Film Music Composition and Audio Production Services

The Process

Get a free quote

Commissioning music shouldn't be hard. Well, at least I don't think it should be. That's why I've developed a streamlined approach to making the whole process that much simpler. Everything starts with an email, a phone call, or an internet submission of my free quote request form. After that, I consider all the information provided and come up with a quote, or bid if you will. There are several important pieces of information that I will need up front, all of which are included in the online quote request form.

1. A point of contact: email, phone, etc.
2. What do you need music for i.e. film, game, mixing, scoring, etc.
3. Start date
4. End date (more important of the two dates)
5. The package you need
6. A lengthy, or short, description of the project itself i.e. what are you making, what are your goals, who is your target audience etc.

With the above information, I will get to work on providing you with a quote.

If you left out anything pertinent to my bid, I will be sure to contact you via the means you requested to obtain it before spitting out any figures.

I will provide you with a quote within 48 hours from the time you contacted me. That bid will be good for 30 days from the date it was created and sent to you. This gives you time to analyze your options and think about it for a while. If you decide to use me for your project and like what you are seeing, then we move on to step two.

Sign an agreement

You will be provided with an agreement which outlines all the stipulations of the commission. If there are any important bullets you want put in there, let me know ahead of time. I always want to ensure you feel you are being treated fairly. This agreement will reflect the previously agreed upon price and layout the time tables and other important factors of the job. The agreement serves to protect both parties and after being signed both parties will obtain a signed copy of the agreement. After the agreement has been signed, you will be required to pay the 40% retainer fee / deposit before work begins on the project.

This 40% deposit goes toward the total price of your project and you will not be invoiced any additional charges until the total cost of time actually worked on the project reaches the retainer amount! This usually creates a nice buffer to focus on the project itself and not billing.

Receive specifications

This is the point where you send any and all required files, specifications, cue sheets, and artwork (if required) related to your project. Film projects usually require the following items up-front:

1. A digital copy of the film saved in the Quicktime movie file format (Important: please indicate the FPS rate of the movie when sending it)**
2. A cue sheet: it doesn't have to be anything fancy, but if you provide sound fx or voice dialog you want mixed in and synched, I will need it to ensure the time lines up. It is also useful for conveying any specific time-based musical requests such as important points in the film you would like to emphasize etc.
3. Dialogue, SFX, etc. in .WAV or .AIFF file format, if they are not attached to the movie before hand

Send me anything and everything else you think is important to accurately represent your project musically.

I can rip and edit audio separate from Quicktime video files. However, it is very important to indicate (even though my software detects it automatically), the FPS of the finished / locked film.

Final Cut Pro

Starting in May 2012, I will begin using Apple's Final Cut Pro which will greatly enhance my compatibility with your early video clips, project files, and more!

DropBox

I also use DropBox as an alternate method of storing and moving your project's files if you are not comfortable with FTP or my online Client Portal.

Tracking Phase

By far the most intensive phase and usually the longest. This phase is where we work out your approval of the basic overall sound and motif. I demo early mixes for your approval and once you are satisfied with the basic sound and instrumentation we move on to the mixing phase.

It is important to note, that the tracking phase involves very little mixing and polishing, so the demos will be very basic versions of their future selves. The end product will be much more polished and items such as volume, stereo imaging, and more will all be dealt with after the basic composition is created.

Mixing Phase

Now that you have approved the overall sound and direction of the actual music, this is where I start refining the sound quality of the mix and begin preparing the track(s) for public release. I also demo mixes for your approval before preparing them for delivery.

Post Production and Delivery

The final beautification of the sound and export to a loss‐less audio format. At this point I invoice the remaining fees associated with the total creative rate and deliver your project files.

Your approval of the work at each stage is necessary for the project to move ahead. I encourage you to read the FAQ regarding clarification on key points.

The Client Portal

Throughout the whole process you will be able to log-in and view the progress of your project via your personal client portal. Everything is available in there: audio and video demos, invoices, time tracking, and a place to download your files. Along side the client portal I use FTP and DropBox as additional options to gain access to important files. The client portal is secure and keeps everything related to your project in one place. I am very flexible and I like to make use of digital technology to reduce the time and costs incurred from mailing media back and forth.

You will be assigned a unique username and password to access your personal client area after the agreement is signed. The login information and FTP details will be in the initial agreement, which you will keep a copy of. The signed agreement will also be available as a digital PDF in your client area.

If you have additional questions, please be sure to read the FAQ or email me directly. I am always available to assist you! Your satisfaction is my number one priority!

Film Music Composition and Audio Production Services

Pricing Basics

What follows is an overview of my current packages. I update the discounts I offer about once every quarter and release them via PDF. I like to add new incentives and offers when I can, that's why I like to reevaluate them all once a quarter. Keep in mind I do offer special situations to certain types of projects and clients. I can not release this information on the site or in my pricing sheet, but I will gladly lay out all the options available to you during our initial consultations.

