John Ottman(born July 6, 1964) is an American filmcomposer,director,andeditor.He is best known for collaborating with directorBryan Singer,composing and/or editing many of his films, includingPublic Access(1993),The Usual Suspects(1995),Superman Returns(2006),Valkyrie(2008) andJack the Giant Slayer(2013), as well as theX-Menfilm series.For his work on Singer's 2018QueenbiopicBohemian Rhapsody,Ottman won theAcademy Award for Best Film Editing.
John Ottman | |
|---|---|
 Ottman in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | July 6, 1964 San Diego,California,U.S. |
| Genres | Film score |
| Occupation(s) | Composerandfilm editor |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Website | www |
Life and career
editOttman was born in San Diego, California. Growing up in San Jose, Ottman made many amateur films garnering local attention in the community. He attendedDe Anza Collegeand then transferred to theSchool of Cinematic Artsof theUniversity of Southern California,where he graduated in 1988.[1][2]One of his first assignments was to provide original music for the computer gameI Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream.In 2007, Ottman appeared in the documentaryFinding Kraftlandfor his agent Richard Kraft.
He is best known for his multi-tasking as editor and composer for Bryan Singer's films, and on a few occasions, producer roles to boot.The Usual Suspects,Apt Pupil,X2,Superman Returns(including adapting themes originally composed byJohn Williams),Valkyrie,Jack the Giant Slayer,X-Men: Days of Future PastandX-Men: Apocalypse.Other notable films he worked on as composer areSnow White: A Tale of Terror,the 2005 remake ofHouse of Wax,Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,Fantastic Fourand its sequelFantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer,The Invasion,andAstro Boy.
He also directed (in addition to editing and scoring) the 2000 horror filmUrban Legends: Final Cut.He won aBAFTA Award for Best EditingforThe Usual Suspects,as well as twoSaturn Awards for Best MusicforThe Usual SuspectsandSuperman Returns.In 2019, he was nominated for aBAFTA Award for Best Editingand won theACE Eddie Awardand theAcademy Awardhis work onBohemian Rhapsody,a film Ottman saw through on his own after both directors' departure (Bryan Singer being fired and Dexter Fletcher beginning pre-production on "Rocketman" shortly after finishing the shoot.) Ottman navigated the film's development in post and the tricky waters between film-maker and studio, working with producer Graham King and Dennis O'Sullivan. UponBohemian Rhapsodygetting nominated for, and winning its Best Editing awards, a scene of the band outside a pub went viral online after a post by Youtuber Thomas Flight, who was critical of the editing style. Ottman, aware of the clip, explained that for a test screening, a heightened pace for the first act was asked for by the studio. After the test, Ottman returned the scene to its original pace and design. Ottman regretted that he missed returning the scene outside the pub closer to his original version. The scene (directed by Fletcher) contained no master shot of the band at the table.[3]
Filmography
editComposer
edit| Discography | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feature films | ||||
| Year | Title | Director | Notes | Distributed by |
| 1993 | Public Access | Bryan Singer | Occidental Studios Cinemabeam | |
| 1995 | The Usual Suspects | Spelling Films International Gramercy Pictures PolyGram Filmed Entertainment | ||
| Night Train | John Coven | Short film | ||
| The Antelope Chess Game | Lance Tracy | |||
| 1996 | The Cable Guy | Ben Stiller | Columbia Pictures | |
| 1997 | Snow White: A Tale of Terror | Michael Cohn | PolyGram Filmed Entertainment Interscope Communications | |
| Incognito | John Badham | Warner Bros. Pictures | ||
| 1998 | Goodbye Lover | Roland Joffé | ||
| Halloween H20: 20 Years Later | Steve Miner | Themes by: | Miramax Films | |
| Apt Pupil | Bryan Singer | TriStar Pictures | ||
| 1999 | Lake Placid | Steve Miner | 20th Century Fox | |
| 2000 | Urban Legends: Final Cut | Himself | Also director | Columbia Pictures |
| 2001 | Bubble Boy | Blair Hayes | Buena Vista Pictures | |
| 2002 | Pumpkin | Anthony Abrams Adam Larson Broder |
United Artists | |
| Eight Legged Freaks | Ellory Elkayem | Warner Bros. Pictures | ||
| Trapped | Luis Mandoki | Columbia Pictures | ||
| 2003 | X2 | Bryan Singer | 20th Century Fox Marvel Entertainment | |
