Whiteout About The Film
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
DOMINIC SENA (Director) is a founding father of Propoganda Films and a director of award-winning music videos, commercials and feature films.
Sena made his feature film directorial debut with the controversial crime drama “Kalifornia,” starring Brad Pitt, Juliette Lewis, David Duchovny and Michelle Forbes. The film earned the International Film Critics Award Jury Prize at the 1993 Montreal Film Festival as well as taking top honors for its cinematography. He followed that with the worldwide hit “Gone in 60 Seconds,” starring Nicolas Cage, Giovanni Ribissi and Angelina Jolie, which featured an explosive 40-minute car chase sequence; then collaborated with “Whiteout” producers Joel Silver and Susan Downey on the 2001 crime thriller “Swordfish,” starring John Travolta, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Don Cheadle and Sam Shepard. He next re-teams with Nicolas Cage for the adventure “Season of the Witch,” also starring Ron Perlman, currently in post-production and scheduled for a 2010 release.
Sena began his career as a cameraman. During the early 1980s he began to emerge as a top director of music videos, then still a developing and uniquely inventive medium. He worked on hundreds of music videos and was honored with various cinematography awards. In 1985 he became a director/cameraman and went on to create videos for such A-list artists as Sting, David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, Tina Turner, Bryan Adams and Steve Winwood, but is best remembered for directing a series of clips starring Janet Jackson that helped to define the many facets of her career. Their choreography-focused collaborations include “Miss You Much,” “The Pleasure Principal,” “Come Back to Me” and “Rhythm Nation,” which earned Sena a Grammy Award for Best Long Form Video.
In the world of television commercials, he has created memorable spots for such clients as Nike, Apple Computers, Acura, IBM, Coke and Honda, among others. Three of Sena’s spots helped earn Propaganda the Palme d’Or at the International Advertising Festival in Cannes. The Nike campaign also garnered Sena a Gold Lion for Individual Achievement.
Sena’s commercials have won top honors at New York’s prestigious AICP Awards and have been made a part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
JON HOEBER & ERICH HOEBER (Screenwriters) previously teamed on the comedic thriller and Sundance Film Festival favorite “Montana,” starring Kyra Sedgwick, Stanley Tucci, and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
They are currently in pre-production on the action-comedy “Red,” starring Bruce Willis and scheduled for a 2010 release.
The brother team also has several projects in development, including the psychological horror-thriller “The Pact” and the action-adventure “Battleship.”
CHAD HAYES & CAREY W. HAYES (Screenwriters) previously worked with producer Joel Silver and Dark Castle Entertainment on the 2007 thriller “The Reaping” and the 2005 remake of the 1953 horror classic “House of Wax.”
Currently, the Hayes brothers have several screenwriting projects in development, including the horror thriller “The Conjuring,” based on the true story of Vatican- recognized demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren, the couple whose case files included the real-life tales that inspired “The Amityville Horror” and “The Haunting in Connecticut”; and “Tag,” a supernatural thriller based on the graphic novel of the same name. Additionally, they will serve as writer-producers on the jungle-adventure thriller “The Hunted,” set for a 2010 shoot in India. The brothers will also be making their directorial debut with the possession story “Djinn,” which they adapted from the Tahir Shah novel The Caliph’s House, named one of Time magazine’s top ten “must reads.”
JOEL SILVER (Producer), one of the most prolific and successful producers in the history of motion pictures, has produced over 50 films, including the groundbreaking “The Matrix” trilogy, the blockbuster four-part “Lethal Weapon” franchise, and the seminal action films “Die Hard” and “Predator.” To date, Silver’s catalog of films have earned more than $10 billion in worldwide revenue from all sources.
Under his Silver Pictures banner, Silver is currently producing “Sherlock Holmes,” directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law and Rachel McAdams, and set for a Christmas release; and the action thriller “The Book of Eli,” starring Denzel Washington under the direction of Albert and Allen Hughes, and due out January 2010.
