He is best known for collaborating with director Bryan Singer, composing and/or editing many of his films, including Public Access (1993), The Usual Suspects (1995), Superman Returns (2006), Valkyrie (2008) and Jack the Giant Slayer (2013), as well as the X-Men film series. For his work on Singer's 2018 Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, Ottman won the Academy Award for Best Film Editing.
Ottman was born in San Diego, California. Growing up in San Jose, Ottman made many amateur films garnering local attention in the community. He attended De Anza College and then transferred to the School of Cinematic Arts of the University of Southern California, where he graduated in 1988. One of his first assignments was to provide original music for the computer game I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream. In 2007, Ottman appeared in the documentary Finding Kraftland for his agent Richard Kraft.
He is best known for his multi-tasking as editor and composer for Bryan Singer's films, and on a few occasions, producer roles to boot. The Usual Suspects, Apt Pupil, X2, Superman Returns (including adapting themes originally composed by John Williams), Valkyrie, Jack the Giant Slayer, X-Men: Days of Future Past and X-Men: Apocalypse. Other notable films he worked on as composer are Snow White: A Tale of Terror, the 2005 remake of House of Wax, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Fantastic Four and its sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, The Invasion, and Astro Boy.
He also directed (in addition to editing and scoring) the 2000 horror film Urban Legends: Final Cut. He won a BAFTA Award for Best Editing for The Usual Suspects, as well as two Saturn Awards for Best Music for The Usual Suspects and Superman Returns. In 2019, he was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Editing and won the ACE Eddie Award and the Academy Award his work on Bohemian Rhapsody, a film Ottman saw through on his own after both directors' departure (Bryan Singer being fired and Dexter Fletcher beginning pre-production on "Rocketman" shortly after finishing the shoot.) Ottman navigated the film's development in post and the tricky waters between film-maker and studio, working with producer Graham King and Dennis O'Sullivan.
Upon Bohemian Rhapsody getting nominated for, and winning its Best Editing awards, a scene of the band outside a pub went viral online after a post by someone critical of the editing style. Ottman, aware of the clip, explained that for a test screening, a heightened pace for the first act was asked for by the studio. After the test, Ottman returned the scene to its original pace and design. Ottman regretted that he missed returning the scene outside the pub closer to his original version. The scene (directed by Fletcher) contained no master shot of the band at the table.
They'll Remember You
John Ottman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ist Ruh,
In allen Wipfeln
Spürest du
Kaum einen Hauch;
Die Vögelein schweigen im Walde.
Warte nur, balde
Ruhest du auch.
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Over all the hilltops
Is quiet,
In all the treetops
You feel
Hardly a breath;
The little birds remain silent in the woods.
Just wait, soon
You'll also be at rest.
poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The lyrics to John Ottman's song, "They'll Remember You," begin with a quotation from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's poem "Wanderer's Night Song." The lines "Über allen Gipfeln/Ist Ruh" are translated to "Over all the hilltops/Is quiet," setting a melancholic tone for the song. The second line, "In allen Wipfeln/Spürest du/Kaum einen Hauch," translated to "In all the treetops/You feel/Hardly a breath," reinforces this feeling of stillness and peacefulness. The next line, "Die Vögelein schweigen im Walde," or "The little birds remain silent in the woods," further emphasizes the sense of quiet and the absence of life. The song then adds the direction to "Just wait, soon/You'll also be at rest," which suggests a sense of finality and maybe even death.
Taken in the context of the song "They'll Remember You," which was featured in the film "Superman Returns," these lyrics can be interpreted as referring to Superman's return to his home planet of Krypton. The lines "In all the treetops/You feel/Hardly a breath" and "The little birds remain silent in the woods" could suggest Superman's loneliness in the unknown space. The direction to "Just wait, soon/You'll also be at rest" could be viewed as Superman's acceptance of his fate and his inevitable return to Krypton.
Line by Line Meaning
Over all the hilltops
The singer is introducing the setting of the poem as a place of aerial serenity, highlighting an overarching calmness and tranquility present over the tops of hills.
Is quiet,
The singer notes the silence present within this setting, emphasizing the stillness with the simplicity of the word 'quiet'.
In all the treetops
The singer extends the imagery of the calm atmosphere to the foliage and heights of the trees, expanding on the stillness present throughout the vertical expanse of the landscape.
You feel
The artist engages the reader's sensory perception, indicating that the stillness present in the natural setting can even be felt.
Hardly a breath;
The artist notes that the natural setting is so calm, that breathing seems barely perceptible or existent.
The little birds remain silent in the woods.
The singer mentions how even the presence of the normally chirping and singing birds are absent from this serene setting, adding to the overall feel of stillness and lack of movement of the environment.
Just wait, soon
The singer shifts gears, suggesting that the reader hasn't arrived at this serene location yet, and the following line suggests a reason for this.
You'll also be at rest.
The artist declares that the reader too will find peace and serenity in this location at rest, either in life or through death.
Contributed by Kaelyn A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.