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FAQs Money Q: How can you get me a great film score on my limited budget? A: Because your film has potential value to the composer far beyond its meager financial compensation, and IFC is set up to let you the filmmaker take full advantage of this built-in currency. Indie film is big, and composers gain a lot of valuable exposure via the festival circuit, even if your film never sees release. Q: What if the composer is established and doesn't need exposure? A: Major film directors are under intense pressure from the studios to keep their score adherent to established musical direction. Thus the dreaded "temp score" syndrome in which the composer is asked to replicate tracks from an existing score that's already laid into the rough cut. Nothing is more insulting or creatively stultifying to a composer, yet this practice is so widespread as to be almost de rigeur. Your indie film allows the composer the freedom to create. The composer rightly believes the product of this freedom is frequently a unique, exceptional score worthy of their name. Beyond mere pride, the composer can show new colors from their creative palette which may expand their career horizons. Q: Why can't I just call some Hollywood agents and convince them that my low-budget film is worthy of their big-name composers' talents? A: Because Hollywood agents hate you starving indie filmmakers and your cheap-o budgets and will do anything to keep their clients from finding out about your film. There's nothing but 10% of nothing in it for them and their Jag payments come due every month. The last thing they need is one of their clients off on an artistic quest to recapture their lost musical soul. Q: How does IFC get to these artists? A: We don't. They come to us. You can't imagine the artistic humiliation a well-paid composer in Hollywood has to go through for those big bucks. They need a break from the Hollywood meat grinder every now and then to keep the creative spark alive. Plus they don't need the money--they already made it copping Jamie Horner copping Johnny Williams copping Max Steiner. Q: Can you guarantee a star composer for my film? A: No. That's because your film would have to have truly exceptional merit to be considered by an elite artist. It would be a serendipitous situation--the right composer for the perfect film posting at the just right time for the artist's schedule. It can happen, but there's no guarantee. There's somewhat more leeway in the area of pop music talent--they can be surprisingly available, especially in the area of composing and recording new songs for a worthy indie film. The key is getting to the talent directly, not through their agency, which will always blow you off. Q: Why can't I just find my own composer--why do I need IFC? A: You can. You don't. It's just that we spend an inordinate amount of time reviewing an extremely large number of candidates from the ranks of recent University film scoring graduates, classical composers from the U.S., Europe and Asia, Celtic musicians, Native American musicians, Brazilian songwriters, Czech film and TV composers, Australian composers, Chinese classical jazz composers...the list is staggering. And from all these we come up with a highly refined affiliated clientele not just of unalloyed excellence and versatility, but an elite group dedicated to the economic realities and artistic sensibilities of the independent film world. Your low budget film is worthy, you'll get no attitude from us. Q: Why can your composers produce music for less? A: Because part of our selection process involves a composer's ability to produce a score inexpensively. This is not a trivial component of an artist's skill set. Top notch orchestras are identified in right-to-work states, buyout arrangements are optimized, sound stages in countries with advantageous currency valuations are found, special arrangements are made within L.A. for top session players and singers, the list goes on. |