Jeff Rona
Born: 3 March 1957, Culver City, California.
Biography:
Composer and multi-instrumentalist Jeff Rona studied the flute at school, but quickly developed an interest in electronic instruments, experimenting with computers and digital synthesizers in the late 1970s. Rona studied photography, art and music at college, and began his career composing for dance companies, plays, art galleries and contemporary concert venues around Los Angeles. He also worked as a session musician, and collaborated with artists such as Jon Hassell and Brian Eno. Because of his deep knowledge of synthesizers and leading edge technology, he was involved in the design of new electronic instruments and musical software, and was a leading figure in making MIDI a groundbreaking worldwide musical phenomenon. Rona began composing for film and television in the early 1990s, playing keyboards for Philip Glass, assisting Mark Isham and Cliff Martinez, and helping Hans Zimmer get the then-fledgling Media Ventures organization off the ground by working on several of their early projects, notably "Toys" (1992), "Assassins" (1995) and "The Fan" (1996). Among his solo credits are the hit TV series "Chicago Hope" (1994) and "Profiler" (1996), and feature films such as "White Squall" (1996), "Chill Factor" (1999), "The In-Crowd" (2000) and "Exit Wounds" (2001). Rona is still in demand as a designer of ambient sound for film, having worked on several high-profile features, notably "The Prince of Egypt" (1998), "The Thin Red Line" (1998), "Traffic" (2000), "Black Hawk Down" (2001) and "The Mothman Prophecies" (2002). In addition to mainstream films, Rona has scored several award-winning documentaries, and is currently scoring a number of landmark silent films for an upcoming series of live concerts with picture. His non-film music can be heard on several electronica and world music albums, notably from the Triloka and Vitamin labels. His experiences in film music have been also published as a major book entitled "The Reel World", regarded as one of the most authoritative memoirs of a working film music composer.
Reviews:
Earthsea, Traffic: The Miniseries and White Squall
Filmography:
The Closet (2008), From Inside (2008), Jonna’s Body Please Hold (2007), Whisper (2007), For the Love of a Child (2006), Sharkwater (2006), The Quiet (2005), Slow Burn (2005), A Thousand Roads (2005), Urban Legends: Bloody Mary (2005), Earthsea (2004), Traffic: The Miniseries (2004), Shelter Island (2003), Stephen King's The Dead Zone (2002), The Hire: Follow (2001), Exit Wounds (2001), The In Crowd (2000), Mind Prey (1999), Tom Clancy's Netforce (1999), Black Cat Run (1998), L.A. Doctors (1998), Do Me a Favor (1997), Gun (1997), Sleepwalkers (1997), Tony Berland (1997), Profiler (1996), White Squall (1996), Death in Small Doses (1995), The Art of Survival (1994), Chicago Hope (1994), Lipstick Camera (1994), Sensation (1994), Homicide: Life on the Street (1993), Black Magic (1992).
Highest Grossing Films as at end of 2007 (adjusted for inflation):
Exit Wounds ($64.7m), White Squall ($16.5m), The In Crowd ($6.9m), Slow Burn ($1.2m), The Quiet ($0.4m), Sharkwater ($0.1m)
Links:
Official Site
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