SoundCast Interview: John Ottman (X-Men: Days of Future's Past)

Interview: John Ottman (X-Men: Days of Future's Past)

Composer John Ottman shares about returning to the X-Men franchise after a decade-long absence.  He shares about his new theme for Professor X, composing the score for the opening action sequence twice, the apparent relationship between Magneto's theme in X-Men: First Class and his theme for Wolverine in X2: X-Men United.  He also talks about how using source cue/song can be more effective in a scene than an original piece.

Episode Highlights

00:00 - Introduction
01:50 - How does it feel to return to the X-Men franchise
08:15 - Where does this film fit?
11:20 - How did you approach this score?
14:13 - Bookending theme
15:18 - The Superman Returns effect
16:46 - "Little Secres/ Power of the Sun"
17:44 - Evolution of the X-Men score
19:07 - Synths are more work
21:53 - Magneto/Wolverine Theme
26:08 - The Quicksilver Scene
29:28 - X2 Expanded release from LaLaLand Records
30:25 - X-Men: Apocalypse?

Music Selections

00:00 - "The Future - Main titles" (X-Men Days of Future's Past) by John Ottman
01:11 - "Welcome Back - End Titles" (X-Men Days of Future's Past) by John Ottman
07:24 - "The Story of the Giants" (Jack the Giant Slayer) by John Ottman
14:26 - "Do What You Were Made For" (X-Men Days of Future's Past) by John Ottman
16:46 - "Little Secres/ Power of the Sun" (Superman Returns) by John Ottman
17:55 - "Main Theme" (X-Men Animated Series) by Ron Wasserman
18:12 - "The X-Jet" (X2: X-Men United) by John Ottman
19:35 - "Paris Pandemonian" (X-Men Days of Future's Past) by John Ottman
21:53 - "Time's Up (Film Version)" (X-Men Days of Future's Past) by John Ottman
23:22 - "Death Strikes Deathstryke" (X-Men Days of Future's Past) by John Ottman
24:48 - "Time's Up (Original Version)" (X-Men Days of Future's Past) by John Ottman
26:30 - "Time in a Bottle" ((X-Men Days of Future's Past) by Jim Croce
31:35 - "Hope: Xavier's Theme" (X-Men Days of Future's Past) by John Ottman



Notes:

Follow John Ottman on Twitter - @johnottman1

Special Thanks to Asenath Nakayama at Costa Communications for helping to secure this interview.


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SoundCast 57 - 2012 Genius Choice Vote Winners

Jeremy Meyers join the team to reveal all of the winners from this year's Genius Choice Vote!  We are joined by special guest, composer Matt Uelmann (Torchlight II)! WHYBLT? is back as well as Sidetracks, where we discuss John Williams apparent interest in scoring the next Star Wars film and lastly we talk about (or become) the Oscar Whiners.


Episode Highlights


00:00 Genius, sheer genius...
00:45 Welcome and Intros
03:20 WHYBLT? Jack the Giant Slayer, A Good Day to Die Hard, Evil Dead, Transformers
09:35 WHYBLT? Onimusha, Tron Uprising, Mirrors Edge
14:15 WHYBLT? In Country, Emporer
20:20 Sidetracks:  John Williams wants to score the next Star Wars?
33:38 Sidetracks: Oscar Whiners
46:01 2012 Genius Choice Vote Winner: Best Dramatic Score
47:56 2012 Genius Choice Vote Winner: Record Label of the Year
48:40 2012 Genius Choice Vote Winner: Best Animated Score
50:04 2012 Genius Choice Vote Winner: Best Television Score
51:41 2012 Genius Choice Vote Winner: Surprise of the Year
53:34 2012 Genius Choice Vote Winner: Best Action Score
55:00 2012 Genius Choice Vote Winner: The Monkey King Award
57:00 2012 Genius Choice Vote Winner: Best Cue
59:27 2012 Genius Choice Vote Winner: Best Video Game Score
60:28 2012 Genius Choice Vote Winner: Breakout Composer of the Year
62:05 2012 Genius Choice Vote Winner: Most Memorable Theme
64:14 2012 Genius Choice Vote Winner: The Marius Award
65:23 Interview with Composer Matt Uelmen (Torchlight II)
79:33 2012 Genius Choice Vote Winner: Composer of the Year
81:00 2012 Genius Choice Vote Winner: Best Overall Score
83:21 Genius comments and upcoming episodes


