Ethan Stoller
Encyclopedia
Ethan Stoller is an American composer and producer from Chicago
, Illinois
.
Stoller's first film score was for the independently produced Roadrunner (dir. Christopher Blasingame) in 2001. Stoller has composed three film scores: Red Hook Justice (dir. Meema Spadola) aired on PBS; Loving & Cheating (dir. Thom Powers) premiered on Cinemax
; License to Play (dir. Ann Rose) and "Julie and the Clown" (dir. Stephanie Sellars) were independent films on the festival circuit.
In 2006, he produced the track "BKAB" which appeared in the film V for Vendetta
. The track featured the unusual mix of Indian beats and Hindi vocals (sampled from the Bollywood
films Main Khiladi Tu Anari
and Raja Hindustani
),
speech excerpts by Malcolm X
and Gloria Steinem
, and a heavy guitar riff. Stoller collaborated with the Wachowski brothers again in 2006, co-producing (with Kaotic Drumline's Jamie Poindexter) the music for the player introductions at Chicago Bulls
home games.
Among the CDs he has produced are I Believe In You by Dynamite Ham—an eclectic tribute to songwriters Frank Loesser and Dr. Frank of The Mr T Experience; Arthi Meera, the self-titled debut of the Chicago singer-songwriter; the debut CD by The Kaotic Drumline; Cynthia Lin's "Doppelganger"; Jessica Fogle's "Du Bist Einen Fogle!"; and Xoe Wise's "Echo." He has also worked on recording projects with Mavis Staples
, Kelly Hogan
, Nora O'Connor
, Psalm One
, and Nikki Lynette.
Stoller has contributed music to the DVD featurettes and promo materials of several major Hollywood films, including Speed Racer (film)
, The Spirit (film)
, Orphan (film)
, Whiteout (2009 film), Ninja Assassin
, Sherlock Holmes (2009 film)
, Watchmen (film)
, Lethal Weapon
, Beastly (film)
and Unknown (2011 film).
He has also produced music for commercials and industrial films, including work for Human Rights Watch
and Chicago's The Second City
in addition to TV spots for Safeway
and the Chicago Blackhawks
with the Mayfair Workshop composers group.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
.
Stoller's first film score was for the independently produced Roadrunner (dir. Christopher Blasingame) in 2001. Stoller has composed three film scores: Red Hook Justice (dir. Meema Spadola) aired on PBS; Loving & Cheating (dir. Thom Powers) premiered on Cinemax
Cinemax
Cinemax, sometimes abbreviated as simply "Max", is a collection of premium television networks that broadcasts primarily feature films, along with softcore erotica, original action series, documentaries and special behind-the-scenes features. Cinemax is operated by Home Box Office, Inc., a...
; License to Play (dir. Ann Rose) and "Julie and the Clown" (dir. Stephanie Sellars) were independent films on the festival circuit.
In 2006, he produced the track "BKAB" which appeared in the film V for Vendetta
V for Vendetta (film)
V for Vendetta is a 2005 dystopian thriller film directed by James McTeigue and produced by Joel Silver and the Wachowski brothers, who also wrote the screenplay. It is an adaptation of the V for Vendetta comic book by Alan Moore and David Lloyd...
. The track featured the unusual mix of Indian beats and Hindi vocals (sampled from the Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
films Main Khiladi Tu Anari
Main Khiladi Tu Anari
Main Khiladi Tu Anari is a 1994 Bollywood film. The film is a remake of the 1991 Hollywood film The Hard Way. The films screenplay is by Sachin Bhowmick...
and Raja Hindustani
Raja Hindustani
The soundtrack was composed by Nadeem Shravan. It consisted of tracks like "Kinna Sona Tenu" which was based on a song with the same title by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and "Pardesi Pardesi" .- 1996 Filmfare Awards :Won* Filmfare...
),
speech excerpts by Malcolm X
Malcolm X
Malcolm X , born Malcolm Little and also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz , was an African American Muslim minister and human rights activist. To his admirers he was a courageous advocate for the rights of African Americans, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its...
and Gloria Steinem
Gloria Steinem
Gloria Marie Steinem is an American feminist, journalist, and social and political activist who became nationally recognized as a leader of, and media spokeswoman for, the women's liberation movement in the late 1960s and 1970s...
, and a heavy guitar riff. Stoller collaborated with the Wachowski brothers again in 2006, co-producing (with Kaotic Drumline's Jamie Poindexter) the music for the player introductions at Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
home games.
