John Ottman
Born: 6 July 1964, San Diego, California.
Biography:
American composer John Ottman initially harboured dreams to become a movie director. Although always musically literate (he played the clarinet from an early age), Ottman graduated from USC with top grades in both directing and film editing and, after working on a few shorts and student films, began editing his first feature for friend and fellow USC graduate Bryan Singer - "Public Access" - in 1993. When Singer's composer pulled out at the last minute, Ottman was drafted in to write the score as well, and his unique double career as both composer and editor was born. "Public Access" ultimately won high acclaim and awards at the Sundance Film Festival. Since then, Ottman has continued his composing and editing duties on all but one Singer's films, including "The Usual Suspects" (1995) – for which he won a BAFTA – “Apt Pupil" (1998), "X-Men 2" (2003) and “Superman Returns” (2006). Other works by Ottman include "The Cable Guy" (1996), "Halloween H20" (1998, some of which was cut from the film and replaced with music by Marco Beltrami, but which was released fully on CD with the title " Portrait of Terror"), "Lake Placid" (1999), "Goodbye Lover" (1999), "Bubble Boy" (2001), "Eight Legged Freaks" (2002), "Trapped" (2002), “Gothika” (2003) and the two Fantastic Four films. Continuing his expansion into other arenas of film-making, Ottman successfully directed, edited and scored his own first movie, the horror sequel "Urban Legends: Final Cut" in 2000. Over the years, Ottman's regular collaborators have included Damon Intrabartolo and Larry Groupè. He won a BAFTA Award in 1996 for "The Usual Suspects" - for his editing.
Reviews:
Apt Pupil, Astro Boy, The Cable Guy, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Fantasy Island, Hide and Seek, House of Wax, Incognito, The Invasion, Lake Placid, Orphan, Superman Returns, Urban Legends: Final Cut, The Usual Suspects, Valkyrie and X-Men 2
Filmography:
Astro Boy (2009), Orphan (2009), Valkyrie (2008), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), The Invasion (2007), Superman Returns (2006), Fantastic Four (2005), Hide and Seek (2005), House of Wax (2005), Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), Cellular (2004), Imaginary Heroes (2004), Gothika (2003), X-Men 2 (2003), Eight-Legged Freaks (2002), My Brother's Keeper (2002), Point of Origin (2002), Pumpkin (2002), Trapped (2002), Bubble Boy (2001), Urban Legends: Final Cut (2000), Goodbye Lover (1999), Lake Placid (1999), Apt Pupil (1998), Fantasy Island (1998), Incognito (1998), Snow White: A Tale of Terror (1997), The Cable Guy (1996), I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream (1996), Night Train (1995), Static Company (1995), The Usual Suspects (1995), Another First Step (1994), Man of the House (1994), McClintock (1993), Public Access (1993), Zed (1993), Heart's Desire (1989), The Burrito From Hell (1988).
Highest Grossing Films as at end of 2008 (adjusted for inflation):
X-Men 2 ($266.4m), Superman Returns ($219.9m), Fantastic Four ($173.5m), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer ($138.0), The Cable Guy ($98.1m), Halloween: H20 ($84.5m), Valkyrie ($84.4m), Gothika ($73.9m), Hide and Seek ($56.8m), Lake Placid ($45.0m)
Awards:
1996 BAFTA Awards – Winner, Best Editing – The Usual Suspects
1999 Emmy Awards – Nominee, Outstanding Music Composition for a Series – Fantasy Island
Links:
The Asylum: The Official John Ottman Home Page maintained Dan Goldwasser
Home Page | Reviews A-M | Reviews N-Z | Composers | Links
Site copyright © 1997-2010, Jonathan Broxton/Movie Music UK. This page copyright © 2010. All rights reserved. The reviews and articles contained herein may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of the author. Some artwork and multimedia material are © various record labels and artists. All photos, multimedia and album artwork used are for non-profit making, promotional purposes, and no copyright infringement is intended.