[Fmpro] concerns/ideas for submitDIRECT

[Fernando Rivas]

Bettie,

I can understand some of your concerns and agree with most of your points
but the sad truth is that there are indeed a few high school kids with
computer set ups in their bedrooms that are in fact getting the gigs.  They
may not get the so-called big time gigs, although I¹m sure they¹re making
inroads there, but then again no one who is outside that priviliged circle
has much of a shot at those big time gigs.  The sad truth is that the
Hollywood system in many ways works like the aristocracy of medieval Europe.
In fact, many human institutions which wield great wealth and power
eventually default to that particular pattern.

Quality, skill and workmanship have not been the guiding principles for a
long time in the film business.  It also honestly can¹t be said that these
things play no role.  There are still fortunately many talented,
knowledgeable and experienced people in the business.

I guess what is meant by a Œjuicy gig¹ is open to question.  It is possible
these days for some small budget unknown picture with an amateurish sound
track and a couple of rock tunes to make a zillion bucks.  Whether it will
make or break anybody¹s reputation the matter is open to question.

What the present agent system does guarantee is that the same big names will
get the same big gigs. It also makes it possible for some wealthy mogul¹s or
big name¹s son or daughter or Œfriend¹ who decides to screw around with a
Mac and copy and paste some samples to have a shot at the big time.  It is
not unthinkable that the agents will usher that person into the inner
sanctum without hesitation. After all their bottom line is not quality but,
as you state it, the percentage they make on the gig which will be
underwritten by said mogul or star.  If that kid is not savvy enough to know
what to do some ghost writer drone can be hired to make up for the problem.

The SubmitDirect system is just another doorway into the business which,
like the music business, is increasingly democratizing itself, freeing
itself from the control of a select elite that calls all the shots. As such
it can only be a good thing.


On 1/23/07 7:16 PM, "TheOrchsVoice at aol.com" <TheOrchsVoice at aol.com> wrote:

> As many of you know, I've a heart  (and voice, hands and feet) for film
> composers/ orchestrators and  continue to serve them professionally and
> personally 
> in many diverse  ways. I've "walked the talk" when it comes to showing I truly
> care for them  and am always looking for new ways in which I can help them
> achieve their career  goals. In my spare time, I also mentor many young U.S.
> and international film composers as well as several USC film score  program
> students/graduates. I want them to succeed. I've  also learned how hard it is
> for 
> even the most talented people to  catch a break in this business. Having
> previously worked for or with 7  of the top film music agents in the world, I
> have 
> some questions about the new  submitDIRECT service. I'd like to think the
> service can be of  benefit to all composers but especially those without
> agents. 
>    
> Fee issues and the ease of uploading aside, what about the other aspects of
> submitting for music jobs, including one of the most crucial in regards to
> film scoring jobs - the listing of a composer's credits. Will those be
> available online for the music-buyer (director, producer, music supervisor,
> music 
> editor, studio exec, etc.) to read along with the mp3? Let's put  ourselves in
> that decision-maker's shoes and think about what he needs to  know to justify
> hiring a particular composer to  his company's superiors. If there are no
> professional  qualifications required of submitDIRECT's music submitters,
> other than 
>  paying a fee, then anyone, including high school kids with a music  setup in
> their bedroom can upload his mp3's. Music buyers have told  me they've often
> received 300 or more CDs by snail mail for one job.  With the immediacy and
> convenience of uploading to the Internet, they  undoubtedly receive more than
> that these days. That's a lot  of music to wade through. And without credits
> or 
> other info about  the composer, how can the job-poster know whether the
> creator actually  has the necessary experience, training, technical know-how
> or 
> mental,  physical and emotional stamina to handle the many challenges of a
> good  
> paying scoring job, its high stress and the pressure of short  deadlines? If I
> were a job-poster, I wouldn't want to spend my time  listening to tons of
> music just to find out later that while the person  was talented enough to
> write a 
> great cue, he had no real world  experience with the demands of the film
> scoring process. The music might be  terrific but what about the rest of the
> job's 
> qualifications? If the  quality of the music was all that mattered, the
> process would be easy as there's  tons of talented people around, but
> unfortunately, that's not all it takes.
>  
>> From what I've read so far, like an agency, FMN's submitDIRECT  service will
> be presenting music tracks for job consideration,  but unlike an agency, it
> will not be an official, legal  representative of those music-makers. FMN's
> service will not  have researched any of its submitters nor be able to assure
> a 
> music  buyer of a composer's level of professionalism, their track  record,
> previous working relationships with directors, ability to be  "creative on
> demand" 
> or deliver a product on time and within budget, etc.  From my experience in
> the film music business for the last 8 years, those things  are considered
> just 
> as important, if not more so, than the actual music  itself. With the scoring
> process being in the last phase of a film's  production, there's usually a
> very short window of time for decisions to  be made about music. That's why
> the 
> majority of those "juicy  jobs" are brokered through agents who've already
> done the necessary  homework on a composer for the music buyer. It would be
> great 
> to find  one of those "juicy jobs" posted on the FMN's service but perhaps we
> should ask  ourselves - Why would a producer of such a job choose the
> submitDIRECT service to find his composer instead of simply using an  agency?
> Agencies don't charge the music-buyer anything. They receive a  commission
> from the 
> selected composer for the contract they  negotiate. While they might not offer
> a music buyer hundreds of  composers to choose from, the ones they do offer
> have built  a reputation in the industry. While competing with agencies &
> their represented clients for music jobs may not be submitDIRECT's official
> intention, it will essentially be doing that. To make the service more
> valuable, 
> faster and convenient to music-buyers, I suggest that  submitDIRECT offer more
> info on its submitters. If the service  doesn't want to make the time to list
> or upload each composer's  credits with his mp3's, perhaps it could at least
> include a link to  the composer's own website. That would certainly help the
> music-buyer make a more informed decision quicker. Anyway, those are some  of
> my thoughts. I look forward to hearing yours.
>  
> Bettie Robertson, webmistress - The Orchestrator's Voice
> owner/photographer - Candlelight Eyes photoart
> http://members.aol.com/cephotoart/cep.html
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