Be sure to download my rates and Service Information Guide. It covers, in depth, all of my rates and services for film, game, and independent artists.

rates:

I charge for my services as a freelance music producer at an hourly rate. This hourly rate is adjusted for licensing, distribution, and other factors. The standard hourly rates are based on a tiered pricing model:

Read the abbreviated nitty-gritty

Reality Check:

I offer my experience and a whole lot of high tech (meaning costly) software and hard ware. If you have ever worked with a composer or music producer you know that costs can sometimes leave you wondering what you are actually getting in the end. That's one of the reasons I charge by the hour and not an overly-inflated flat price. Even my quotes often exceed the amount actually paid by the client for a given project.

My quotes are a ceiling figure. My quote is my guarantee to you that the figure I give you will never be exceeded, and in fact your cost might actually be much less depending on a number of other factors.

However, I must immediately address the harsh reality of my services.

Do not expect me to be willing to take on a ridiculously long job, with the expectation of infinite revisions, an exclusive license (such as expected with a trademark piece for your company which you will distribute on everything bearing your brand), for less than what someone at McDonalds is making! This is a business and I have a lot invested into it and $50-$200 is far too less for a 10 minute film! You should expect this before contacting me - hence why this statement is published here; I get it a lot!

I offer numerous discounts that most other independent music producers do not. I enjoy my work and I like taking on portfolio building pieces as much as the next guy, but bills have to be paid and the IRS needs to see income!

Platinum Film Packages

Which Package is right for me?

About the Ambient Package:

The ambient option was designed for small projects that need only atmospheric musical elements with small arrangements and little to no melodic themes. When you ask for this package, you get this package. It is by no means any less in quality than the others, but it is focused on much more ambient, atmospheric pieces like you would find in many independent films. It is a cheap option for an originally crafted, beautiful sonic backdrop.

About the Standard Package:

This is the normal package and applies to most projects I take on. Details are stated above.

About the Plus Package:

The same exact work specifications and expectations from the Standard package with the addition of exclusivity.

About the Max Package:

In short, you own it. You hired me to create it and no matter what kind of project it is for or how you distribute it, no matter how much money you make off of it, it is yours and yours alone. I can not claim any rights to the music aside from asking you to possibly include my name in the writer's credits. I sign all rights to the music over to you.

Licensing:

Definitions and terms of use.

Non-Exclusive:

Simply stated:

• I retain all rights to the music and can distribute and redistribute it however I wish.
• The music created for your project is only licensed for the project it was intended for via our agreement and may not be reproduced for other works or alterations (aside from edits of the project) of that specific work.
• You may not redistribute the work and you claim no ownership of the music itself aside from its use in your production.

Exclusive:

Simply stated:

• You retain the exclusive right to the material for up to three years. During which time, I can not redistribute or sell the same work for any other commercial or private projects to include demoing it on my site.
• The music created for your project is only licensed for the project it was intended for via our agreement and may not be reproduced for other works or alterations (aside from edits of the project) of that specific work.
• You may not redistribute the work and you claim no ownership of the music itself aside from its use in your production.

Direct Buy/Work for Hire:

Simply Stated:

• It's yours and your alone! Do with it as you wish!

Other Fees and Considerations:

Each package has been developed to cover the type of project, potential earnings, distribution, and all the other tedious factors that go into production costs. If you have more questions, please contact me directly.

Revisions:

A Revision is defined as a completely new mock-up of more than 30% of the project.

All packages except work for hire projects are limited to four revisions of tracked material. What does this mean to you? Quite simply that I will only revise my tracked material four times before charging an added compound multiplier (listed in my pricing sheet) onto my hourly rate for services rendered from that point on. This is a big change from previous practices and here are a few reasons why I implemented it:

• Revisions are the unpredictable variable in any project. They can cause the original agreement to be altered and therefore change the statement of work making my initial bid null and void. I guarantee four revisions in all projects I take on, anything past that will incur the multiplier-hourly rate.
• Revisions take a lot of time and waste a lot of resources (time being the biggest). Four is the magic number.
• Nothing is perfect and you are paying for my artistic skill - when taste or creative clashes occur, you still have my time and resources to account for.

Time is a big factor in my revision policy. If I were to let everyone take all my time and constantly want something slightly different, I would work endless hours and allocate a tremendous amount of resources to make it work. Of course I will still make it work but all my agreements are based on a delivery time and the hours required to meet that time. When you disrupt that, you are changing the terms of my agreement with you and thereby cutting into more of my time and resources for your project. Logically, this is why it will cost more past this point.

Administrative Charges:

I charge a flat $12 USD hourly rate for all administrative services, which include secondary on-site consultations. Other miscellaneous transcription and client-directed tasks that do not fit into the creation of original music, editing, or creation of sound fx, etc. fall into this category.

