Stephen Root

Stephen (Steve) Root is an audio director / composer for the film and game industry. Stephen trained at Goldsmiths College in London before entering the games industry and spent nine years working within the audio industry. In 1995, he worked on the film Eye of the Beholder. He subsequently became the audio director of the United Kingdom branch of Acclaim Entertainment. In this role, he was responsible for the music of classics such as Alien Trilogy, Die Hard, Hexen, and the Extreme-G series. Along with Dominic Glynn, Root also formed the The Swarm.

Stephen trained at Goldsmiths College in London before entering the games industry and spent nine years working within the audio industry. In 1995, he worked on the film Eye of the Beholder. He subsequently became the audio director of the United Kingdom branch of Acclaim Entertainment. In this role, he was responsible for the music of classics such as Alien Trilogy, Die Hard, Hexen, and the Extreme-G series. Along with Dominic Glynn, Root also formed the The Swarm. The pair scored the atmospheric electronic scores to Forsaken and Re-Volt together.

In 2001, Root joined Guildford game developer Criterion Games as senior orchestrator. During his six years at Criterion he has successfully built up one of the most highly regarded audio teams in the industry and ensured that his teams deliver outstanding and critical acclaimed content. He and Steve Emney were responsible for creating the music for Airblade, Burnout, and Burnout 2.

Following Criterion's acquisition by EA, Root has remained audio director of the company, but no longer personally produces compositions. The latest Burnout titles have featured licensed music chosen by EA in Los Angeles. Black featured an acclaimed orchestral score by Chris Tilton and Michael Giacchino overseen by Root. Root nevertheless continues to create compositions in his spare time and recently scored the film The Crate.


Credits

As Composer:

The Crate (2007) (V) (as Steve Root)
Burnout 2: Point of Impact (2002) (VG)
Airblade (2001) (VG)
Burnout (2001) (VG)
Forsaken (1998) (VG) (as The Swarm)
Die Hard Trilogy (1996) (VG) (as Steve Root)
Alien Trilogy (1996) (VG)
Eye of the Beholder (1995) (V)
... aka Stranger VI (UK: video box title)

Sound Department:

Burnout Paradise (2008) (VG) (sound director)
... aka Burnout 5 (USA: informal alternative title)
Black (2006) (VG) (sound director)
Burnout Revenge (2005) (VG) (sound director)
Burnout 3: Takedown (2004) (VG) (sound director)
Burnout 2: Point of Impact (2002) (VG) (sound director)
Airblade (2001) (VG) (head audio)
Burnout (2001) (VG) (audio mastering) (head of audio: Criterion Games) (sound designer: live keyboards) (sound producer)
Vanishing Point (2000) (VG) (sound recordist)

Music Department:

Airblade (2001) (VG) (music producer) (musician: keyboards)
Batman & Robin (1998) (VG) (composer: additional music)
Bloodlines: Legacy of a Lord (1997) (music co-arranger) (musician: keyboards)
Batman Forever: The Arcade Game (1996) (VG) (music editor)

Other:

Project S.W.A.R.M. (1999) (VG) (sound director)
Extreme-G 2 (1998) (VG) (head of audio)
Forsaken (1998) (VG) (sound effects)
FIFA Soccer 96 (1995) (VG) (sound editor)
Hexen (1995) (VG) (music & sound fx conversion)
... aka Hexen: Beyond Heretic (USA: reissue title)

* The above have been in colaboration with and are credited jointly with others including: Steve Emney, Bob Scumaci, Andy Brock, Stuart McDonald, Lee Banyard, Kevin Schilder, Simon Robertson, Neil Palmer, Dominic Glynn, Martin Smith, Misha Calvin, Larry Lush and Phil Earl.


Honours and Awards

AUDIO ACCOMPLISHMENT - "BURNOUT PARADISE" - 2006 Develop Industry Excellence Awards Finalist

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN ORIGINAL MUSIC COMPOSITION - 2007 AIAS Interactive Achievement Awards Finalist - "BLACK"

BEST AUDIO - 2006 BAFTA Video Games Awards Nomination - "BLACK"

XBOX BEST USE OF SOUND - IGN.com Best of 2006 - "BLACK"

PS2 BEST USE OF SOUND - IGN.com Best of 2006 - "BLACK"

OVERALL BEST USE OF SOUND - IGN Best of 2006 - "BLACK"

BEST ART & SOUND - "BLACK & BURNOUT REVENGE" - 2006 Develop Industry Excellence Awards

BEST SONG - "BURNOUT REVENGE" - 2006 Spike TV Video Game Awards

BEST VIDEO GAME SOUNDTRACK - "BURNOUT REVENGE" - 2006 MTV Video Music Awards Nominee

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT: SOUNDTRACK - "BURNOUT REVENGE" - 2006 AIAS Interactive Awards Nominee

BEST USE OF SOUND - "BURNOUT REVENGE" - IGN.com Best of 2005 Awards

BEST AUDIO at E3 - IGN.com - 2005 "BLACK"

BEST ART & SOUND - "BURNOUT" 3: TAKEDOWN" - 2005 Develop Industry Excellence Awards


Further Info: www.vgmrush.com/artist.php?name=Stephen%20Root
IMDB: www.imdb.com/name/nm0740536/