PRODUCTION CORNER # 8

SCORING YOUR MOVIE

by Tim Ritter

There's no right or wrong way to put your movie together. I'd suggest keeping the music score in mind as early as possible, though. Why? Because it's such an important part of your final end product.

Think about some of your favorite movies of all time, big and small. You love the characters, the photography, the acting, the elements, and the stars. But one important thing that many filmmakers don't think about that actually enhances the emotional ties that a viewer may have to a movie is the MUSIC. This is one of the most important postproduction elements that there is and it shouldn't be skimped on.

Recall Jaws and how terrifying that film is when you don't even SEE the shark for the first ninety minutes of the flick! What draws you in? The MUSIC---the ominous score by John Williams that is almost a character unto itself until the white death is finally revealed. The music is what carries all the early attack scenes.

Could you imagine the Psycho shower scene without Bernard Herman's shrieking violins? Try watching it on mute and you'll see what I mean.

One of the most famous movies that was saved by a music score in the low-budget arena is Halloween. Director John Carpenter, who composed and performed the original score for his film, took Halloween to distributor screenings before his now famous score was laid in and many distributors (and critics) dismissed the movie, citing it as "not scary" and "boring." But when his atmospheric (yet simple) score was laid into the mix, it changed the tune of horror and made all the naysayers eat their words. The relevant thing to note here is how IMPORTANT that music score really was.

Composers are always very creative people and a lot of them love to act. One of the most famous low-budget actors and composers is David A. Hess from Last House On The Left. He so convincingly played one of the main psychos that it made everyone (from the public to casting directors) think that he was REALLY like that in real life! Yet at the same time he delivered some of the first synthesized horror music (introducing "stingers" into the indie scene) and brilliant melodies of haunting despair that added a catastrophic "edge" to the film. So never turn down an actor who says he's a composer or vice versa. Always keep an open mind and give those demo tapes a listen.

I'm going to focus briefly on a composer that I have collaborated with several times and give you his insights on making music for a visual medium. No one can explain things better than the man who comes up with the tunes: R.M. Hoopes, who has worked on many of my productions as an actor, musician, and sound man.

Hoopes has composed the scores for a number of independent movies, including the Mafia epic Streets Of Darkness (1995) and several of my flicks, including Wicked Games, Screaming For Sanity (1998) and Beyond The Lost World: The Alien Conspiracy (2003).

Hoopes is a strong supporter of the independent scene, providing acting talent, music, and even sound effects for each project. He works with a Korg Wavestation and a Korg X3 Synthesizer.

Like most independent artists, Hoopes knew he wanted to create music for a living when he was eight years old and heard music on a television series called The Adventures Of Paradise. He listened to the music and fell in love with soundtracks. Like all artists who feel a calling, he said, "Someday I'm going to do that."

When Hoopes later heard the synthesized album Switched On Bach, he began to buy his equipment and started building a home studio, composing music that came from his inner psyche. He is just one of those artists who was born with such creativity pouring out of his soul.

After some club circuit playing with bands didn't work out ("I wanted to do original music," said Hoopes), he hooked up a DW 8000 to his Wavestation and "made them talk to each other." He began composing music for local playhouses and slowly purchased more equipment, in the process finishing his first album-on-cassette called Live Theater.

Live Theater came across my desk when I was auditioning actors for a movie called Wicked Games. Someone gave me the tape and I listened to it and was absolutely blown away. I immediately arranged to have a meeting with Hoopes and we hit it off well. He ended up with a major role in my movie as well as scoring the entire flick.

I asked Hoopes how it was working with me on our first collaboration. "It was totally fun and very creative," Hoopes recalled. "I basically made the music from reading your script, from the movie I saw in my head. You gave me the script and I scored the entire movie as we shot it. The only thing you really asked for, as a director, was that there should be a 'central theme' in all the pieces throughout the movie.

"It also helped me on both Truth Or Dare sequels that I was on the sets quite a bit. I come up with a lot of pieces by seeing the actors put their emotions and talents into their roles. When we filmed Kathy Kay Kurtz's scenes for Screaming For Sanity, a whole musical theme evolved in my head from just being around her and watching her work. And it ended up becoming the 'love theme' for the picture. If I hadn't been there to see all that, I don't know if I would've had the inspiration to write that particular piece, so moviemakers should always allow their composers to come to the set, even if it's only for a couple of days. It's very inspiring."

