Hello, my friend James and I are being hired to compose and record a
film score for an independently produced documentary. (James and I
comprise Chamber Corps: http://chambercorps.com/). We're about 99%
certain we'll do it but we still have to hammer out the business
details. Basically, they are interested in paying us fair market
value, and all we have to do if figure out what fair market value is
and what kind of deals are usually struck for this sort of thing.
Since the budget for the film, naturally, is very low, we'll probably
be taking a token amount up front and then a stake in the film in the
(unlikely?) event that the film makes any money.

At any rate, if anybody here has any experience with this and would
like to share, I'd love to talk to you and pick your brain. This is
our first film score and we truly have no idea what we're doing yet.
Hell, if you're in the Triangle area of North Carolina, I'll buy you a
meal and/or drinks.

Thank you!

Chris Rossi
--
Spacelab Recording Studio http://spacelabstudio.com
(919) 403-5502 http://chambercorps.com

My email address is 'chris' at the spacelab domain listed above.

it's all negotiable. just make sure you have a contract with defined
payments. and get your payments over time as you reach certain
milestones. most of these independent movies never make a dime. so
count on zero as a realistic royalty amount, and then perhaps be
pleasantly surprised if you get a few dollars later on.

All negotiable is correct. I did a short film score a while back for a
very small independent that was a flat fee up front. Forty minutes of
original music, some orchestrated (all sample library instruments -
SampleTank, Kontakt, etc. - and no talent fees but mine), for 5 grand.
Considering that I get paid very well for doing thirty seconds of music
for advertising, it was quite a different experience paywise!

The movie made zilch, so at least I got something for doing it. It was
a small amount for the work that I put into it, but I liked the
subject, the director, etc. I pretty much would have done that
particular film for free, so that's part of my rationale on that
project.

Part of the tradeoff for not paying much was I retained more control
over the score. I also got some flexibility on the deadline so i could
work on it during down time. I don't know that I'd do it again for
that kind of rate unless I really believed in the project. But, then,
it was a piece of work that has gotten me other opportunities.

YMMV.

*great* point about less money= more control.

Arnold Schoenberg, the great 12-tone composer, had a funny anecdote.
When his method of composition was "all the rage" about 50 years ago,
he was approached by a big-name film studio to compose a movie score.

His reaction was "sure, as long as I have complete control over the
acting, dialogue and direction".

He had a good university position at UCLA by that time, and a
reputation. He could give two terds about the film world or their
demands.

Just a fun one to keep in mind since usually the music guys get bossed
around. It was fun to read about old Arny telling the film community
to shove it.

i don't think he got the job,and I don't think he cared either. he had
no plans to become a soundtrack ho'.

wrote:
Arnold Schoenberg, the great 12-tone composer, had a funny anecdote.
When his method of composition was "all the rage" about 50 years ago,
he was approached by a big-name film studio to compose a movie score.

His reaction was "sure, as long as I have complete control over the
acting, dialogue and direction".

He had a good university position at UCLA by that time, and a
reputation. He could give two terds about the film world or their
demands.

Just a fun one to keep in mind since usually the music guys get bossed
around. It was fun to read about old Arny telling the film community
to shove it.

i don't think he got the job,and I don't think he cared either. he had
no plans to become a soundtrack ho'.

I know a composer who was working on a film and he had to put a "hit" to
match the action. He timed it to work, based on a lot of experience.
(It was one of these things where the hit either is a beat ahead or
behind the on-screen event). One of the producers was at his studio
checking on the progress and told the composer to move the hit to
syncronise with the on-screen event. The composer diplomatically
suggested that it wouldn't work, but the producer overrode him.

A week later when they were at the mix and all the rest of the producers
were there, they reached this sequence in the film, and upon hearing
the hit synched to the event the producers asked him, "why did you do
that for?". The composer pointed to the first producer and said, "he
told me to do it."

The composer never got any work from this production company again.

The lesson is that when it comes to bigger productions where the
composer has to work with several people telling him what to do
(various producers, directors, music coordinators), they often find
that they have to walk a tightrope since half the time these guys
don't agree on what they want and they use the composer to work
their dysfunctional magic on each other.

Rob R.