With two different orchestras to direct, James Hannon has his hands full this summer.

Hannon, director of orchestral activities at Iowa State and assistant professor of music, will conduct his first official concert with the Central Iowa Symphony on Iowa State’s Central Campus this Saturday.

He decided to select music from films for the concert partly because he enjoys unique themes.

“I saw that one area that hasn’t been performed so much was movie music,” he says. “And nowadays, a lot of classical music is written for film.”

Pat McFarland, a trombone player for the symphony, says music is also an important element of film.

“Music affects people on a very basic, emotional level,” he says.

“Composers of movies know this and try to bring those emotions out.”

Music can save an otherwise poor movie, Hannon says.

“Sometimes the script is weak. If the music is good, it can carry an entire film.”

Hannon selected music from romantic movies to action-adventures and science fiction to be performed in the concert. A few of the movies featured are “Anastasia,” “Star Wars,” “Lord of the Rings” and “Harry Potter.”

Hannon says even if the movies are different, their music will sometimes have similar themes.

“Some of the music has very poignant emotional content, like the music from ‘Love Story,'” he says.

“But there are sections in even ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ that have emotional themes.”

Not all the music to be performed is serious, McFarland says. For example, music performed from “The Muppet Movie” and “Anastasia” is much more lighthearted.

McFarland says he enjoys performing selections from films because the music can bring back different memories, like seeing “The Empire Strikes Back” for the first time.

“I listen to the music and it comes back to me,” he says. “I remember the people I was with and why I was there.”

Along with the music’s cinematic theme, the outdoor environment will also “heighten the experience” of the concert, Hannon says.

“People are a little bit more relaxed. I like it when people bring lawn chairs and picnics,” he says.

McFarland also enjoys the lighter atmosphere. “It’s geared toward an evening in the park with the family,” he says.

McFarland says the musicians will be wearing attire that is less formal for the performance, as well. They will trade in their tuxedos for short-sleeved dress shirts also to adapt to the higher summer temperatures.

“It’s definitely more difficult to play wind instruments,” he says. “It takes more energy in the heat.”