| Gothika | Mathieu Kassovitz | Composed with: | Warner Bros. Pictures Columbia Pictures | |
| 2004 | Cellular | David R. Ellis | New Line Cinema | |
| Imaginary Heroes | Dan Harris | Main theme only | Sony Pictures Classics | |
| Lonely Place | Kevin Ackerman | Short film | ||
| 2005 | Hide and Seek | John Polson | 20th Century Fox | |
| House of Wax | Jaume Collet-Serra | Warner Bros. Pictures | ||
| Kiss Kiss Bang Bang | Shane Black | |||
| Fantastic Four | Tim Story | 20th Century Fox | ||
| 2006 | Superman Returns | Bryan Singer | Themes by: | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| 2007 | Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer | Tim Story | 20th Century Fox | |
| The Invasion | Oliver Hirschbiegel James McTeigue |
Warner Bros. Pictures | ||
| 2008 | Valkyrie | Bryan Singer | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | |
| 2009 | Orphan | Jaume Collet-Serra | Warner Bros. Pictures | |
| Astro Boy | David Bowers | Summit Entertainment | ||
| 2010 | The RRF in New Recruit | Short film | ||
| Astro Boy vs. The Junkyard Pirates | ||||
| The Losers | Sylvain White | Warner Bros. Pictures | ||
| Halloween: The Night He Came Back | Eric Iyoob Darla Rae |
Short film | Film It Productions | |
| 2011 | The Resident | Antti Jokinen | Image Entertainment | |
| Unknown | Jaume Collet-Serra | Composed with: | Warner Bros. Pictures Optimum Releasing | |
| 2013 | Jack the Giant Slayer | Bryan Singer | Warner Bros. Pictures | |
| 2014 | Non-Stop | Jaume Collet-Serra | Universal Pictures | |
| X-Men: Days of Future Past | Bryan Singer | 20th Century Fox | ||
| 2016 | The Nice Guys | Shane Black | Composed with: | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| X-Men: Apocalypse | Bryan Singer | 20th Century Fox | ||
| Television | ||||
| Year | Title | Director | Notes | Distributed by |
| 1998 | Fantasy Island | Michael Dinner | TV series theme and pilot score | Columbia TriStar Television |
| 2002 | Brother's Keeper | John Badham | Television film | USA Network |
| Point of Origin | Newton Thomas Sigel | HBO Films | ||
| 2015 | Battle Creek | Bryan Singer | Episode: "The Battle Creek Way" | CBS Television Studios Sony Pictures Television |
| 2017 | The Gifted | Bryan Singer | 20th Television | |
| Video documentaries | ||||
| Year | Title | Director | Notes | Distributed by |
| 2002 | Round Up: Deposing The Usual Suspects | MGM Home Entertainment | ||
| 2003 | Evolution in the Details: The Design of X2 | Short | 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment | |
| The Second Uncanny Issue of X-Men! Making X2 | ||||
| 2004 | Celling Out | Jeffrey Schwarz | Short | New Line Home Entertainment |
| Dialing Up Cellular | ||||
| Video games | ||||
| Year | Title | Director | Notes | Distributed by |
| 1995 | I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream | David Mullich | Cyberdreams | |
Other credits
edit| Editor | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1988 | Lion's Den | Bryan Singer | |
| 1993 | Public Access | ||
| 1995 | The Usual Suspects | ||
| 1998 | Apt Pupil | ||
| 2000 | Urban Legends: Final Cut | Himself | With Rob Kobrin |
| 2003 | X2 | Bryan Singer | WithElliot Graham |
| 2006 | Superman Returns | ||
| 2008 | Valkyrie | ||
| 2013 | Jack the Giant Slayer | WithBob Ducsay | |
| 2014 | X-Men: Days of Future Past | ||
| 2016 | X-Men: Apocalypse | With Michael Louis Hill | |
| 2018 | Bohemian Rhapsody | Academy Award Winner -Best Film Editing/ BAFTA Award Nomination -Best Editing | |
| Director | |||
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1988 | Lion's Den | Himself | Directed with:
|
| 2000 | Urban Legends: Final Cut | Also composer | |
| Producer | |||
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1998 | Apt Pupil | Bryan Singer | Associate producer |
| 2008 | Valkyrie | Executive producer | |
| 2013 | Jack the Giant Slayer | Associate producer | |
| 2016 | X-Men: Apocalypse | Co-producer | |
Miscellaneous
edit- 2023: HisX-Menscores fromX2andX-Men: Days of Future Pastwere used for theMarvel Cinematic UniversefilmThe Marvels.[4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^"Notable Alumni"Archived2009-08-26 at theWayback Machine,webpage of the USC School of Cinematic Arts, retrieved April 15, 2008.
- ^"De Anza Alum Wins Oscar".
- ^"'Bohemian Rhapsody' Editor is as Embarrassed About that One Scene as You Are "./Film.March 20, 2019.RetrievedMarch 21,2019.
- ^The MarvelsPress Kit Final