Streets Of Darkness was a little tougher for Hoopes because he had to compose for a finished movie and the director was very demanding and not as open to suggestions. "I like the score," said Hoopes, "but it just wasn't as fulfilling with all the time constraints and so forth. I like directors who give you some room to create. I like someone to give me the script and some of their insights, maybe some samples of what direction they're looking to go in, and basically let me map out things from there."

The music that Hoopes composes is recorded directly onto Digital Audio Tape and from there, he can burn a stereo CD of his score so it can be laid into virtually any editing system, linear or nonlinear. If the piece is written directly for a scene, he records the music on a timecoded DAT tape so it's in synch with the time code at the bottom of the video screener and can be synched up perfectly in editing. These days, most musicians have excellent home recording capabilities, as the technology has become very affordable.

Hoopes is especially pleased about the way his Screaming For Sanity score came out in the completed movie. "In the past, my stuff was buried in the finished sound mix. Some parts of Streets Of Darkness were so low that you couldn't even hear them! Wicked Games was okay but again, I felt my music got buried a bit because there wasn't much money for elaborate postproduction work and we had to dub the score in from a regular cassette. With Screaming For Sanity, the music came directly from the DAT tapes and it is so clear, way in the forefront, loud but not overmodulating. I was so pleased with the way the opening theme matched the credits and the whole end result was really rewarding for me as an artist. The same goes for the upcoming Monsterman...it's mixed directly from a master-quality CD that I made and comes across very strong."

If you ever get a chance to see Screaming For Sanity, check out how Hoopes' brilliant themes really bring out the internal anguish of Clive Stanley, a character in the movie who is trying to cope with the death of his young son. The actor's expressions and Hoopes' haunting melodies really say it all.

In addition to the Jerry Goldsmith inspired soundtracks that Hoopes provides, he's also gotten into the sound effects world as well. "Basically, I can make about any sound you want with my equipment," said Hoopes. "I've created thunderstorms, ray guns, thumps, and creature roars for a variety of movies."

All this came about when I asked Hoopes to record some screams and moans for Creep in 1994. I wanted that "reverb effect" and he delivered the goods. Things evolved and before we knew it, we found ourselves working on Kevin Lindenmuth's sci-fi Alien Agenda series with the Ransom segment.

"That was science fiction, right up my alley," said Hoopes, who is a major Star Trek fan. "I created the weird hum for the satellite station, the mutant alligator roars, and assorted "radioactive buzzing" sounds for ambient sounds while the hero walks through the destroyed landscapes of a post-apocalyptic Florida."

Hoopes loves to act and be on the sets of movies, but his real passion is composing and he continues to make music in his spare time, even if there's no movie projects going on. "Several Christmas Eves ago I was sitting at home alone and bored, having a couple of beers. I was just thinking about what might happen to your soul at the moment of death. It just leaves your body and floats off, and those thoughts inspired a musical 'Soul Song' that later became the basic theme of Screaming For Sanity."

Hoopes also recently released his first full-length CD release, appropriately called Theater Of The Mind. "It's for the movie in your mind," he said. "It will affect each listener in a different way, hopefully sparking their imagination."

Working with people like R.M. Hoopes has been a great pleasure for me. I also worked with the band Alucarda on Creep and they were a blast to collaborate with. Inspired by Italian movies and scores by such groups as Goblin, Alucarda really delivered an exciting and original soundtrack. They released the Creep soundtrack on CD with great success---it sold completely out! This is another advantage of working with musicians who want to get their work heard: they'll deliver what you need for very little money and help cross-promote your movie in the process of promoting their work.

So let's say you're in the editing phase and you want to find someone to do music for your movie and you have absolutely no music connections. No David A. Hess or R.M. Hoopes has worked on your project and you don't know where to turn. One place you can look is local theater groups. There's always musicians doing music for community theater and they'd probably love the chance to get their work on a movie. Also local clubs---there's plenty of local bands playing in neighborhood hangouts that would probably die for the kind of exposure a small movie could give them. Even if you don't run into a "synthesizer nut" that can score your flick, chances are many of these local bands do know where someone like this is and they'll gladly point you in the right direction. I don't want to forget about record stores, either. Most record shops, big or small, highlight local talent (selling their latest CDs) and have local rags (magazines that showcase local talent and gigs) and there's tons of phone numbers and information that can be found inside such literature. Don't neglect chat with the clerk behind the counter, either---I've met lots of talented musicians and artists who are working in retail stores, simply biding their time until they can get a gig going.

