Mark Mancina
- Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Known for his wide-ranging talents, Mark Mancina's film scores traverse
almost every genre: drama, action, comedy, suspense, and period epic.
His dark, edgy music for the Oscar-winning Training Day (2001), is a benchmark
score that expanded the boundaries of scoring street-wise drama, and is
widely used as a temp track, while his breakout score for Speed (1994),
another innovative work, influenced the sound of subsequent action
movies. Mancina's orchestral originality on Return to Paradise (1998), reflecting the
haunting gloom of its subject, and his score for the period epic
Moll Flanders (1996), which appeared on Billboard's Classical Crossover Chart,
further point to Mancina's considerable compositional range. Other
films include Twister (1996), Bad Boys (1995), Con Air (1997), Domestic Disturbance (2001), Tarzan (1999), Brother Bear (2003),
The Haunted Mansion (2003), and Sony's 3-D animated short, Early Bloomer (2003).
But Mancina's achievements as composer for some of the top-grossing
films of recent years comprise only one aspect of his diverse career.
Composer, producer, songwriter and three-time Grammy winner, he has
also added Broadway to his list of accomplishments by writing,
producing and arranging the score for Disney's Tony-winning stage
production of The Lion King. The foundation for this expansion into
theatre was set in the early 1990s when Oscar winning composer Hans
Zimmer, recognizing Mancina's varied gifts, asked him to arrange and
produce three Elton John songs for what would become the enormously
successful original film version of The Lion King. Mancina's efforts on
"Can You Feel the Love Tonight," "I Just Can't Wait To Be King," and
"Hakuna Matata" were rewarded with a multi-platinum record that has
sold over ten million copies worldwide, and earned him a Grammy for
Best Musical Album for Children and two American Music Awards for Best
Pop Album. On the heels of the success of The Lion King (1994), Mancina went on to
write and produce additional songs for a Lion King follow-up album
entitled Rhythm of the Pridelands featuring South African artist
'Lebo M'. One of Mancina's original songs, "He Lives In You," became a
thematic centerpiece for The Lion King theatrical production which
opened on Broadway in 1997, and has since been performed to great
acclaim in numerous cities around the world. In his role as producer of
music for the stage, Mancina collaborated with 'Lebo M', and director
Julie Taymor to create the distinctive musical atmosphere of the Tony award
winning show. Mancina received a Tony nomination, was awarded Britain's
Ivor Novello Award for the London production, and earned his second
Grammy for producing the Original Broadway Cast Album.
Born in Santa Monica, Mancina spent his childhood in Culver City, then
Huntington Beach, California. Commencing his musical training at a very
early age, he has performed all his life as a singer, guitarist and
pianist. His film and television scores frequently feature Mancina's
own performances on piano, guitar, bass, percussion, and drums,
highlighting unique sounds harvested from a personal collection of
traditional, exotic, and custom instruments from all over the world.
After studying composition and performance as a classical guitar major
at Cal State Fullerton, he went on to perform on Trevor Rabin's solo tour,
and later to write and produce for Yes. He also worked on several
records with producer Trevor Horn, including the song "Crazy," performed by
Grammy-winning artist Seal. In 1990, Mancina moved from Los Angeles
to London for a year to work with Emerson, Lake and Palmer, producing
and composing their "Black Moon" album for PolyGram. More recently, he
has composed and arranged songs with Kenny Loggins. His extensive partnership
with Phil Collins includes Disney's animated hit Tarzan (1999), for which Mancina
composed the score and co-produced several Collins songs. The ballad
"You'll Be In My Heart," which Mancina arranged and co-produced, won
the Oscar for Best Song. They renewed their collaborative efforts for
the recent Brother Bear for which Mancina co-produced songs and
co-composed the dramatic score. In addition to his work in film,
theatre and the recording industry, Mancina also writes score and
themes for many television projects, which have included "The Outer
Limits," "Poltergeist," "Millennium," "Lifepod," and HBO's "From the
Earth to the Moon." Among his countless television commercial clients
are Nike, Mountain Dew, Jaguar, Skittles, McDonald's, Verizon, Computer
Associates, Goodyear, The U.S. Army, American Express and AT&T. Working
from his studio in Pasadena, and his home studio, a mountaintop
farmhouse/barn, he continues to expand his repertoire, and is currently
developing songs for musicals and films.
almost every genre: drama, action, comedy, suspense, and period epic.
