Ten Principles of Music Supervision
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10 Basic Principles1. Use restraint: Like a good musical score to images, or the words of a singer, good music supervision supports the other elements of the presentation like the foundation of a house. Songs should influence the audience in a preconscious way. Of course, musically minded people will always notice the music. (The exception to this rule is when songs are used as a kind of punch line or comment on what is happening in the dramatic action. This should be avoided unless it comes from the impetus of the director or it is cleared with the producers first.) 2. Be fresh: Using songs that are over-familiar or worn out should be avoided. Folks can hear Led Zep, as great as they may be, several times a day on the radio. For example, the Mercury Rev song at the start of Laurel Canyon is really surprising and powerful. 3. Keep a healthy distance from the music: If you know the folks involved in a song, promote them on your radio station or record label, leave them off your supervision projects. First, you will be blinded by your interests and association with the material and may choose something that is does not fit the material. Second, you may invite trouble elsewhere. Your favorite band is the bane of someone else's existence. 4. Get the real thing: If you know that punk will fit a certain scene, get the real thing and not an imitator. You have to balance this principle with the mandate for freshness. In our opinion, Search and Destroy worked well for Nike (although it may have broken a few fan's hearts). Avoid canned production music, stock music, etc. like the plague. You and your audience will know the difference—-really. 5. Have a couple of choices to go with: Always have a number of genres and songs ready in case the producers change their mind. This will often happen at the last minute during post production where music is swapped, changed, or suddenly seems not to work. For example, 70s California Rock or Reggae might fit a scene equally well. 6. Choose something that inspires purchase of the soundtrack or product: Honestly, you are being hired in most cases to increase the bottom line. Most people will buy a soundtrack if the music is good and they feel they could not easily find the music themselves. If your music is foreign to the target audience of the project you may be doing something wrong. 7. Know music licensing inside and out: Research the business of music supervision and licensing. Understand negotiation, the law, types of licenses, industry precedents. Knowledge and persistence can lock in songs you might otherwise lose. 8. Respect the artists and their reps: Demonstrate that you know that music is a commodity created by talented professionals and administered by hardworking publishers. You want to be fairly compensated for your supervision work—and know that they do too. Come up with an agreement that pleases all concerned and does not insult anyone or close any doors for the future. Like anything, you get what you pay for. 9. Take your time: Do not jump at the first thing that seems to fit or comes to mind, or something easily available from a production house or electronic subscription service. 10. Work with someone who knows what they are doing: Often various record labels have licensers who are full-time advocates for a body of work they know fairly well. The reality is that labels and conglomerates own a lot of the good stuff. However, do not be sucked in by one mega licenser or be swayed by a personal relationship there. Talk to friends, DJs, etc. and others who have no stake in your final choices. Music supervision is a team sport. [Bob Thompson Music] | [Spenser's Blog]
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What music supervision is not: a navel-gazing activity for music nerds and folks with big record collections. But do not despair. If you want to do this work, get established in an aspect of the business other than supervision and network, network, network. Music supervision is for people with musical acuity who are established in the music industry at some level (as artists, business people, etc.). It is also for those who know the language of music and film better than most. Music supervision is a craft--all these rules are difficult to apply and must be applied with sensitivity to each other. Follow these 10 rules and you will beat out the poseurs. |