Music Selections


00:00 "With A Little Help From My Friends" by Joe Cocker
03:27 "Jack and Isabelle" (Jack the Giant Slayer) by John Ottman
05:55 "McClane's Brain" (A Good Day to Die Hard) by Marco Beltrami
10:35 "戦慄の教師" (Battle Royale) by Masamichi Asano
12:16 "Beck's Theme" (Tron: Uprising) by Joesph Trapanese
14:57 "Distant Memories"(In Country) by James Horner
17:57 "Time is Running Out" (Emporer) by Alex Heffes
21:12 "The Dune Sea Of Tatooine-Jawa Sandcrawler" (Star Wars IV) by John Williams
32:26 "The Pit Of Carkoon-Sail Barge Assault" (Star Wars VI) by John Williams
40:27 "Main Title (I Had A Farm In Africa)" Out of Africa by JOhn Barry
43:03 "God Storm" (Life of Pi) by Mychael Danna
46:36 "Leaving India" (Life of Pi) by Mychael Danna
49:01 "Merida's Home" (Brave) by Patrick Doyle
51:59 "Awakening" Halo 4) by Neil Davidge
53:53 "My Dear Frodo" (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey) by Howard Shore
55:14 "Man of Destiny" (Unmei No Hito ) by Naoki Sato
57:18 "Overhill" (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey) by Howard Shore
59:42 "Threshold" (Journey) by Austin Wintory
60:52 "The Impossible Main Title" (The Impossible) by Fernando Velasquez
62:31 "Misty Mountains" (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey) by Howard Shore
64:31 "Torchlight II Title Theme" (Torchlight II) by Matt Uelmann
78:40 "Torchlight II Title Theme" (Torchlight II) by Matt Uelmann
81:31 "Roast Mutton (Extended)" (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey) by Howard Shore
91:55 "With A Little Help From My Friends" by Joe Cocker

Additional Notes:

The full interview with composer Matt Uelmen will be released in a separate bonus episode!

The Official Cue Awards Tumblr

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Superman and His Music - A Twitter Discussion

With the imminent return of Superman, via Zach Snyder's upcoming MAN OF STEEL, it's a sure bet JOHN WILLIAMS' original themes and scores for late-seventies, feature-film, iteration of Superman will be coming up in many forums and on countless social media platforms.  Add to this JOHN OTTMAN's exciting, recently released score for JACK THE GIANT SLAYER and his past connection to the Superman franchise (SUPERMAN RETURNS) and you get the following twitter conversation between Erik Woods (Cinematic Sound Radio), Christopher Coleman (Tracksounds), Dane Walker (Composer), Mark A. and Doug Adams (Author).

While some feel that JOHN OTTMAN could do more than a serviceable job scoring one of the upcoming STAR WARS films, not everyone agrees.  A large part of that disagreement comes from Ottman's treatment of Williams' well-known, well-loved, original themes for Superman.

Read through.  Judge for yourself.  And chime in!  Do you think John Ottman would make an acceptable choice to score one of the new Star War's films?  Did you enjoy his work for Superman Returns? ...

The Losers (Soundtrack) by John Ottman - Review

“Lost and Found”

Review by Marius Masalar

As far as comic book movies go, you could do a lot worse than THE LOSERS. Sylvaine White’s take on the Vertigo property is violent and quick, but a solid cast, funny writing, and good performances keep this train from stopping at the mindless crap station for too long. And keeping the momentum up in a surprisingly stylish manner is JOHN OTTMAN, whose recent work on ASTRO BOY buoyed him back up closer to the level of public interest he once had for his work on X2.

The tone of the film obviously doesn’t allow OTTMAN the room to explore his creative and potent ability to wield an orchestra, but the music for THE LOSERS is nevertheless a showcase of precision crafting and intricate soundscapes. “Dead Men” (1) is a contemplative opening which, along with “Not Soldiers Anymore” (2), establishes the instrumental palette for the score: guitars, subtle synth work, rock organs, and layered percussive elements both live and processed. The latter track introduces something of a theme — a quick riff, really — that recurs to great effect several times throughout the score. It is simple and rousing, but decidedly contemporary in its nobility.