Of course, the Internet is probably one of the best places to find willing candidates. Many B-movie sites have classified ads or interactive forum sections. Additionally, most musicians have their own websites now and it's as simple as e-mailing them for a sample CD. If you go onto any of the major search engines and type in things like SOUNDTRACK COMPOSER and MUSICIAN, you're bound to come up with a plethora of useful leads.

These days, the music business is harder and harder to break into. With all the radio stations locked into playing things they are paid to spin by the major record companies, bands are looking for exposure. This bodes well for the independent filmmaker. I'd say it's worth approaching almost any rising artist to see if they might lend their songs to your movie. Richard Anasky, director of I Am Vengeance, is a big fan of doom metal. Since MTV isn't giving a lot of exposure to these kind of bands, he decided to approach some of his favorites to see if they would lend some of their songs to his movie. Based on the script he let them read, not only did virtually everyone he approached agree, they also wrote new material for his flick! To add icing to the cake, two big record distributors got involved and there were two separate soundtrack releases for his movie, which included sound bites from the flick, before it even came out! This added more publicity for the film and it cost Anasky nothing---the bands were paid from the soundtrack releases.

A lot of times, bands will loan their songs out for free, just for exposure. Or you can barter with them---you say, "let me use a few of your songs in my movie, and in return, I'll shoot and edit a dynamite video for you guys, whatever song you choose." Then they have a video they can shop around to help promote their work and you have something you can put on your DVD as an extra if the band agrees. It's all in the spirit of independent artists collaborating. And don't forget to hype up giving out credits on the film. Offer to put a band's website information or where someone can purchase their albums in the end credits. If your movie gets released internationally, this is fantastic (free) publicity that can end up being money in the bank for them!

With the Monsterman segment in the Alien Conspiracy movie, I found myself downloading MP3s on various Internet sites to check out material. I heard this one Swedish band called Beseech and thought their music was just what I needed. I contacted them and they let me use a few of their songs for no charge in the movie. They were just glad to get some U.S. exposure and their music is spectacular---it was just what I was looking for and brought the emotional impact of my segment way up. I used the music to practically tell the entire story.

In a case like this, you simply create a release form that gives you permission to use a band's music in your movie. They still have all rights to their music and are free to license and sell their stuff wherever they want. The filmmaker just gets a "permission slip" of sorts to put the songs in his film. Whether the band gets a percentage of the profits or just exposure is subject to whatever you negotiate.

Filmmaker Kevin Lindenmuth recently approached an entire record label using these methods and they gave him access to tons of songs to use in his movies in return for publicity and credits. I can't emphasize enough how similar the independent film and music industries are. Teaming up with artists that have the same "kindred spirits" as the indie filmmaker is now easier than ever.

Be warned, however. Don't expect established artists to join your cause. Once in a while they might lend a song to a nonprofit film, but if someone is connected with Sony or Warner Brother Records, chances are their agents and lawyers won't let them license anything out unless cash and royalties are involved. And it can be expensive, even for old songs. I know a filmmaker who paid over $10,000.00 to use an old Frank Sinatra song in his flick! You have to ask yourself whether really paying that kind of money is worth it or if it might be better to find an up-and-coming group to do something similar.

Something else to consider is what is commonly termed as "library music." This is music that is already composed that you can license out from various companies on a non-exclusive basis by simply paying a one-time fee. If you're in a hurry or think this style might fit your movie (hey, it did work for Romero in Night Of The Living Dead!), then by all means pursue this avenue. Most of these companies advertise in magazines like Videomaker. The fees are usually a few hundred dollars and the music quality varies these days, so try to check out some samples before totally committing to this method. Usually all the "stock music" is available on CD.

If you want a completely original score, a good way to communicate with a musician about what you want is to play samples of what you have in mind. I've done this on many occasions and it really works. Being a soundtrack buff myself, I've played composers everything from Alien to Creepshow to A Nightmare On Elm Street to show them what I had in mind. Same goes with songs---if you need an AC/DC style song, well, play a couple of AC/DC songs that you think would work well in your movie for the rock band you're working with. It can never hurt.

