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Sex Crimes Unit has drama, suspense, terrific personalities and a great deal of heart.
John Anderson, Variety (full article)Trailer for “Sex Crimes Unit” (dir. Lisa F. Jackson), a powerful documentary I scored which aired on HBO. More…
‘Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.
Steve Jobs, Stanford University Commencement Address, 2005A painter paints his pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence.
Move over, Madoff! It’s the Polka King!! Check out this trailer for The Man Who Would Be Polka King, a feature-length documentary I scored.
Just added on YouTube — Rob Meyer’s award-winning film, “Aquarium,” which received an Honorable Mention at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Listen for the M. G. Espar original track, “Praying Mantis” (featuring Katrina Art) when the boys are in the car with mom…
I have always depended on the kindness of arrangers!
Suzanne Vega in New York Times Blog (click for article)A preview of “Mystery of the Polka King,” a hilarious and bizarre TV doc I scored last fall. Catch the whole show on Monday, April 21 at 11pm ET on truTV.
I can’t understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones.
“There is a peaceful, non-judgmental appreciation that falls over me when I hear [a hit song], a feeling — or even a knowledge — that we songwriters really had nothing to do with its creation in the first place. It’s as if we were archaeologists at a dig and all we had to do was chip away the stone and brush away the sand that hid it from view. We were just lucky enough to be in the room that day when it showed up to sing to us.” —Darrell Brown, blogging for the New York Times
Pat Metheny has said basically the same thing, as has Christopher Guest’s character in Spinal Tap, but it’s actually kinda true.
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Credits
FEATURE FILMS & TELEVISION
Three Women: The Hidden Face of Colombia’s War (2011) Lisa F. Jackson, dir.
Documentary
Sex Crimes Unit (2011) (HBO) Lisa F. Jackson, dir.
Documentary
LA Film Fest
My Life As Liz (2010) (MTV)
Two original songs for reality series
Mamachas del Ring (2009) Betty M. Park, dir.
Documentary
HBO New York International Latino Film Festival
Margaret Mead Film and Video Festival
Festival Internazionale del Film di Roma
Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente (BAFICI)
The Man Who Would Be Polka King (2009) John Mikulak & Joshua Brown, dirs.
Documentary
Brooklyn International Film Festival
Krakow Film Festival
Boston Underground Film Festival
Altamont Now (2008) Joshua (von) Brown, dir.
Independent Narrative Feature
Winner, Best Narrative, Arizona Underground Film Festival
Winner, Best Director, Atlanta Underground Film Festival
Mystery of the Polka King (2007) (TruTV) John Mikulak & Joshua Brown, dirs.
Documentary
Aired on truTV as part of the series “The Investigators”
COMMERCIALS & BRANDED ENTERTAINMENT
Luv My Levi’s (2008) Rob Meyer, dir. Glam.com, prod.
Nine webisodes for Levi’s jeans
Ford Models (2008) Sasie Sealey, dir. TAG Creative, prod.
Original song for online video, co-branded with Fruit of the Loom
Time (2008) Evan McNary & Jacob Motz, dirs.
Political Advertisement
Sam’s Tail (2006) Rob Meyer, dir.
Branded short film for Heineken
Aired on IFC
SHORT FILMS & TV PILOTS
Infallible (2011) Jaclyn Gramigna, dir.
Dramatic short film
Mary, Mary (2009) Ani Williams, dir.
Dramatic short film
The Plaza (2008) Chris McGuire, dir.
Series pilot
Aquarium (2007) Rob Meyer, dir.
Short film. Wrote/produced original song.
Honorable Mention, Sundance Film Festival, 2008
Featured on NBC Online and YouTube Screening Room, aired on IFC
Jove (2007) Ani Williams, dir.
Series pilot
Participant in the Marche du Film at Cannes, 2008
In Silent Spaces (2007) Safiya Songhai, dir.
Short film
NYU First Run Festival
Finalist in WNET online shorts competition
Flight to Savannah (2007) Robert Pietri, dir.
Dramatic short film. Co-Composed with Vincent Iannelli.
Winner, Best Sound Design, NYU First Run Festival, 2007
Coppelia (2007) Tristian Goik, dir.
Animated short film
Score performed live at Lincoln Center
ProMotion Show Reel (2007) ProMotion Pictures, prod.