Silver recently structured a deal for his Dark Castle Entertainment production company, which gives him green-lighting power and creative control of all films produced under the banner, which will be released by Warner Bros. Upcoming Dark Castle films include James McTeigue’s actioner “Ninja Assassin,” which Silver is producing with the Wachowski brothers; and the psychological thriller “The Factory,” starring John Cusack. They are currently in production on the action film “The Losers,” based on the DC Comics graphic novels, which Silver is producing with Akiva Goldsman. The film is being directed by Sylvain White and stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Zoe Saldana, Idris Elba, Columbus Short, Chris Evans and Jason Patric.
Dark Castle previously produced a string of hit films beginning with the record-breaking 1999 release of “House on Haunted Hill,” followed by “Thir13en Ghosts” in 2001, “Ghost Ship” in 2002, “Gothika” in 2003 and “House of Wax” in 2005. Dark Castle more recently released Guy Ritchie’s critically acclaimed actioner “RocknRolla,” with an ensemble cast led by Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Thandie Newton and Mark Strong, and the horror thriller “Orphan,” starring Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard.
Previously, Silver’s 1999 production “The Matrix” grossed over $456 million globally, earning more than any other Warner Bros. Pictures film in the studio’s history at the time of its release. Universally acclaimed for its innovative storytelling and visuals, “The Matrix” won four Academy Awards®, including Best Visual Effects. The first DVD release to sell one million units, “The Matrix” DVD was instrumental in powering the initial sale of consumer DVD machines. The second installment of the epic “Matrix” trilogy, “The Matrix Reloaded,” earned over $739 million at the worldwide box office. The opening weekend box office receipts for “The Matrix Revolutions,” the final chapter in the explosive trilogy, totaled a staggering $203 million worldwide. To date, “The Matrix” franchise has grossed $3 billion from all sources worldwide.
While overseeing production on “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions,” Silver produced the integral video game “Enter the Matrix,” which features one hour of additional film footage written and directed by the Wachowski brothers and starring Jada Pinkett Smith and Anthony Wong, who reprised their roles from the films. He also executive produced “The Animatrix,” a groundbreaking collection of nine short anime films inspired by the visionary action and storytelling that power “The Matrix.”
Silver later produced the action thriller “V For Vendetta,” based on the acclaimed graphic novel and starring Natalie Portman, and the action comedy thriller “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang,” written and directed by Shane Black and starring Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer and Michelle Monaghan. He also produced the hit films “Romeo Must Die,” starring Jet Li and Aaliyah; “Exit Wounds,” starring Steven Seagal and DMX; and “Swordfish,” starring John Travolta, Hugh Jackman and Halle Berry.
A successful television producer as well, Silver executive produced the CBS series “Moonlight,” a romantic thriller with a twist on the vampire legend, which won the People’s Choice Award for Favorite New TV Drama in its debut year. He previously executive produced the critically acclaimed UPN television series “Veronica Mars,” starring Kristen Bell. Silver also executive produced, with Richard Donner, David Giler, Walter Hill and Robert Zemeckis, eight seasons of the award-winning HBO series “Tales from the Crypt,” as well as two “Tales from the Crypt” films.
Silver began his career at Lawrence Gordon Productions, where he ultimately ascended to President of Motion Pictures. During his tenure, he served as associate producer on “The Warriors” and, with Gordon, produced “48 HRS.,” “Streets of Fire” and “Brewster’s Millions.”
In 1985, Silver launched his Silver Pictures production banner with the breakout hit “Commando,” followed by “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and “Predator.” Silver Pictures solidified its status as one of the industry’s leading production companies with the release of the “Lethal Weapon” series and the action blockbusters “Die Hard” and “Die Hard 2: Die Harder.” Silver also went on to produce “The Last Boy Scout,” “Demolition Man,” “Richie Rich,” “Executive Decision” and “Conspiracy Theory.”
Long before starting his producing career, as a student at Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey, in 1967, Silver and a group of his friends developed a game called Ultimate Frisbee. The fast-moving team sport has since become a global phenomenon supported by tournaments in 50 countries.
SUSAN DOWNEY (Producer) is a prolific film producer who has collaborated with some of the industry’s most noted talents from both sides of the camera. Her long list of credits includes films ranging from action blockbusters to dramas to comedies to horror thrillers.
Downey most recently produced several different upcoming features, including the much-anticipated “Sherlock Holmes,” to be released on Christmas Day 2009. Directed by Guy Ritchie, the film stars Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law and Rachel McAdams in an action adventure mystery that brings Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary detective to the big screen as never before.
