Pre-Production and the Music Supervisor

Pre-production starts May 1st on the latest film I’m working on entitled “Conflict of Interest.”  Starting this early is a good thing for a music supervisor.  I have the opportunity to be apart of the decision making process before other decisions are made.

I started my job on this film by reading the script, which I did this past weekend.  As I read, I broke down the script for potential source cues and underscore cues. I made detailed notes which I will use during my first meeting with the director.  Since I have yet to meet the director, this gives me time to conceptualize the overall music needs for the film and come up with more creative ideas.  As for the director, there are times when he/she has a very strong musical vision and times where they rely on the music supervisor to bring songs to the table.  Either way, there will be songs that need to be licensed.  The tough part is being able to keep that killer song that fits perfect in a particular scene.  When this is not possible, it’s the music supervisor’s job to find alternates for prohibitively expensive songs.

I’m meeting with Executive Producer, David Cuddy, this week.  In this meeting I plan to discuss topics such as who will be selected as the Director, the Music Editor, the Film Editor and the Composer.  I will discuss my level of input in the selection of the music editor and composer.  Two important items of discussion will be the music budget and the overall film budget.  A lot of this information (and more) will be necessary when it comes time to start clearing the songs that are selected.

One of the key contributions that a music supervisor can make in pre-production is giving the production team a piece of mind.  A good music supervisor takes on the responsibility of putting the music team together.  As mentioned above, finding the right composer and music editor is important.  Other team members are the songwriters, music publishers and record label licensing reps.  It may not seem like they are part of the production, but they are.  They can make or break your music budget.  A good music supervisor with great working relationships with the copyright holders can negotiate licensing fees that are more in-line with the music budget as well as getting the quotes back in a more timely manner.  The latter is extremely important when song selections are still an issue in post.

Other issues that can give the production staff more headaches are all of the administrative tasks.  Some of these tasks run through pre-production all the way to post.  Regardless of which stage of production you’re in, these tasks are inevitable.  Task  such as submitting the synch and master license request forms, drafting and issuing the synch and master licenses, reviewing license issued by publishers and record labels, creating and submitting an accurate music cue sheet, dealing with the legal issues brought up by the songwriters, publishers and record labels.

Regardless of which stage the music supervisor comes on board, it’s important to have an experienced person taking care of the music clearance and licensing.  The sooner the music supervisor comes on board, the better the musical workflow will end up.  Pre-production is the most ideal stage in the production proces to have a music supervisor on your team.