Read the full review here

Win Astro Boy (Soundtrack) by John Ottman!

Our contest for True Blood (Nathan Barr) has wrapped up and we'll be announcing the winner soon, but our latest caption contest is already underway! Enter up to three captions anytime during the month of October and you could win Varese Sarabande's release of ASTRO BOY by JOHN OTTMAN. We've already gotten a few good entrants...so put your clever-cap on and get busy.

Enter the contest here

Interview with Valkyrie Composer John Ottman

Just prior to the soundtrack release of VALKYRIE and the feature film release on December 25, 2008, composer and editor JOHN OTTMAN shares about his ongoing work-relationship with director BRYAN SINGER. He also speaks about the unique challenges posed by both editing and scoring VALKYRIE, his thoughts on the idea of being involved with the much rumored SUPERMAN sequel, THE MAN OF STEEL, and even Mark Milar's reboot-trilogy idea for the Superman franchise.


Check out the full interview here + 3 sounclips from the original score

Valkyrie: Bryan Singer and John Ottman team up again!

Just received this press release regarding the delayed VALKYRIE film from director BRYAN SINGER. Once again the director teams up with long time collaborator, JOHN OTTMAN as the score's composer. With their past successes, this gives reason to hope for at least a decent score. The film looks interesting, but the lack of German accents is a bit strange. Below is the official press release, but you can check out the official movie site, where it appears they have a number of pieces from the score incorporated throughout.

Official Press Release

SUPERMAN RETURNS COMPOSER/EDITOR

JOHN OTTMAN

Reteams with Director Bryan Singer for

“VALKYRIE”

(Los Angeles, CA) “Superman Returns” composer/editor John Ottman reteams with director Bryan Singer on his World War II film “Valkyrie.” Ottman again does double duty as both editor and composer for MGM’s “Valkyrie,” starring Tom Cruise as a German officer (in theatres December 26). Ottman will again join forces with Singer to score the upcoming film “Superman: Man of Steel;” Ottman has written the scores for and edited nearly all of “Superman” director Bryan Singer’s films including "The Usual Suspects" and "Apt Pupil."

The score to “Valkyrie” marks a high point in Ottman's unique career. Ottman's score is highly effective and avoids the cliches associated with a WWII story. This was done by blending carefully designed electronic sounds with the orchestra. When he couldn't find the right textures, Ottman manipulated his own voice to create them. Like his heralded score to “The Usual Suspects,” Ottman's music is the very pulse of “Valkyrie,” creating unrelenting tension and suspense, yet somehow artfully not getting in the way. The score subliminally leads to a highly emotional ending, culminating in an incredibly moving climax, leaving test audiences in tears. At times atmospherically restrained, and at others rousing, the score to “Valkyrie” is not one that can be categorized. Once again, Ottman provides an intelligent and refreshing voice, continuing to raise the bar in the art of scoring films.

“Valkyrie” is a true story that takes place during the height of WWII. A group of high-ranking German officers hatch a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, and seize power of the military command in order to end the war. The operation was code named "Valkyrie", for the emergency plan that was meant to be used in case of a revolt against the Nazi government.

Having also scored “X-Men 2” and “Fantastic Four,” Ottman is quickly becoming a musical voice for superheroes. For the Man of Steel, he wrote nearly two hours of score music for the adventure epic. As a tribute to fellow composer John Williams, Ottman incorporated about fifteen minutes of his original 1978 score into the film.

His editing on "The Usual Suspects" won him the British Academy Award and a nomination from the A.C.E. (American Cinema Editors). His score for that film also won the Saturn Award. Ottman and Singer first began collaborating together at USC Film School on “Public Access,” which won the Grand Jury Prize at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival.

Since then, Ottman has composed the music for such diverse films the recent “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,” the thrillers “Hide and Seek,” “Cellular,” and “Gothika,” and the dark comedy "The Cable Guy" with Ben Stiller. Although most recognized for film work, Ottman’s score to Barry Sonnenfeld’s "Fantasy Island" garnered an Emmy Award nomination.

Check out the official site here

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer Cover art

Sony Classical has just released the cover art for JOHN OTTMAN's upcoming score for FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER.

The soundtrack is schedule for release on JUNE 19, 2007.



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