Show reel for production company specializing in branded entertainment
You Win Some, You Lose Some (2006) Lars Fuchs, dir.
Short film
New York Comedy Film Festival
RECORDINGS
Alex Yacovelli: Sweet Nimbus Nothings EP (2009)
Pop/rock album
Music Producer
Swashbuckle Sisters: Original Soundtrack (2008)
Pop/musical theatre soundtrack album
Executive Producer/Songwriter
Swell Mob: The Bird Flu EP (2006)
Electro-rock album
Music Producer/Songwriter/Keyboards/Vocals
Swell Mob: Quality Pie EP (2005)
Alternative rock album
Music Producer/Songwriter/Keyboards/Drums/Vocals
Krackjack: Year of the Monkey (2004)
Heavy rock album
Music Co-Producer/Drums
Blue Fountain Diner: Breakfast with Basket Boy (1997)
Funk-rock album with horn section
Music Co-Producer/Songwriter/Drums
MUSICAL THEATRE
The Swashbuckle Sisters and the Search for the Stolen Sword (2006)
Musical for children
Composer/Lyricist
Produced at multiple venues in Seattle, WA
The Truly Tall Tale of Snow White: The Untold Musical (2005)
Musical for children
Composer/Lyricist
Produced at multiple venues in Seattle, WA
Devils of Rhythm: An Original Musical (1994)
One-act original musical
Composer/Co-Writer/Co-Director
Produced at Haymarket Theater, Palo Alto Senior High School, Palo Alto, CA
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Info
- Composer for Film // Media Arts EducatorMotion Pictures and Film | Greater New York City Area, USSummaryM. G. ESPAR writes and produces inventive musical scores for films and TV programs with an independent aesthetic. Espar enjoys the collaborative process of filmmaking, working closely with directors and producers to help them realize their visions. His music has been featured in films screened at Lincoln Center and the Sundance Film Festival, and in numerous theaters and nightclubs around the country.
Notable projects include an orchestral score for the feature-length crime documentary The Mystery of the Polka King (CourtTV/ truTV), a swirling collage of noise-rock guitar and electronic percussion for the indie feature Altamont Now (Winner, Best Director, Atlanta Underground Film Festival), and a bubblegum pop song for the short film Aquarium (Honorable Mention, Sundance Film Festival). He has also composed commercial music for such high-profile clients as Heineken, Levis, Fruit of the Loom and Ford Models.
Along with his collaborator, Michelle Gillette, Espar was recently commissioned to write a sequel to his popular time-traveling musical for children, The Swashbuckle Sisters: Search for the Stolen Sword. He also produces up-and-coming pop and rock artists at his studio in Brooklyn, New York.
In addition to two decades of writing, producing and performng music, Espar is a seven-year veteran of television production, having worked as a producer, writer and editor for shows on HBO, Nickelodeon, and CourtTV.
Espar holds an M.A. in Music Composition from New York University with a concentration in scoring for film and multimedia, and a B.A. in Film Studies from Yale University.Experience- Jan 2010 - PresentAdjunct Lecturer / York College (The City University of New York)
- Mar 2008 - PresentDigital Media Arts Educator / Freelance
- Jan 2007 - PresentComposer/Music Producer / M. G. Espar Music LLC
Education-
2005 - 2007New York University
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1994 - 1998Yale University
Additional Information-
Websites:
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Interests:film, music, theater, art, architecture, travel, cooking, Spanish
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Tweets
- Call 1-719-26-OATES - "Your emergency Hall & Oates help line". It just made my day. #hallandoates
- Hear my film score at #SexCrimesUnit (HBO) screening + convo with dir. Lisa F. Jackson TONIGHT at NYU, a @NYWIFT event http://t.co/WhKA5NHz
- Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. http://t.co/vXPRonwfOct 05, 11 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- Missed the premiere of "Sex Crimes Unit" on HBO last week? It's available anytime on HBO On Demand and HBO Go (www.hbogo.com). #HBO
- Pop Svengalis Stargate and Sandy Vee dropping the science of songs at #ASCAP NY Sessions.
- "[Songwriters] help people put their hearts back together" -- legendary songwriter Paul Williams intro #ASCAP meeting in NYC.
- "Infallible" (d. Jaclyn Gramigna), a short film I scored, premieres at First Run Film Fest, 8pm tonight! http://www.eventbrite.com/s/3wfd
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Feature Films