In addition, Downey produced the upcoming horror thriller “The Factory,” directed by Morgan O’Neill and starring John Cusack, and is an executive producer on the action drama “The Book of Eli,” starring Denzel Washington under the direction of Albert and Allen Hughes, set for a January 2010 release.
Currently, Downey is serving as an executive producer on “Iron Man 2,” the sequel to the blockbuster action hit “Iron Man.” Slated for release in May 2010, the film reunites director Jon Favreau with Robert Downey Jr., who is returning in the title role, and Gwyneth Paltrow as the central character’s devoted assistant. Also joining the cast are Don Cheadle, Mickey Rourke and Scarlett Johansson.
Downey previously held the dual posts of Co-President of Dark Castle Entertainment and Executive Vice President of Production at Silver Pictures. Joining Silver Pictures in 1999, she oversaw the development and production of feature films released under both banners, including “Thir13en Ghosts” and “Swordfish.”
In 2002, she made her producing debut as a co-producer on “Ghost Ship” and then co-produced the 2003 release “Cradle 2 the Grave.” Downey went on to produce the features “Gothika” and “House of Wax,” and also served as an executive producer on the critically acclaimed comedic thriller “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang.”
More recently, Downey produced Neil Jordan’s acclaimed psychological drama “The Brave One,” starring Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard, and Guy Ritchie’s widely praised crime comedy “RocknRolla,” starring Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Thandie Newton, Idris Elba, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges and Jeremy Piven, and the horror thriller “Orphan,” starring Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard.
Prior to her tenure at Dark Castle and Silver Pictures, Downey worked on the hit films “Mortal Kombat” and “Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.”
Downey is a graduate of the University of Southern California’s School of Cinema-Television.
DAVID GAMBINO (Producer) is the Senior Vice President of Production for Silver Pictures and Dark Castle Entertainment. He joined the companies in 2001 and has served as the associate producer on “The Invasion,” starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, as well as co-producer on “The Brave One,” starring Jodie Foster.
Gambino currently oversees a wide range of projects that include the feature version of the Vertigo graphic novel “The Losers,” currently in production, Shane Black’s action-comedy “The Nice Guys,” Guy Ritchie’s thriller “Gamekeeper,” and an update of the sci-fi classic “Forbidden Planet.”
For Dark Castle, Gambino is producing the psychological thriller “The Factory,” starring John Cusack, which is scheduled for release in 2010.
STEVE RICHARDS (Executive Producer) is Co-President of Dark Castle Entertainment, and is in his fifteenth year working with producer Joel Silver. He was instrumental in developing the business plan for Dark Castle and in forging the financial partnership with CIT Group Inc., which will finance the production of 15 films over the next five years.
Richards has served as executive producer on all of the films under the Dark Castle banner, including the upcoming “The Factory,” and “The Hills Run Red.” He is currently in development on the horror thriller “The Summoner.” He was also executive producer on “RocknRolla,” “The Reaping,” “Thir13en Ghosts,” “Ghost Ship,” “Gothika,” “House of Wax” and, most recently, “Orphan.” During the formation of Dark Castle in 1999, Richards organized the foreign financing and distribution of the shingle’s first film, the remake of William Castle’s “House on Haunted Hill.”
In 1995, Richards joined Silver Pictures and is currently Chief Operating Officer of the company. He counts among his film credits with Silver Pictures “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang,” “The Matrix Reloaded,” “The Animatrix,” and two installments of the “Dungeons & Dragons” fantasy game film adaptations. Additionally, upon joining Silver Pictures, Richards aided in the launch of Decade Pictures and served as executive producer on “Made Men” and as associate producer on “Double Tap.”
Richards began his career as a production executive for Tony and Ridley Scott’s production company, Scott Free.
DON CARMODY (Executive Producer) has been producing films for more than 30 years. As vice president of production for Canada’s Cinepix (now Lionsgate Films), he co-produced David Cronenberg’s early shockers “They Came from Within” and “Rabid,” as well as the popular comedy “Meatballs.” Starting his own production company in 1980, Carmody produced the smash hits “Porky’s,” “Porky’s II” and the perennially popular “A Christmas Story,” as well as “Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone,” “Whispers,” “The Big Town,” “Physical Evidence,” “Switching Channels” and the Chuck Norris films “The Hitman” and “Sidekicks.”
