Business 281 Part Two: Underscore Music Composing and Composer Agreements

Overview

• Discussion on contracts for hiring underscore music composers for motion pictures or TV shows.
• Focus on responsibilities and agreements relevant to underscore composers.

Understanding Underscore Composing

• Underscore Composer: Custom creates music needed for specific scenes in films or TV shows.
• Underscoring: Involves scoring music underneath the script, often functioning as background music to enhance the scene’s emotion or action.
• Purpose: Create background music for different types of scenes (funeral, romantic, sad, happy).

Composer Agreements

• The contract outlines the responsibilities of the underscore composer.
• Ensures clarity in the relationship between the composer and the production company.
• Contracts must be fair and protect both parties’ interests.
• Example: Contract used for the composer of "What Goes Up," Roddy Bottom.

Key Contract Features

• Exhibit A: Last page of the contract, confirming the composer owns the original rights to their music.
  • Importance of originality to avoid legal issues with intellectual property.
• Protection for both the multi-million dollar film and the composer.

Responsibilities of an Underscore Composer

• Publishing Rights: Typically go to the production company to control music use.
• Payment: One-time fee (e.g., $15,000), with no additional pay based on hours worked.
• Importance of spotting with the director to align on the creative vision.
  • Spotting: Collaborating with the director to understand and create desired music.

Process of Spotting

• Can involve meetings in person, via Zoom, Skype, or email.
• Director provides feedback on music feel, instrumentation, etc.
• Rough mixes are created for director approval before finalizing tracks.

Contractual Considerations

• All-Inclusive Sum: The composer is paid a single total fee, covering all work done.
• Importance of reading contracts thoroughly to prevent misunderstandings.
• Contracts should detail every aspect of the agreement to avoid legal complications.

Final Thoughts

• Contracts are about mutual understanding and responsibilities between parties.
• Upcoming: Part three will discuss specific bullet points detailing the expectations from both the composer and the production company.