Now is the right time to become an American Federation of Musicians member. From ragtime to rap, from the early phonograph to today's digital recordings, the AFM has been there for its members. And now there are more benefits available to AFM members than ever before, including a multi-million dollar pension fund, excellent contract protection, instrument and travelers insurance, work referral programs and access to licensed booking agents to keep you working.
As an AFM member, you are part of a membership of more than 80,000 musicians. Experience has proven that collective activity on behalf of individuals with similar interests is the most effective way to achieve a goal. The AFM can negotiate agreements and administer contracts, procure valuable benefits and achieve legislative goals. A single musician has no such power.
The AFM has a proud history of managing change rather than being victimized by it. We find strength in adversity, and when the going gets tough, we get creative - all on your behalf.
Like the industry, the AFM is also changing and evolving, and its policies and programs will move in new directions dictated by its members. As a member, you will determine these directions through your interest and involvement. Your membership card will be your key to participation in governing your union, keeping it responsive to your needs and enabling it to serve you better. To become a member now, visit www.afm.org/join.
November 29, 2024
IM -The new documentary Music by John Williams is a love letter to the man who wrote the soundtrack to modern pop culture: Jaws, Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., Schindler’s List, Home Alone, and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
There may be no cinematic artist more deserving of a lionizing documentary than Williams of Locals 47 (Los Angeles, CA) and 9-535 (Boston, MA). Laurent Bouzereau’s tribute is driven by interviews with Williams and his many illustrious collaborators as well as archival footage of him at home, in his studios, and on stage.
Be it Darth Vader’s imperial march or the five-motif theme designed to communicate with aliens in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Williams’ scores are inextricably related to the movies in which they’re featured.
This documentary illustrates how Williams earned his stripes by gradually developing and expanding his abilities. It commends him for his love and support of traditional orchestral arrangements, which had begun falling out of favor in movies when he crafted his Star Wars opus. His partnership with George Lucas sent him into an even loftier stratosphere in which he’s remained ever since, thanks to gems such as the soundtrack to Richard Donner’s Superman—a masterpiece that instantly defined the character, no matter that the superhero had existed for 40 years.