He successfully returned to comedy with the “Weekend at Bernie’s” series, and “The Late Shift” for HBO, which was nominated for seven Emmy Awards, three Cable Ace Awards and the Producers Guild of America Golden Laurel.
In 2002 Carmody co-produced the hit film musical “Chicago,” which won seven Academy Awards,® including Best Picture, three Golden Globe Awards, including Best Musical or Comedy, and the Producers Guild of America’s Golden Laurel Award for Best Picture, as well as many other awards and honors worldwide.
His credits number more than 90 films, including “Johnny Mnemonic,” “The Mighty,” “Studio 54,” the Oscar®-nominated “Good Will Hunting,” “In Too Deep,” the cult hit “The Boondock Saints,” “The Third Miracle,” “Get Carter,” “The Whole Nine Yards,” “The Pledge,” “3000 Miles to Graceland,” “Caveman’s Valentine,” David Mamet’s “The Heist,” “City by the Sea,” “Wrong Turn,” “Gothika,” “Resident Evil” and “Resident Evil: Apocalypse,” “Assault on Precinct 13,” Lucky Number Sleven,” “Silent Hill” and last year’s “The Outlander.” He most recently served as executive producer on the horror thriller “Orphan,” for Joel Silver’s Dark Castle Entertainment.
Carmody’s upcoming collaborations with Joel Silver and Dark Castle include the “The Factory,” starring John Cusack. His additional future releases include Mira Nair’s “Amelia,” starring Hilary Swank as Amelia Earhart, and the long-awaited sequel “The Boondock Saints: All Saints Day.” He is also in production on the fourth installment of the “Resident Evil” series and the sequel to “Silent Hill,” both slated for a 2010 release.
Combining his instincts for horror and comedy, he recently branched out into the theatre world as part of the production team for the off-Broadway play “Evil Dead: The Musical,” a campy send-up of Sam Raimi’s cult classic horror films “Evil Dead” and “Evil Dead II,” which opened last Halloween to rave reviews.
Born in New England, Carmody immigrated to Canada with his parents as a boy. He graduated film school in Montreal and has gone on to produce films all over the world.
GREG RUCKA (Author, Whiteout / Executive Producer) was born in San Francisco and raised on the Central Coast of California, commonly referred to as Steinbeck Country. He began his writing career in earnest at the age of 10 by winning a county-wide short story contest, and hasn’t let up since. He graduated Vassar College with an A.B. in English, and the University of Southern California’s Master of Professional Writing program, with an M.F.A.
Rucka is the author of over a dozen novels, seven featuring bodyguard Atticus Kodiak, including his latest, Walking Dead, and two featuring Tara Chace, the protagonist of his Queen & Country series. The third Chace novel, The Last Run, will be published in Summer 2010 by Bantam Books. Additionally, he has written several short stories, countless comics and the occasional non-fiction essay. In the comics realm, he has had the opportunity to write stories featuring some of the world’s best-known characters—Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman—as well as several creator-owned properties himself, such as Whiteout and Queen & Country, both published by Oni Press, as well as the upcoming Stumptown. His work has been optioned several times over, and his services are in high demand in a variety of creative fields as a story doctor and creative consultant.
Rucka lives in Portland, Oregon, with his wife, author Jennifer Van Meter.
RICHARD MIRISCH (Co-Producer) has served as co-producer on Dark Castle Entertainment’s “The Reaping,” “House of Wax,” “Gothika,” “Ghost Ship,” “Thir13en Ghosts” and, most recently, “Orphan.” He also served as associate producer on the Wachowski brothers’ award-winning sci-fi epic “The Matrix,” and the highly successful HBO series “Tales from the Crypt.”
Mirisch began his career in filmmaking working for The Avnet/Kerner Company on “Less Than Zero,” and then was director Paul Brickman’s assistant on “Men Don’t Leave.”
A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Mirisch and his wife, Belen, have a daughter, Grace, and are expecting another girl in October.
ADAM KUHN (Co-Producer) has been at Silver Pictures / Dark Castle Entertainment since 1998, and currently serves as Senior Vice President of Finance. Kuhn earned his MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of California.