His dark, edgy music for the Oscar-winning Training Day (2001), is a benchmark
score that expanded the boundaries of scoring street-wise drama, and is
widely used as a temp track, while his breakout score for Speed (1994),
another innovative work, influenced the sound of subsequent action
movies. Mancina's orchestral originality on Return to Paradise (1998), reflecting the
haunting gloom of its subject, and his score for the period epic
Moll Flanders (1996), which appeared on Billboard's Classical Crossover Chart,
further point to Mancina's considerable compositional range. Other
films include Twister (1996), Bad Boys (1995), Con Air (1997), Domestic Disturbance (2001), Tarzan (1999), Brother Bear (2003),
The Haunted Mansion (2003), and Sony's 3-D animated short, Early Bloomer (2003).
But Mancina's achievements as composer for some of the top-grossing
films of recent years comprise only one aspect of his diverse career.
Composer, producer, songwriter and three-time Grammy winner, he has
also added Broadway to his list of accomplishments by writing,
producing and arranging the score for Disney's Tony-winning stage
production of The Lion King. The foundation for this expansion into
theatre was set in the early 1990s when Oscar winning composer Hans
Zimmer, recognizing Mancina's varied gifts, asked him to arrange and
produce three Elton John songs for what would become the enormously
successful original film version of The Lion King. Mancina's efforts on
"Can You Feel the Love Tonight," "I Just Can't Wait To Be King," and
"Hakuna Matata" were rewarded with a multi-platinum record that has
sold over ten million copies worldwide, and earned him a Grammy for
Best Musical Album for Children and two American Music Awards for Best
Pop Album. On the heels of the success of The Lion King (1994), Mancina went on to
write and produce additional songs for a Lion King follow-up album
entitled Rhythm of the Pridelands featuring South African artist
'Lebo M'. One of Mancina's original songs, "He Lives In You," became a
thematic centerpiece for The Lion King theatrical production which
opened on Broadway in 1997, and has since been performed to great
acclaim in numerous cities around the world. In his role as producer of
music for the stage, Mancina collaborated with 'Lebo M', and director
Julie Taymor to create the distinctive musical atmosphere of the Tony award
winning show. Mancina received a Tony nomination, was awarded Britain's
Ivor Novello Award for the London production, and earned his second
Grammy for producing the Original Broadway Cast Album.
Born in Santa Monica, Mancina spent his childhood in Culver City, then
Huntington Beach, California. Commencing his musical training at a very
early age, he has performed all his life as a singer, guitarist and
pianist. His film and television scores frequently feature Mancina's
own performances on piano, guitar, bass, percussion, and drums,
highlighting unique sounds harvested from a personal collection of
traditional, exotic, and custom instruments from all over the world.
After studying composition and performance as a classical guitar major
at Cal State Fullerton, he went on to perform on Trevor Rabin's solo tour,
and later to write and produce for Yes. He also worked on several
records with producer Trevor Horn, including the song "Crazy," performed by
Grammy-winning artist Seal. In 1990, Mancina moved from Los Angeles
to London for a year to work with Emerson, Lake and Palmer, producing
and composing their "Black Moon" album for PolyGram. More recently, he
has composed and arranged songs with Kenny Loggins. His extensive partnership
with Phil Collins includes Disney's animated hit Tarzan (1999), for which Mancina
composed the score and co-produced several Collins songs. The ballad
"You'll Be In My Heart," which Mancina arranged and co-produced, won
the Oscar for Best Song. They renewed their collaborative efforts for
the recent Brother Bear for which Mancina co-produced songs and
co-composed the dramatic score. In addition to his work in film,
theatre and the recording industry, Mancina also writes score and
themes for many television projects, which have included "The Outer
Limits," "Poltergeist," "Millennium," "Lifepod," and HBO's "From the
Earth to the Moon." Among his countless television commercial clients
are Nike, Mountain Dew, Jaguar, Skittles, McDonald's, Verizon, Computer
Associates, Goodyear, The U.S. Army, American Express and AT&T. Working
from his studio in Pasadena, and his home studio, a mountaintop
farmhouse/barn, he continues to expand his repertoire, and is currently
developing songs for musicals and films.