Music for your Independent Film by Peter John Ross www.sonnyboo.com One of the things that can make or break a movie is the music. Can you imagine JAWS without the John Williams music? What about the techno music in THE MATRIX? As no-budget filmmakers, we often times forget that sound is 50% of the experience of seeing a movie, whether it be a :30 second joke, or a 4 hour Lord of the Rings DVD. And, thanks to technology, we can easily add any music we can get our hands on into our movies. Since we can take an audio CD from any musician, put it in a CD-Rom and quickly load that digitally mastered song on to a timeline of our handy editing program, temptation has an all new meaning. It's like having a piece of forbidden dessert on every tray at a buffet.
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Let's talk about why you should NOT do this. First and foremost - it's illegal, as in against federal law. Maybe you've heard of this - COPYRIGHT. Everyone already knows this, but dirt poor, no budget filmmakers think this law doesn't apply to them. Popular music costs a lot of money to use in your movies. That's probably why most people steal music & use it without permission. Secondly, here's where you have to consider another point of view (other than our own selfish, "I'm the filmmaker" view). If you can take their music without paying for it, then why should anyone ever pay for any aspect of your movie? Music is intellectual property, just like your movie will be. If you can steal their music without paying, then someone at a TV station or a website should have equal rights to steal your movie & never have to pay for it. On a moral & ethical level, it's wrong to use music without permission. I am quite sure if you saw someone selling copies of your movie without paying you, it'd be like restraining Chris Farley at an all-you-can-eat lunch special. What is the difference between stealing your movie or stealing someone else's music? NOTHING. What kind of arrogance makes us think we are more important than musicians? Who am I to preach? Have I ever put copyrighted music into my projects? Of course. Virtually every first-time filmmaker puts music that's copyrighted into their movies. I did it a lot when I first started. Since then I have made every effort to get original music into my projects or actually make arrangements for obtaining the rights and pay the necessary royalties. THE SOLUTIONS There are as many struggling musicians and songwriters as indie filmmakers. Make a connection. Help EACH OTHER out. You can get their music exposed in venues previously unavailable to them, and you can have original music that doesn't make you nervous to play at every film festival. It's also much classier to have your own “original” music. It differentiates your movie from the dozens of others using the same songs. You can also get cheap "loop" programs like FRUITY LOOPS or Sonic Foundry's ACID. These enable you to quickly and cheaply create music from loops and to customize the speed, tempo, pitch and many aspects to make the music fit your exact needs. It's better than a "cease & desist" letter from an attorney and it's legal to use once you BUY the program (illegally copying programs is whole OTHER article). Stock Music libraries are also an option to consider. These cost money, but in the end it's much cheaper than popular music. Music ranges from El Cheapo type stuff where you can buy a CD of music for $250, then use it anytime for free (also known as "Royalty Free" music because you buy it once & own the right to use it anytime). Then there is the top of the line EXTREME MUSIC which is very expensive, but incredibly good. They charge "per needle drop", meaning you pay for each usage of the music, if you use it online - there's one fee, and if you use it on television, there is a different price, etc. Before buying any stock music collection, read the fine print and understand exactly how you can use it and when. If you are dead set on obtaining a popular song, SECURE THE RIGHTS. Go to ASCAP or BMI and find out how to get the proper licensing. "Internet Only rights" are cheap, and they invented something for no-budget filmmakers with the "Festival Only Rights" to songs to make this more affordable to Indie Filmmakers like us. Try to do it legally, because if the RIAA is going after individual users that download a John Mayer song on KAZAA, then what do you think they'll do to a filmmaker trying to make money from using a song in their movie? It's not a slap on the wrist anymore. It's a lawsuit. SUM UP Will you get caught? Probably not, but lately, the risk is going up. I recently got a letter from an attorney for music I used in a movie I did from February 2000 that still lingered on a short film website, not even a popular site. I have since removed the movie from their site & I am re-editing to add original music. And because I am a former musician myself, let me say that I am not unsympathetic to the plight of indie filmmakers. Resist the temptation to steal music. I am giving away 9 songs for free to be used by any Indie Filmmaker completely free with full rights. These aren't the best songs, but they're free. http://sonnyboo.com/music/music.htm Here are other completely free music resources online for Indie Film : http://www.freeplaymusic.com http://www.compositeur-arrangeur.com I hope this helps Peter John Ross www.sonnyboo.com
SmartSound's new Indie Film Music Pack gives independent filmmakers the creative flexibility and control to get a powerful, professional-quality music score for a small cost. Priced at just $499, it includes the SmartSound Sonicfire Pro software and a choice of any 25 royalty-free tracks from SmartSound's library of more than 1,200 cuts. Sonicfire Pro helps filmmakers tailor the tracks to fit the exact length and mood needed to score a scene. And because the tracks are royalty-free, the rights are cleared from festival screenings to theatrical or DVD releases.
Check Out Other Articles by Peter John Ross The Truth about Robert Rodriquez - tips about low budget film making Use Public Access TV to Promote Your Films Indie Film Cliches How to put Your Short Film on the Net Get Ready to Edit Your Digital Video Production | 