CHRIS SOOS (Director of Photography) is originally from Toronto, Canada, and has worked on scores of award-winning commercials in the past 10 years. His groundbreaking visual style has been recognized with eleven Canadian Society of Cinematographers (CSC) nominations, including six awards for Best Cinematography in a Music Video.
His first film, “One Point O,” debuted in dramatic competition at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. His second feature, “Phantom Love,” received rave
reviews at Sundance as well, in the New Frontier collection section. Soos also shot Guy Ritchie’s action comedy short “Star,” starring Clive Owen. Additionally, he lent his cinematic eye and producing skills to the critically acclaimed documentary “ANVIL! The Story of Anvil.” Soos recently completed principal photography on Jake Scott’s drama “Welcome to the Rileys,” starring James Gandolfini and Kristen Stewart.
STUART BAIRD (Supervising Editor) has twice been nominated for an Academy Award®, first in 1979 for his work on Richard Donner’s “Superman” and again in 1989 for Michael Apted’s “Gorillas in the Mist,” starring Sigourney Weaver.
Most recently, Baird earned a BAFTA nomination and an Eddie Award nomination for his work on the 21st James Bond adventure, “Casino Royale,” which marked his second collaboration with director Martin Campbell. He had previously edited Campbell’s blockbuster “The Legend of Zorro,” starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Antonio Banderas. Baird also edited the 2008 action thriller “Vantage Point.”
His film credits include “Maverick,” “Lethal Weapon” and “Lethal Weapon 2,” “Demolition Man,” “Radio Flyer,” “Die Hard 2,” “Ladyhawke,” “Tommy,” “Outland,” and “Five Days One Summer,” for director Fred Zinnemann.
As a director, Baird’s credits include “Star Trek: Nemesis,” “U.S. Marshals” and “Executive Decision.”
MARTIN HUNTER (Editor) worked on the enduring fan favorite “Underworld,” a fantasy action thriller about vampire warriors that starred Kate Beckinsale. He also served as editor on David Twohy’s 2004 action thriller “The Chronicles of Riddick,” and, more recently, “The Flock,” starring Richard Gere and Claire Danes, “The Perfect Sleep” and “Not Forgotten,” which debuted at the 2009 Slamdance Film Festival.
His work will next be seen in the Swedish comedy drama “Prinsessa.”
Hunter’s previous editing credits include Stanley Kubrick’s acclaimed war drama “Full Metal Jacket”; Allan A. Goldstein’s “Cold Front”; Martin Sheen’s “Cadence”; Mike Figgis’ “Liebestraum”; “Cruise Control”; the telefilm “The Water Engine,” based on David Mamet’s play; Dominic Sena’s “Kalifornia”; “Minotaur”; “Above Suspicion”; “Mortal Kombat,” David Twohy’s “The Arrival” and “Below”; “Event Horizon”; “Soldier”; “In the Shadows”; and “Other Voices,” which earned a Grand Jury Prize nomination from the Sundance Film Festival, and on which Hunter also served as an associate producer.
Hunter also worked with legendary filmmaker Stanley Kubrick as a research assistant, photographer and editor in a collaboration that spanned nine years.
GRAHAM “GRACE’’ WALKER (Production Designer) counts “Whiteout” as his fifth collaboration with Dark Castle Entertainment, having worked on the company’s earlier releases “The Reaping,” “House of Wax,” “Gothika” and “Ghost Ship.” He recently wrapped his sixth Dark Castle effort, the stylish action drama “Ninja Assassin,” scheduled to debut in November of this year.
Walker won the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Achievement in Production Design for “Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior.” He also earned AFI nominations for his production design work on Phillip Noyce’s “Dead Calm,” Dusan Makavejev’s “The Coca-Cola Kid” and “The Chain Reaction.”
His additional film credits include “Queen of the Damned”; “Pitch Black,” starring Vin Diesel; “The Island of Dr. Moreau,” directed by John Frankenheimer and starring Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer; Peter Faiman’s “Crocodile Dundee”; “The Sum of Us,” starring Russell Crowe; George Miller’s “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome”; and, most recently, the action thriller “The Condemned.”
