Singing His Praises


               "For 'Infested,' I wanted a score that managed to play it completely straight, yet still contained a sly wink to the audience that we're in on the gag. Rodney managed to take that virtually incomprehensible direction and craft a score that hit the nail on the head."

-Josh Olson, Academy Award-nominated writer
of "History of Violence" and director of "Infested"


                "Working with Rodney has always been a treat for me. When I first met him, I was editing at a non-profit production company teaching filmmaking to inner city kids. The short films that the students wrote and acted in were engaging and well-made, but often hit a wall when it came to performances. But then Rodney would get his hands on the scenes, and write these scores that would take them to a whole different level! Never mind that the camera was shaky or the shot was out of focus or the acting was questionable - when Rodney's music started, it felt real. When I moved to NY, I started editing reality TV shows and, surprisingly, I was facing some of the same problems with the footage. And it quickly became clear to me that none of the composers that were working on these shows were anything like Rodney! They would create catchy tunes or musical wallpaper - but nothing that actually elevated the footage, and so the edits would suffer.  On the first episode of a series I worked on at Oxygen, we were days away from locking picture and the music we had just wasn't working.  So I sent Rodney the edit and he re-scored it in a few days.  When the producers heard it, he was hired for the entire series, continuing on long after I left.  On a series I worked on for The Food Network, same thing happened.  A composer had already been hired, but the music wasn't working.  In a pinch, Rodney helped out by re-scoring a few episodes... then ended up scoring the entire series... and the next series made by the same producers!  Rodney continues to be my go-to composer because I know that no matter what I'm working on, his music will always enhance the edit and take it where picture alone isn't going.  And it's no surprise that as soon as anyone else hears his music, they realize what they're missing."

-Geoffrey Richman, Editor  "Sicko" ,"God Grew Tired of us" ," Murderball"



                "Whittenberg's music in the documentary 'In Sickness and In Health' was original and organic . . . His musical creation took the audience on an emotional journey as they fell in love with the protagonist and were crushed by her  life-threatening disease. Whittenberg struck a chord in everyone's heart and delicately complimented a piece in memory of a very powerful woman."

-"Pilar Prassas, director of "In Sickness and in Health, winner of the Philadelphia Outest Film Fest Audience Award and the Southwest Gay and Lesbian Film Festival Audience Award


                    "Rodney Whittenberg  arranged "Amazing Grace" for my documentary, "The Camden 28." Rodney's work was a masterful and emotional tribute to the activists who went on trial for destroying draft records during the Vietnam War. But it wasn't only myself and members of the Camden 28 who were so impressed with Rodney's skillful rendition: numerous viewers have contacted me asking for a for a copy of his work after the film aired on PBS."

-Anthony Giacchino, director The Camden 28 Philadelphia
Film Festival audience and best documentary award winner.

     "Rodney Whittenberg is a talent to be reckoned with. His compositions for the feature film 'Hard Coal' are in perfect pitch with the story, whether creating textural soundscapes, enhancing mood, or creating powerful hooks, he simply delivers. His eclectic musical approach, combined with his gifted musicianship brought the film to a new level and I look forward to working with him again!

-Marc Brodzik, director "Hard Coal"

            "Rodney's music adds an emotional depth to my films that is beyond description, always hitting the right moments, and never hitting the listener in the wrong way. He knows when to dominate and when to let the image breathe. He knows when to break hearts and when to raise spirits. When I watch my film with his score for the first time, for me, it's a breath of life. An extra soul for the child I worked so hard to bring into the world."

-Inbar Gilboa, director of the "Violin" and "Make-up"