Distribution & Reproduction:

Additional distribution options are available at the client's request. Your quote will be based on your originally intended distribution and all work provided under that agreement will afford you the specific permissions to use my work as you specified. I offer licensing for:

• Exclusive Digital Online distribution (both for original and co-written pieces)
• Exclusive Physical Distribution (both for original and co-written pieces)
• Mechanical rights (unlimited)
• Synchronization (unlimited; Adaptation rights included)
• Performance
• Digital Streaming
• and more!

Each project is different and I offer numerous other options. Contact me for more details!

Printed Score

Receiving a digital score for live performance, adaptation, and print is a dynamic fee based on the length of the project.

Pricing Sheet

Download this information as a digital PDF and compare my services.
The current edition is FY12 Release: 03, updated 31 March 2012.

 

Film Music Composition and Audio Production Services

Genre Compatibility

Below are brief descriptions of a few of the many genres of film. This is by no means a complete list of film genres, but it is a good place to start when thinking of hiring me. I am not good at everything and I do not accept certain jobs if the music requires a pure traditional representation of a certain genre. The exception implied in that statement is this: Even though you want music for a western film, you may not want a western score. In which case, I evaluate accepting your project based on your initial guidance and direction. I will let you know within the first consultation if I am not the man for  your job and will gladly refer you to someone who is.

The huge array of demos on my site should give you a flavor of what kind of realm I do best in! Be sure to listen to them to fully evaluate what I can bring to the table for you!

Genre descriptions were referenced from filmsite.org.

Drama

Dramas are serious, plot-driven presentations, portraying realistic characters, settings, life situations, and stories involving intense character development and interaction. Usually, they are not focused on special-effects, comedy, or action, Dramatic films are probably the largest film genre, with many subsets.

I am probably one of your best choices for this genre and all its sub-genres.

Horror

Horror films are designed to frighten and to invoke our hidden worst fears, often in a terrifying, shocking finale, while captivating and entertaining us at the same time in a cathartic experience. Horror films feature a wide range of styles, from the earliest silent Nosferatu classic, to today's CGI monsters and deranged humans. They are often combined with science fiction when the menace or monster is related to a corruption of technology, or when Earth is threatened by aliens. The fantasy and supernatural film genres are not usually synonymous with the horror genre. There are many sub-genres of horror: slasher, teen terror, serial killers, satanic, Dracula, Frankenstein, etc.

Next to drama, this is my next biggest talent, an edge for horror!

Science Fiction

Sci-fi films are often quasi-scientific, visionary and imaginative - complete with heroes, aliens, distant planets, impossible quests, improbable settings, fantastic places, great dark and shadowy villains, futuristic technology, unknown and unknowable forces, and extraordinary monsters ('things or creatures from space'), either created by mad scientists or by nuclear havoc. They are sometimes an offshoot of fantasy films, or they share some similarities with action/adventure films. Science fiction often expresses the potential of technology to destroy humankind and easily overlaps with horror films, particularly when technology or alien life forms become malevolent, as in the "Atomic Age" of sci-fi films in the 1950s.

Along with horror and drama, this is another of my greatest strengths.

Action

Action films usually include high energy, big-budget physical stunts and chases, possibly with rescues, battles, fights, escapes, destructive crises (floods, explosions, natural disasters, fires, etc.), non-stop motion, spectacular rhythm and pacing, and adventurous, often two-dimensional 'good-guy' heroes (or recently, heroines) battling 'bad guys' - all designed for pure audience escapism. Includes the James Bond 'fantasy' spy/espionage series, martial arts films, and so-called 'blaxploitation' films. A major sub-genre is the disaster film.

I can easily write music for action films with the exception of large blockbuster orchestrations.

Adventure

Adventure films are usually exciting stories, with new experiences or exotic locales, very similar to or often paired with the action film genre. They can include traditional swashbucklers, serialized films, and historical spectacles (similar to the epics film genre), searches or expeditions for lost continents, "jungle" and "desert" epics, treasure hunts, disaster films, or searches for the unknown.

I can easily write music for adventures with the exception of large blockbuster orchestrations.

Comedy

Comedies are light-hearted plots consistently and deliberately designed to amuse and provoke laughter (with one-liners, jokes, etc.) by exaggerating the situation, the language, action, relationships and characters. This genre includes various forms of comedy through cinematic history, including slapstick, screwball, spoofs and parodies, romantic comedies, black comedy (dark satirical comedy), and more.

I DO NOT accept comedy film projects.

Musicals

Musical films are cinematic forms that emphasize full-scale scores or song and dance routines in a significant way (usually with a musical or dance performance integrated as part of the film narrative), or they are films that are centered on combinations of music, dance, song or choreography. Major subgenres include the musical comedy or the concert film.

I DO NOT accept musical film projects.

If you're type of project is not listed, contact me today and find out if I am the man for you job.