What’s the deal with using music in a movie?

Good question.  Because Screen Test is a public event, films shown at the festival have to abide by copyright laws and policies.  This means that you need permission to use any music in your film that you yourself did not compose and record.  The right to use the music as a soundtrack "synched" with visual images, or sounds as part of your production is often referred to as “synchronization rights.”

Unfortunately, most music, including pop, alternative, oldies, vintage records, jazz, classical releases, and Hollywood movie soundtracks are among the copyright protected works out there.  If it’s on a recording label, off a CD, or downloaded through an online music store such as iTunes or Amazon.com, it’s certain to be copyrighted, and would undoubtedly cost thousands of dollars for the rights to use it.  Even if you have a friend with a guitar who wants to perform (for example) a Beatles tune to be used in your movie, you’d have to attain rights to record the song, which, as a published work, is also copyrighted.  Believe it or not, even the song “Happy Birthday to You” is a copyrighted piece of work, so you can’t even have someone sing that song in your film without first acquiring rights (and paying lots of money).

So if 99.9% of all prerecorded music is copyrighted and too expensive to get, then what options are there for the low-budget filmmaker? 

Forget the Music

One obvious solution is to not use music at all.  Raag Harsahvat’s film, “The Race,” featured at the 2008 Screen Test, effectively told its story without the use of any music.

Create Your Own

Another option is to compose and record your own original soundtrack (or find someone else to do it).  Filmmaker Trace Gaynor relied on his musical talents to compose and perform the soundtrack to his and Stephen Sotor’s film, “Peace,” shown at the 2008 festival.  Edward Dixon used a minimal percussive score to enhance his animated “Unusual Monster,” shown in 2007 at the fest.  It’s not hard to find a fellow student in a band or who plays an instrument.  Tap into the resources at hand – you might find someone itching to provide you with free original music for your project.

Free and Cheap Music On-Line

If you were really hoping for that slick studio soundtrack, it can be found for little to no money at all. Many online sites sell royalty-free music for independent projects.  “Royalty-free” means that for a single up-front payment (often at a reasonable price), you get the rights to use the desired music for your project.  Just Google “royalty free music” and dozens of sites will pop up.

Some of the sites you’ll come across also offer music loops for computer-savvy musicians with sequencing programs.  Music loops are also a cost-effective way to assemble a slick, impressive film soundtrack.  Mac users have already discovered Garageband, an intuitive program for novice musicians.

Also check out http://www.mobygratis.com/film-music.html, where alternative song artist Moby has composed and recorded music that can be used for FREE in independent films.  Likewise, Nine Inch Nails has offered free usage of its ten-track album, The Slip -- all that's required is acknowledgement of the artist in your film's credits.

Keep in mind that, as you surf the web for music, each site has its own policies and restrictions. Make sure you read and understand the terms and conditions for usage before downloading any music.  And shop before you buy.  There are a lot of sources out there – most of them let you sample the music before committing to it.

OK, so how about music that is absolutely free with no strings attached?  There are web-sites that have recordings believed to be in the public domain which can be downloaded for no charge.  Public Domain 4U (http://www.publicdomain4u.com) hosts songs primarily from the twenties and thirties, while Musopen (http://www.musopen.com) is an online library of contemporary recordings of public domain music (although Musopen does require an acknowledgement if music is used from their website).  One of our favorite sites is archive.org (http://www.archive.org), which hosts a seemingly endless collection of recordings in the public domain.  The archive also holds hundreds of public domain films that can be downloaded and even creatively incorporated into your project. 

A more recent development is the Creative Commons License, where an artist allows you to use his or her music for free under the right conditions.  For more info read the Creative Commons Music section in last year's Screen Test Infotainment Newsletter.

A brief caveat:  many songs in the public domain are listed as such to the best of the source’s knowledge, which simply means that copyright protection may exist, but no copyright holder has been identified.   Copyright laws are certainly murky and sometimes left to interpretation, and the licensing status of any piece can change without notice.

Free Access to the Schaumburg Youth Orchestra Library

Of course, we saved the best news for last.  An extensive library of classical music is yours to use for FREE, courtesy of the Schaumburg Youth Orchestra.  Go here to hear samples of the music available.  All we ask is that you acknowledge the Youth Orchestra in your project’s closing credits (and check the site periodically as we continue to add new recordings to it).

Be sure to keep of record of all music used in your film, including title, author, and source.  You may be asked to provide proof of synchronization rights.

Visit the Schaumburg Youth Orchestra Library.

Good Luck!