Columnist, Movie Industry Mash-Up
Found online at
SCORE Cast Online
Dean Ogden dot com
Tell me about your column and your latest projects.
Movie Industry Mash-Up is a column devoted to anything that crosses my mind and is film related. I am a film composer by trade, so I will typically rant and rave about film scores and how they completely dominate my life.
Feature films that I have scored lately include "The Way Home" starring Dean Cain, "The Sensei" starring Keith David and Louis Mandylor, and an award-winning documentary about Hollywood screenwriters called "Dreams On Spec".
Who or what are the biggest influences on your work and If you could pick one person to collaborate with alive, and one dead, who would you pick?
The person who has had the biggest influence on me in my work as a film composer is my father, Don Ogden. My dad is a very talented musician who basically gave me a roller-coaster ride of an early musical education by sitting me down and teaching me the basics of rhythm and timing. He had a pretty extensive record collection when I was young, and I would come home from school and we'd listen to records and cassettes and he'd teach me about melody, harmony, and the patterns that make music work.
I've had many a dream come true in the studio with some of my musical influences like Daryl Hall, Kenny Loggins, and Seal. Playing with those guys has been really amazing. I would still really love to do an album with the most recorded guitarist in music history, Dann Huff. I also have a dream to arrange and record some of my scores with my all-time musical hero, David Foster. I worked with him once in the studio on a pop record, but now I'd love to work on an instrumental record with him. I'd really love for him to produce one of my scores. There. I said it. Now it has to happen, right? :op
What album had the most influence on your adolescence?
Probably "Back In the High Life" by Steve Winwood. I played drums to that record until I was dead some days. Then I'd figure out a way to resusitate myself so I could get up and play it some more!
What were your favorite toys or games from your childhood?
I was never really into toys when I was young... I was playing music and I was really into it, so I didn't find time for much else. I do remember, however, when the very first Nintendo came out. I got one for Christmas and along with the obligatory Super Mario Bros., I also was given a great game called "Contra". There was many a sleepless night as my little brother and I stayed up to try and beat that game. We finally did, and I don't remember ever playing it again after that. Again... the music pretty much took over.
What is your pop culture guilty pleasure? (What movie, tv show, band, etc. do you love that you know is awful, but you love it anyway?)
I'm a pretty hardcore "Buckaroo Banzai" fan. I also love anything that is related, even indirectly, to Stephen King. I could watch any of the mini-series that have been made out of his books if they happen to be on. I'll just sit there all day and watch them, and the next thing I know, it's time to go to bed.
If you could own one piece of artwork by any artist, who would you choose and why?
I guess I would say anything by Drew Struzan. It's tough for me to really appreciate drawn art for some reason, so the fact that all of Struzan's work is connected to another visual medium really works for me. Those were the posters that I grew up with and they were larger than life. Drew's art represents iconic things that no other medium can communicate in quite the way that he does.
What are your favorite television shows that you feel ended too soon?
I hate FOX. LOL! Well, actually, I LOVE FOX because they take chances on cool stuff like Firefly, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and The Sarah Connor Chronicles. But I hate that viewers do not support Sci-Fi. That pisses me off like nothing else! We need more geeks!
Who is your favorite super hero?
Superman. Always has been, always will be. And furthermore, Chris Reeves' Superman. Nobody else has ever been the "Man of Steel" as far as I'm concerned.
If you were to have dinner with 5 people living or dead, who are they and what would you serve?
Dick Clark, Johnny Carson, Bob Hope, Roger Corman, and Alfred Hitchcock. I'd probably serve whatever the hell those guys demanded!
What fictional character do you identify most with?
Probably Kyle Reese. I seem to be the one who always is trying to talk sense into people who are too wrapped up in running for their lives to listen to me.
What 5 movies could you watch again and again?
Die Hard, Star Wars (Episode IV), Terminator II, Superman II, and Jerry Maguire (I'm a softie!)
What book or author do you regularly recommend?
Anything by Stephen King. The first novel I ever made it all the way through without struggling was "The Stand" by Stephen King. Brilliant writer and an incredibly visual writer, at that. I love his stuff... and his memoir on writing is well worth it for any creative person looking to be successful in the entertainment industry
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What are your favorite web sites?
SCORE Cast Online, Ain't It Cool News, imdbPro
What are you most looking forward to geeking out over in the coming year?
I'm a huge Jim Cameron fan. Can. Not. Wait. For "AVATAR" to hit theaters... finally! We've been waiting for a long time!
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