Another way to "inspire" prospective composers (if your movie is completely edited) is to lay down what's called a "scratch track." These days, with nonlinear editing, it's easier than ever. Just find a CD of the soundtrack you think best fits the mood of your movie and edit your favorite cuts in there, scene by scene. Of course, this isn't for commercial release, it's just to temporarily give your movie the emotional notes you have in mind.

When you finally choose a composer, this will let him hear exactly what you have in mind and like R. M. Hoopes said, "I'll map things out from there." There's no reason not to use the temporary track method---most Hollywood films do this all the time, especially on rough cuts.

There's nothing more exciting than everything coming together in the editing stage. Music really brings everything in a movie---it can make a bland scene interesting or an emotional scene even more captivating…and the things it can do for action and suspense scenes are unbelievable! So take your time during this stage and get it right. You don't just want the viewer to see your movie…you want them to feel it as well.

Here's some sample music contracts. Again, everything you create should be reviewed by an attorney. This first contract is a basic SAMPLE for using pre-recorded music from an artist's CD:

PRODUCER / ARTIST AGREEMENT

I agree and consent that _______________ Productions may use the copyrighted material from the CD titled _____________ by the band __________ for the motion picture tentatively entitled ________________________.

There shall be no monetary compensation for use of the songs: ________________ in said motion picture. In exchange for synchronizing the music with our moving pictures, the Producer will give you the following credit in the end credits of the movie: ___________________. (see below for additional credits)

In addition, you can use footage provided from our motion picture in a rock video that we plan to produce, and we all agree to cross-promote each other in the selling of our materials whenever possible.

This consent and release is given to PRODUCTION COMPANY - and its promotion/distribution partners without limitations upon any use for the song(s) in regards to projection, playback, reprints, rerun, broadcast, telecast, or publication of every kind, including the advertising and publicity connected with the ____________________project and the music loaned to it.

I also agree that the completed motion picture and copies therefrom shall remain the exclusive property of _________ Productions, or its nominees and assigns. I also agree to provide one (1) CD of the songs to ________________ Productions so they may sync the songs with the moving pictures.

ARTIST NAME and their partners shall retain their copyright and all worldwide music sales rights to their music. This agreement simply gives _______________ Productions permission to use the music in their movie without having to pay any monetary amount to its creators/distributors.

I am over the age of eighteen.

_________________________________
_________________________________
Name (Agent/Band)
(Producer)
_________________________________
_________________________________
Address
Date
_________________________________
Enter Credits EXACTLY as wanted
City/State/Country/Zip
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
Date
_________________________________
The next contract sample that follows should be used as a guideline if you're hiring an artist to compose completely original material for your movie. You can change the percentage received portion to any amount of points or even a one-time payment:

MUSIC AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT made this ________ day of ________, 200_, by and between

MUSICIAN NAME AND ADDRESS HERE , party of the first part, hereinafter referred to as MUSIC PRODUCER, and MOVIE PRODUCER NAME AND ADDRESS HERE, party of the second part, hereinafter referred to as FILM PRODUCER. The purpose of this agreement is to bond Music Producer's services on the tentatively titled feature film _______________ as MUSIC COMPOSER and MUSIC RECORDIST. Both parties intend to be legally bound by the following conditions. These conditions extend also to the heirs and assigns of both the MUSIC PRODUCER and FILM PRODUCER.


CONDITIONS

ENGAGEMENT:
Film Producer has engaged Music Producer to render services as such in creating, arranging, writing, performing, and recording onto a Master DAT or Compact Audio Disc music selections for use within the sound track of the motion picture that is tentatively called _________________, which Film Producer has produced. Music Producer understands and accepts that Film Producer may utilize other entities to contribute music to said sound track, in addition or instead of what Music Producer contributes.

WAIVER OF PAYMENT FOR SOUND TRACK SYNCHRONIZATION USE:
Music Producer shall be compensated for his contributions to the feature by receiving PROFIT PARTICIPATION OR PAYMENT AMOUNT HERE.

