‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ Rocks ‘The Hollywood Reporter’s’ ‘Behind the Screen’ Podcast

A new Hollywood Reporter Behind the Screen podcast, released today, goes behind the making of Bohemian Rhapsody, the highly anticipated film chronicling the rise of British rock band Queen and the life of its legendary frontman, Freddie Mercury.

Hosted by THR tech editor Carolyn Giardina, this new Behind the Screen podcast series features conversations with editors, cinematographers, composers and other artists who create the magic of motion pictures.

In today’s episode, Giardina is joined by Bohemian Rhapsody editor John Ottman.

Ottman is an award-winning editor and film composer. In fact, he has the distinction of having handled both roles on numerous films. They include The Usual Suspects, for which he earned a BAFTA Award for editing; Valkyrie; and various X-Men movies including X2 and Days of Future Past.

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In this podcast episode, Ottman offers a unique look behind the making of Bohemian Rhapsody, including how the famous 1985 Live Aid performance at Wembley Stadium was created. “The pressure of making this work was huge, because the entire goal was to end with Live Aid,” he says.

“There are a couple moments of Live Aid that I wish we left in,” he says, adding that they are working on an extended version of the Live Aid scene (for which the editor also had a cameo appearance).

Ottman also reveals that he was originally hired as both editor and composer, and why he excused himself from taking the composer credit while the film was in production. “When I read the script, I even said ‘I’m not sure this film should have a score,'” he adds.

He discusses additional topics including collaboration with Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor; working with the film’s first director, Bryan Singer; and the experience of attending the London premiere at the SSE Wembley Arena.

Hear it all on Behind the Screen — and subscribe to the podcast to never miss an episode.