WHEN
Concept
If you have a very music heavy project it may be to your advantage to bring on a music supervisor at the very beginning so you can make creative choices that are achievable and affordable.
Budgeting
As a general rule on films budgeted at 10 million dollars and up 5% is a good starting place for the budget. However if your film has a budget less than that all the rules go out the window. Having an experiences music supervisor during budgeting can help you make sure you spend your music budget wisely.
Pre-Production
At this point you should have a music supervisor involved in order to foresee
music needs that must be handled prior to beginning production. Examples of
this are licensing any music that will be featured during filming from an actor
singing in the shower to a band playing in the background of a bar scene. All of
this music must be licensed, or written and recorded prior to any filming or
taping.
Production
During production, it is important to have music for any club or party scenes where the crowd is dancing or interacting in a place where music would be playing. The music doesn’t need to be cleared or even licensed if it is not being featured, but it must be documented and remembered so that the composer and or music supervisor will know the exact tempo and feel the actors were listening to. If there are any scenes featuring musicians or singing, it is an advantage to have someone on the set to help direct that action.
Post Production
This is where most of the magic happens. In a perfect world music that fits the creative vision of the director and or producer is chosen and given to the editor to be used in editing the final picture. Once and edit is complete, there is often a temporary dubbing of music to create a full version of the project for viewing. Once the picture edit has been locked the music supervisor and composer will make selections of songs and create original music for the film. This process may also include the hiring of a sound designer a composer and a music editor.
Sales & Distribution
In order to display a project at film festivals, festival licenses for all songs must be completed. If the project contains songs or artists that could be compiled to create a viable soundtrack, this could increase the value of the project to distributors and sales agents.
Release
Artists and bands whose music is included in the project can be a great asset to ticket sales and VOD numbers. Coordinating with them, their labels, and their management will benefit the project in terms of earned media and social media as well.
Concept
If you have a very music heavy project it may be to your advantage to bring on a music supervisor at the very beginning so you can make creative choices that are achievable and affordable.
Budgeting
As a general rule on films budgeted at 10 million dollars and up 5% is a good starting place for the budget. However if your film has a budget less than that all the rules go out the window. Having an experiences music supervisor during budgeting can help you make sure you spend your music budget wisely.
Pre-Production
At this point you should have a music supervisor involved in order to foresee music needs that must be handled prior to beginning production. Examples of this are licensing any music that will be featured during filming from an actor singing in the shower to a band playing in the background of a bar scene. All of this music must be licensed, or written and recorded prior to any filming or taping.
Production
During production it is important to have music for any club or party scenes where the crowd is dancing or interacting in a place where music would be playing. The music doesn’t need to be cleared or even licensed if it is not being featured, but it must be documented and remembered so that the composer and or music supervisor will know the exact tempo and feel the actors were listening to. If there are any scenes featuring musicians or singing, it is advantageous to have someone on the set to help direct that action.
Post Production
This is where most of the magic happens. In a perfect world music that fits the creative vision of the director and or producer is chosen and given to the editor to be used in editing the final picture. Once and edit is complete, there is often a temporary dubbing of music to create a full version of the project for viewing. Once the picture edit has been locked the music supervisor and composer will make selections of songs and create original music for the film. This process may also include the hiring of a sound designer a composer and a music editor.
Sales & Distribution
In order to display a project at film festivals, festival licenses for all songs must be completed. If the project contains songs or artists that could be compiled to create a viable soundtrack, this could increase the value of the project to distributors and sales agents.
Release
Artists and bands whose music is included in the project can be a great asset to ticket sales and VOD numbers. Coordinating with them, their labels, and their management will benefit the project in terms of earned media and social media as well.