Music Producer agrees to forever waive any and all claims of payment that go beyond the above-mentioned compensations for use of the Music referred to in paragraph one as part of the sound track of the Motion Picture. Music Producer gives Film Producer the sole and exclusive right to use the Music on all prints and video masters of the motion picture in all formats worldwide, including theatrical motion picture, television, video tape, video disc, Internet, and any and all improvements thereon, whether known or unknown now or hereafter devised, developed, invented, or discovered, including but not limited to so-called "free television" and so-called "pay" or subscription television (including pay-per-view and satellite), nontheatrical (including 16mm, 8mm, and all other gauges), cassettes or cartridge uses, digital disc and tape uses, and any and all other forms of possible distribution or exploitation of said Motion Picture; also including the use of said Music on portions of the Motion Picture which may appear in preview trailers, dvd extras, television trailers, video trailers, music videos, making-of featurettes, or other forms of advertising and promotion in which portions of the motion picture are shown. Film Producer also may choose to use said Music in a sequel or sequel(s) to aforementioned motion picture and terms would be worked out with Music Producer at that time if such a situation arises. Compensation would be NO LESS than the above-stated monetary and/or profit participation agreement.

RIGHTS RETAINED BY MUSIC PRODUCER:
Music Producer will retain all rights in and to the Music, except for sound track synchronization use described in paragraph two above. Film Producer agrees to forever waive any and all claims of payment for use or sale of the Music for any and all purposes other than the soundtrack synching, unless Music Producer and Film Producer plan to collaborate on an official Motion Picture Soundtrack release.

TITLES AND SELECTIONS:
Music Producer shall compose 60-90 minutes worth of material suitable for said feature in conjunction with the needs of the Film Producer and Director. These selections shall include a recurring "theme melody" that is the signature of the film. The Film Producer shall have creative development input; however, the Music Producer shall use his creative style and originality to produce his signature score to the best of his abilities.

MUSIC PRODUCERS' WARRANTIES:
Music Producer hereby represents and warrants to the Film Producer as to the date hereof and forever:

< a. That it has the full right, power, and authority to enter and perform this agreement;

b. That it has not executed, done or permitted any document, act or thing which would or might preclude it from entering into and performing this Agreement and permitting the Music to be used and marketed by Film Producer as contemplated by this agreement;

c. That there is not and will not be any contract, commitment, or other arrangement which is in conflict with this Agreement or which might in any way limit, restrict, or impair Film Producer's rights hereunder;

d. That Music Producer has heretofore acquired exclusively all the rights for performance, production, and sale of the Music, including without limitation the right to use the ideas, themes, lyrics, arrangements, and all other matters and things upon which the music was based or which were or shall be used in its production and recording;

e. That all rights granted hereunto to Film Producer are or shall be paid for and will be free and clear of liens and encumbrances of every kind and character;

f. That the performing rights in all the Music compositions shall be controlled by Music Producer to the extent required for the purposes of this Agreement;

g. That no part of this Music infringes or shall infringe the right of privacy of any person or constitute a libel or slander and no part of the Music shall violate the trademark, tradename, copyright, artistic, dramatic, patent, personal, property or other rights of any third party.

SCREEN CREDITS:
The following credits shall be given on all prints and/or video masters of the Motion Picture which contains the Music herein discussed: ______________________________ (please include everyone that Music Producer may have hired in this area, including musicians, recording artists, etc.)

ALTERATIONS IN SCORE OR CREDIT:
Music Producer understands and agrees that it may become necessary, due to desires of the Motion Picture Distributor or others, to change or eliminate some pieces of the Music which Music Producer has produced, in regards to positioning and placement of music and images. If additional music is added, screen credits will add any additional music services rendered to said feature. Music Producer grants to Film Producer the right to make any and all changes which may become necessary in this regard.

TIMEFRAME:
Music Producer agrees to have the score completed for said Motion Picture and ready for synchronization with the completed movie by ________________.

ALTERATION OF AGREEMENT:
This Agreement may not be altered, changed, or modified, nor any provision hereof be waived, except in writing signed by both parties hereto.

CONSTRUCTION:
This writing is the full and entire Agreement of the parties. Any amendments shall be operated in accordance with the above-mentioned ALTERATION OF AGREEMENT clause. Disputes of this contract will be resolved in arbitration as subject to the state laws of ___________.

ENTIRE UNDERSTANDING:
This Agreement contains the entire understanding of the parties. There are no representations, warranties, promises, covenants or undertakings of any nature whatsoever, except herein expressly set forth.

IN WITNESS WHEROF, the parties have executed this agreement on the day and year as written on Page 1 of this contract.

_________________________________
_________________________________
FILM PRODUCER
MUSIC PRODUCER