 0:38-0:45).


 * Suspense Interlude: A short bit of connecting music, similar to some of Williams mid-90's (The Lost World etc.) suspense material. First appears in Aftermath Class (1:05-1:12).

Original Soundtrack Album
The Original Soundtrack was released in August of 2011 by Varèse Sarabande.



FYC Promo
A promo CD was given to Academy Award voters for consideration for Best Original Score. The Promo CD included cues not released on the Original Soundtrack Album.



Bonus Tracks
Also several bonus tracks surfaced on various websites:


 * An alternate, longer version of the cue Train of Thought was released on the website of Peter Boyer.


 * 4 cues from The Case were released on the website GonnaBeMint, they contained music not heard in the album track, but were missing some material from the aforementioned cue:

Cue lists and Analyses

 *  at John Williams Fan Network