[Fmpro] composer as executive producer

[Jim Chase]

"Just a warning about using the "budget" of the film as your guide:"

     I found Mr. Simens' three minute tutorial "Hollywood's Biggest  
Lie" entertaining, much as I would a late nite infomercial for BAM!.   
After all, Dov is effectively marketing a product, so his spiel can  
be taken with the appropriate grain of salt.

     The advice I gave (off list) to Kevin Mathie was 10% of the  
budget, even before the budget is known.  With the implied caveat  
that any Film Music Attorney worth his weight in fine print would  
refuse to write language, based on distortions and hearsay, into a  
contract.

     I also posited that the composer will not know how much work is  
involved in a given project until after the spot-session.  I advised  
3 minutes of score per day as a guideline.  45 minutes of score =  
about two weeks, not including re-writes.  Typically, when working on  
a music soundtrack, Billy Hale puts in 12-18 hours per day.   
Obviously, no composer wants to work for less than he/she could earn  
flipping burgers.

     "... If you have doubts about the future success of a project,  
back out gracefully, and professionally before any contact is  
signed."  I think this was sound advice. (no pun)

     Kevin mentioned his "investment" in a film project; accepting  
less than ten percent of a questionably accurate figure, with the  
promise of future payments based on the film's gross.  Any argument  
at all throws a large question-wrench into that (otherwise oddly  
compelling) concept.  The composer does not have an accurate figure  
of what the film cost to produce, and any future dividends are  
further obscured by how much the movie actually brings in at the box  
office, and through mechs, or on-line sales.  Also, the "investment"  
angle -- for the composer -- reeks of (shudder) deferred payment.  As  
in snacks, and a copy of the DVD.  The composer may as well be  
scoring student films, again!

     As a final bit of advice, I quoted the well-worn axiom: "You  
should NEVER under-sell your product!"  Doing so damages us all.

Jim Chase,
Billy Hale Music