“Close Encounters of the Third Kind” How was that legendary communication melody born?

How were the "five notes" played?

So, how exactly were the important "five sounds" created? First, Spielberg envisioned in his mind Earthlings and aliens having their first encounter in history. Of course they don't have a common language. What can we do to connect our hearts and minds, and our senses, in such a relationship? As a solution to this big problem, one day he suddenly thought that if he used "light" and "sound", it would be possible to communicate beyond language. That's what I thought. He immediately asked Williams to come up with a melody consisting of five notes.

For Williams, the more sounds he can use, the wider his range of expression will be, and he requests, ``Can you at least let me use seven notes?'' But Spielberg replies, ``Seven notes are complicated.'' What we need is ``simplicity'' without grammar, and for that purpose, five tones are the best,'' he said without giving in. I see, what I was aiming for was an exquisite "first word" of first Contact, similar to "hello" uttered in a foreign land.

The Day After thinking about about 300 combinations of sounds, Williams said he felt he had reached his limit! However, Spielberg told a mathematician he knew, ``If you choose 5 out of 12 notes, the pattern of combinations is... He asked Williams, ``How much do you have?'' and came up with the answer, ``About 134,000 ways,'' and apparently told Williams, ``We can still do our best!'' (From the episode included in the 30th anniversary edition DVD bonus footage).

Close Encounters of the Third Kind(c) 1977, renewed 2005, (c) 1980, 1998 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

In the end, many more combinations were created, and it seems that Williams had checked the ideas in advance that he thought would work, and based on that, Spielberg suggested, ``I'd like you to hear this.'' However, as soon as he heard the melody he had intuitively chosen, he said, ``This is what I was looking for!'' and said OK. In this way, a large number of candidates were created using an approach similar to that of real space researchers using trial and error, from which Spielberg himself finally selected this "five-note melody." That's why.

The ``communication using light and sound'' that makes full use of this melody has become a magnificent ``musical drama'' that goes beyond a simple science fiction movie, just as he was aiming for. What's especially amazing is that there is almost no dialogue in the climax part, and the entire meaning is more than conveyed through the visuals alone. In front of this movie, all humans on earth, and I'm sure aliens as well, should be able to understand the content equally without the need for subtitles.

In a sense, Spielberg may have created a ``common language'' with this film. That's why even now, every time we touch this work or hear those five sounds, we can't help but think of a world where everyone is connected. This is the true power of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” Its importance has only increased as it celebrates its 40th anniversary. Nowadays, when it seems like humanity on earth is heading towards division, I think that having people rediscover the vision of this work will be a great opportunity to regain the "respectability" that they had almost forgotten.

The Arrival , a film about first Contact with aliens