WENDY PARTRIDGE (Costume Designer) started by dressing her dolls at the age of seven and has gone on to design for some of the most visually exciting films in recent years, including “Underworld” and “Underworld: Evolution,” starring Kate Beckinsale; “The Cave,” starring Cole Hauser; “Fantastic Four,” starring Julian McMahon and Jessica Alba; and “Hellboy,” for which she received a 2004 Saturn Award nomination from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films.
Partridge is a two-time Genie Award winner for Best Costume Design, for the 2008 historic war drama “Passchendaele,” directed by Paul Gross, and the 1986 drama “Loyalties.” She has earned three additional Genie Award nominations, for the features “Come l’America,” “Isaac Littlefeathers” and “Latitude 55°.” Her additional film credits include “Resurrecting the Champ,” for director Rod Lurie; the horror fantasy “Silent Hill”; “Blade II,” starring Wesley Snipes; “Texas Rangers”; “Highlander: Endgame”; and “Snow Day.”
Partridge’s designs most recently appeared on screen in the Canadian production of “The Last Rites of Ransom Pride,” a drama for director Tiller Russell which debuted in June, and will next be seen in the action thriller “Legion,” currently in post production and set for a 2010 release.
NICOLETTA MASSONE (Costume Designer) most recently designed costumes for the feature drama “Emotional Arithmetic” and the thriller “Slow Burn,” as well as the telefilms “Marie-Antoinette,” “I Do (But I Don’t)” and Showtime’s “The Reagans.”
Massone served as the Montreal costume designer for the popular romantic drama “The Notebook” in 1994. Her previous film credits include the crime drama “One-Eyed King,” the family drama “Kayla,” “Windigo,” “Margaret’s Museum,” “Momentum,” “Some Girls” and “Captive Hearts.”
In 1994, Massone earned an Emmy Award for her work on the television biography “Zelda,” starring Natasha Richardson and Timothy Hutton. Her additional television work, encompassing American, Canadian and UK programs, includes Peter Werner’s telefilm “After Amy”; “The Killing Yard”; the acclaimed World War II drama “Varian’s War,” for which she earned a Canadian Genie Award nomination; Robert Markowitz’s “The Great Gatsby”; “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”; the Emmy Award-nominated miniseries “P.T. Barnum”; and “Big Bear,” for which Massone won a Gemini Award, the Canadian equivalent to an Emmy.
JOHN FRIZZELL (Composer) recently composed scores for the thrillers “Shelter” and “Evil Angel,” “The Lodger,” the Luke Wilson comedy drama “Henry Poole is Here” and the comedy “Tenure,” due for release in November. For television, he wrote music for the pilot of Diablo Cody’s new Showtime comedy series “The United States of Tara,” as well as episodes of “Masters of Science Fiction” and the Sci-Fi Channel’s “Moonlight,” executive produced by Joel Silver.
He is currently working on the action thriller “Legion,” set for a 2010 release.
Frizzell’s work includes scores for films as varied as “Alien: Resurrection,” “Office Space,” “Gods and Generals” and “The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio.” He collaborated with rap star DMX’s producing team on the score for the crime drama “Cradle 2 the Grave” and composed the score for the Looney Tunes characters in the short “The Whizzard of Ow.” His additional film credits include “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer,” “Beautiful” and “Thir13en Ghosts.” For television, he created the score for the award-winning biopic “James Dean” and the acclaimed telefilm “Crime of the Century,” to name only a few.
Frizzell began his musical career singing in the chorus of the Paris Opera Company and the Metropolitan Opera Company. He studied at the USC School of Music and the Manhattan School of Music, during which time he met his mentor, guitar legend Joe Pass. After college, he worked for acclaimed producer/vibraphonist Michael Mainieri, who owned a Synclavier, the first digital music workstation. Frizzell became a master synthesist, which led to work with Oscar®-winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, for whom Frizzell provided orchestrations to Oliver Stone’s landmark miniseries “Wild Palms.” Upon relocating to Los Angeles, Frizzell met and subsequently collaborated with composer James Newton Howard on “The Rich Man’s Wife” and “Dante’s Peak.”
An advocate for film music issues, Frizzell serves on the Executive Board of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He has instructed graduate students at USC Thornton School of Music, and was the Honorary President of the 2007 International Film Music Conference in Ubeda, Spain.