Among the CDs he has produced are I Believe In You by Dynamite Ham—an eclectic tribute to songwriters Frank Loesser and Dr. Frank of The Mr T Experience; Arthi Meera, the self-titled debut of the Chicago singer-songwriter; the debut CD by The Kaotic Drumline; Cynthia Lin's "Doppelganger"; Jessica Fogle's "Du Bist Einen Fogle!"; and Xoe Wise's "Echo." He has also worked on recording projects with Mavis Staples
Mavis Staples
Mavis Staples is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress and civil rights activist who recorded with The Staple Singers, her family's band.-Biography:...
, Kelly Hogan
Kelly Hogan
Kelly Hogan is an American singer-songwriter born in Atlanta, Georgia.In the 1990s, Hogan sang with The Jody Grind , singing on their full-lengths One Man's Trash Is Another Man's Treasure and Lefty's Deceiver . The group disbanded after two of its members were killed in a car crash...
, Nora O'Connor
Nora O'Connor
Nora O'Connor is an American musician. She sings and plays guitar with numerous bands and individuals from the U.S. and Canada, her primary involvements being Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire and the Blacks...
, Psalm One
Psalm One
Psalm One is a Chicago-based hip hop artist described as a cross between Lauryn Hill and Devin the Dude. Psalm One was born Cristalle Bowen in Englewood, where as a child she attended Church, singing in the choir and playing guitar, piano, organ, and drums. In junior high she began gravitating to...
, and Nikki Lynette.
Stoller has contributed music to the DVD featurettes and promo materials of several major Hollywood films, including Speed Racer (film)
Speed Racer (film)
Speed Racer is a 2008 American live action film adaptation of Tatsuo Yoshida's 1960s Japanese anime series of the same name, produced by Tatsunoko Productions. The film is written and directed by the Wachowskis...
, The Spirit (film)
The Spirit (film)
The Spirit is a 2008 American superhero noir film, written and directed by Frank Miller and starring Gabriel Macht, Eva Mendes, Sarah Paulson, Dan Lauria, Paz Vega, Jaime King, Scarlett Johansson, and Samuel L. Jackson. The film is based on the newspaper comic strip The Spirit by Will Eisner...
, Orphan (film)
Orphan (film)
Orphan is a 2009 psychological thriller directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, starring Isabelle Fuhrman, Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard. The film centers on a couple who, after the death of their unborn child, adopt a mysterious 9-year old girl...
, Whiteout (2009 film), Ninja Assassin
Ninja Assassin
Ninja Assassin is a 2009 American martial arts film directed by James McTeigue. The story was written by Matthew Sand, with a screenplay penned by J. Michael Straczynski of Babylon 5. The film stars South Korean pop musician Rain as a disillusioned assassin looking for retribution against his...
, Sherlock Holmes (2009 film)
Sherlock Holmes (2009 film)
Sherlock Holmes is a 2009 action-mystery film based on the character of the same name created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The film was directed by Guy Ritchie and produced by Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey and Dan Lin. The screenplay by Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham and Simon...
, Watchmen (film)
Watchmen (film)
Watchmen is a 2009 superhero film directed by Zack Snyder and starring Malin Åkerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Patrick Wilson. It is an adaptation of the comic book of the same name by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons...
, Lethal Weapon
Lethal Weapon
Lethal Weapon is a 1987 American buddy cop action film and the first in a series of films, all directed by Richard Donner and starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as a mismatched pair of LAPD detectives, and Gary Busey as their primary adversary...
, Beastly (film)
Beastly (film)
Beastly is a 2011 romantic fantasy film loosely based on Alex Flinn's 2007 novel of the same name. It is a retelling of the fairytale Beauty and the Beast set in modern-day New York City. The film is written and directed by Daniel Barnz and stars Vanessa Hudgens and Alex Pettyfer.The plot focuses...
and Unknown (2011 film).
He has also produced music for commercials and industrial films, including work for Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
and Chicago's The Second City
The Second City
The Second City is a improvisational comedy enterprise which originated in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959 and has since expanded its presence to several other cities, including Toronto and Los Angeles...
in addition to TV spots for Safeway
Safeway Inc.
Safeway Inc. , a Fortune 500 company, is North America's second largest supermarket chain after The Kroger Co., with, as of December 2010, 1,694 stores located throughout the western and central United States and western Canada. It also operates some stores in the Mid-Atlantic region of the Eastern...
and the Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
with the Mayfair Workshop composers group.