Tag: music

Envy For The Music Biz

Post author By Ted Hope
Post date November 25, 2014

"for my enemies will devour themselves" — “for my enemies will devour themselves”

Maybe the grass is always greener, but lately that other side of the entertainment industry has been looking all sparkly and bright to me.

Okay, pushing the boulder up the hill is such an exhausting task, your mind can’t help but wander and consider maybe there are some upsides to letting it all crash and burn and then starting over. What happened when the music business flamed out? They didn’t die. Have they risen from the ashes, stronger and wiser, with new tools in their belt, a commitment to get it right this time?

Tags music, Music vs. Film, product promotion, Red Bull, sell out, Steve Albini, The Guardian

Truly Free Film

Creating “Live” Films Can Be Artistically and Financially Fulfilling

Post author By Ted Hope
Post date February 12, 2014
52 Comments on Creating “Live” Films Can Be Artistically and Financially Fulfilling

By Sheri Candler

Originally published on www.thefilmcollaborative.org

TheMeasureofAllThingsScre_RyanJohnson_180 (2) There is a lot of talk in independent film circles about the need to “eventize” the cinematic experience. The thought is that audiences are increasingly satisfied with viewing films and other video material on their private devices whenever their schedule permits and the need to leave the house to go to a separate place to watch is becoming an outdated notion, especially for younger audiences. But making your work an event that can only be experienced in a live setting is something few creators are exploring at the moment. Sure, some filmmakers and distributors are adding live Q&As with the director or cast, sometimes in person and sometimes via Skype; discussion panels with local organizations are often included with documentary screenings; and sometimes live musical performances are included featuring the musicians on the film’s soundtrack, but what about work that can ONLY be enjoyed as a live experience? Work that will never appear on DVD or digital outlets? Not only is there an artistic reason for creating such work, but there can be a business reason as well.

In reading a New York Times piece entitled “The one filmmaker who doesn’t want a distribution deal” about the Sundance premiere of Sam Green’s live documentary The Measure of All Things, I was curious to find out why a filmmaker would say he never plans for this work to show on streaming outlets like Netflix, only as a live event piece. I contacted Sam Green and he was kind enough to share his thoughts about why he likes creating for and participating with the audience of his work and why the economics of this form could be much more lucrative for documentary filmmakers.

Tags distribution, documentary, Eventize, events, Experience Design, Guest Post, KickStarter, music, Sam Green, Sheri Candler, The Film Collaborative, THE MEASURE OF ALL THINGS, yMusic

Truly Free Film

Hey Filmmakers, You Guys Are Next: A Word of Warning from the Music Industry

Post author By Count
Post date November 25, 2013
181 Comments on Hey Filmmakers, You Guys Are Next: A Word of Warning from the Music Industry

I feel most filmmakers are looking at this moment in time as an age of opportunity. But having gone through this revolution already in the music business, I feel compelled to tell you why right now we should be questioning everything.

There are countless comparisons between the music and film industries. On the critical side, both traditionally have had an extremely insulated network of good old boy executives who know little or nothing about the creative process, yet try to tell you how to make your art. Both have a history of obnoxious fat cats living in excess. Both still have an endless string of gatekeepers that have a stranglehold on the means of distribution, and who rarely showed much love for independent creators except with lip service at the cool film festivals.

But the internet revolution is changing all of that, so I decided to take the past 2 years away from my career as a music producer to make a documentary about this fascinating and often misunderstood subject that is near and dear to us in the creative world. The film is called Unsound, and it uncovers the dramatic collapse of the music industry and its impact on musicians and creators of all kinds. The film reveals the larger story of how the unintended consequences of the internet revolution go well beyond the music industry, impacting creators of movies, books, software, journalism and more. Although there are so many positive changes in both the music and film industries, what is more interesting to me is what most people don’t know. So I decided to take a more critical look in this film.

INDIEGOGO LINK

The music industry was perhaps the first to go through the digital transition. For better of for worse, the smaller file sizes of music made it a primary target for piracy over the much larger sizes of films. By watching the mistakes made by the music industry, and having a few years head start to prepare, the film business has really had an enormous advantage over the music business. But this does not mean all is well.

Tags Count, Documentaries, documentary, Future of music documentary, Guest Post, music, Unsound, Unsound the movie

Truly Free Film

Diary of a Film Startup: Post #40: Music for Movies, Expert Tips, Part II of II

Post author By Ted Hope
Post date November 12, 2013

By Roger Jackson and Klaus Badelt

Previously: Music for Movies, Expert Tips, Part I of II

This is Part II of Expert Tips from composer (and Kinonation co-founder) Klaus Badelt. Klaus has scored over 80 films. His work spans Hollywood blockbusters such as Gladiator, Pirates of the Caribbean, Catwoman, Poseidon, Rescue Dawn, 16 Blocks, The Recruit, K-19. And a ton of US and European indies, including documentaries, shorts and even video games.

11. Choosing a Composer

When seeking a composer, you’re actually looking for a “filmmaker” to work on a dramatic collaboration — he just happens to be called the “composer.” The worst thing you can do is to ask for demo music for a scene of your film from 5 different composers. Why? Because creating a score is collaborative and if you ask for demos you don’t learn or experience collaboration with the composer. You’re much better off asking for score examples from their previous films. But your main objective should be to find a composer you trust and like…with whom you can talk story first, music last. A good composer must be, above all, emotionally invested in the story you’re telling.

Tags Diary of a Film Start-Up, Diary of a Film Startup, Guest Post, KinoNation, Klaus Badelt, music, Roger Jackson

Truly Free Film

Diary of a Film Startup: Post # 39: Music for Movies, Expert Tips, Part I of II

Post author By Ted Hope
Post date October 29, 2013
1 Comment on Diary of a Film Startup: Post # 39: Music for Movies, Expert Tips, Part I of II

By Roger Jackson and Klaus Badelt

Previously: Whatever It Takes

Some directors believe that music is a full 50% of a film. And that there are fundamentally just 3 or 4 “true” creative inputs to the movie — the writer, the director, the composer…perhaps the editor. Whatever the numbers, movie music — that skillful combination of score and song — has the potential to turn a good story into an amazing audience experience. But how do you musically super-charge an indie film when you don’t have the budget to hire a top composer?

I asked Kinonation co-founder — and prolific film score composer — Klaus Badelt.

Klaus has scored over 80 films. His work spans Hollywood blockbusters such as Gladiator, Pirates of the Caribbean, Catwoman, Poseidon, Rescue Dawn, 16 Blocks, The Recruit, K-19. And a ton of US and European indies, including documentaries, shorts and even video games.

Here’s what Klaus has to say about making the very best — and most economical — music choices for a film.

1. Composer as Filmmaker

The director-composer relationship is that of two filmmakers. It’s not about musical genres, or instruments. It’s about driving the story and emphasizing characters and creating emotion. That’s the role of music in film.

2. Script

Think about music (both score and songs) at the script-writing stage. Fundamentally, a filmmaker must decide what character development and story arc she wants from each scene. That is, how do you want the audience to feel about this episode? There should be a single, unambiguous answer. i.e. every shot in every scene must have a clear objective in moving the story forward. So thinking about the music at this stage– and making musical choices — actually helps propel and clarify the script-writing process. Deciding where the music in each scene starts — and where it fades — forces you to think with greater clarity about story shapes & arcs.