# Film orchestras

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-orchestras/130937>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 5, 2002, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-orchestras/130937 "2002-10-05T04:36:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![QuaHKN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f14d63/32.png) [@QuaHKN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuaHKN)\
**Post date:** [October 5, 2002, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-orchestras/130937/1 "2002-10-05T04:36:25Z")

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Could somebody tell me if there is a specific orchestra that only records soundtracks for specific motion picture companys (such as the Paramount Film Orchestra) or if different films utilize various symphonies. If so, who decides which orchestra to use? I was just curious, because it never seems to state the ensemble in the credits. Thank you.

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**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\
**Post date:** [October 5, 2002, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-orchestras/130937/2 "2002-10-05T04:50:57Z")

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I believe the soundtrack composer hires the musicians. I doubt the film companies have their own orchestras.

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**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\
**Post date:** [October 5, 2002, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-orchestras/130937/3 "2002-10-05T06:43:18Z")

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I think studios that did a lot of musicals used to have a regular orchestra. But they also went down to the musicians union hiring hall and picked up a lot of them too.

I knew a guy in the army in WWII who played the piano. After the war he used his GI bill to _really_ learn piano. He made a very good living as an independent, playing for movies, short films etc. until sythesizers came along. Fortunately for him he could retire by that time anyway.

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**Author:** ![xejkh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/22d042/32.png) [@xejkh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xejkh)\
**Post date:** [October 5, 2002, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-orchestras/130937/4 "2002-10-05T15:59:30Z")

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I’m not too sure about specifics. However I do know that John Williams (composer of tracks for Star Wars etc) conducted the London Symphony Orchestra for soundtracks of Empire Strikes Back and Indiana Jones.