Music Supervision
MUSIC SUPERVISORS BRING THE MAGIC OF MUSIC TO THE SCREEN
To some people, it seems like a great “mystery” as to how songs appear in Film & Television and who puts them there. Through the years, there has been an explosion in the use of MUSIC in Film & TV and the job of Music Supervision has become an important part of our music and Film industry, and that is a great thing!
Having an A&R background, and teaching at Musician’s Institute (filled with hundreds of musicians, singers, and songwriters) was enormously helpful to Arlene. Because of her love of finding new talent and hearing great songs, she was able to tap into all the relationships she had as an A&R Executive with Publishers, songwriters, musicians & record labels etc.
Some of her favorite projects she worked on were “Wayne’s World” (working alongside Maureen Crowe), wow, what a blast that was! Wayne & Garth ruled. This movie was very “music/song” driven and included many “extras/actors,” a band on camera and all kinds of fun for a Music Supervisor. Paramount had their own licensing department, so it made it much more of a joy to find those totally amazing, excellent discoveries, as Wayne & Garth would put it. A favorite moment for Arlene personally was our scene with Alice Cooper “Feed My Frankenstein” and Wayne & Garth with their hilarious backstage pass bit of “we’re not worthy” bowing down to Alice. Needless to say, it took hours to shoot that scene because everyone kept laughing…some great memories!!
Another incredibly special project was a beautiful film called “It’s My Party”. This one had 32 songs in it and a very limited budget. The film came out when Aids was raging, and it is such a heartfelt look at the personal lives of so many affected by this horrible disease. Randal Kleiser (who did Grease, Blue Lagoon, White Fang and many other huge films) wrote and directed this film and he truly poured his heart into it. It was an honor for Arlene to be the Music Supervisor of this amazing film. This is the kind of project she personally loves because with limited funds, it is a real opportunity to find some real “gems” and Indie Artist, which gives them a chance for some great visibility. She was also able to bring in a few special artists like K.D. Lang, and Dolly Parton who blessed this movie with her version of her fantastic song “I Will Always Love You”.
There were other films that Arlene really enjoyed working on like “Natural Born Killers” etc., but The Jackson’s Miniseries was also at the top of her list. Having toured with The Jacksons (Michael was still in the band, but this was his last tour with his brothers) and seeing them as young boys and the challenges in their lives really gave Arlene some great insight working on this project. Not to mention the fantastic music and performances they gave us all.
Strong relationships with Record Labels (who own the Masters), Publishers (dealing with the Sync), and a wide circle of Artists, musicians, composers, songwriters, singers, studios and Producers is a great help to being a Music Supervisor and Arlene feels very fortunate to have worn many hats and to have the background and connections she has.
A CLOSER LOOK AT “MUSIC SUPERVISION”
Music Supervisors have their work cut out for them. Many people feel they can just pick the songs they love and lay them into the film then the job is done. Well…that is just the beginning. The stages of putting music in film are a process. First, you “spot the film or TV show” with the Director, who usually has strong creative ideas as to what type of music they want to use. Spotting a film means watching the film and making notes of each place the Director envisions music. If budgets allow, there will be a “music editor” in the spotting session with the Music Supervisor, notating all the places for music to go.
After the spotting session, the treasure hunt & creative process begins. The Music Supervisor will usually put the word out to the songwriting community, publishers, and record labels as to the kind of music they are looking for. At this point, there is usually a tidal wave of music flooding into the Music Supervisor’s hands, and it can be overwhelming sometimes. Though it can be all consuming, it is always a joy to listen to music, hear and discover new Artists and great songs. In fact, because so much music is now being used in Film & TV, it has sometimes aided a new artist to boost their career in huge way, and Arlene loves that.
Once you find all the music you want for the film, you sit with the Director and go through each choice, and the Director has the final word. The COMPOSER is a very special part of a film. This is also a part of the Music Supervisors job to oversee budgets with a Production Coordinator. However, often times it’s the Director that is hands on with the Composer.
The creative part is always inspiring to, but then comes the business of “licensing.” There are two parts to this. The MASTER (The Artist that sings the song/Label) and THE SYNC (the song itself/Publisher). Sometimes you have a department that manages all the licensing, again, depending on the budget of the project. The business of licensing is a whole other world from the creative process. This is where your relationships and ability to negotiate a good fee within your budget really come into play. The “crowning glory” is always the Opening Credit and End Title (where the credits roll). Not only does it usually feature the SONG, but the licensing fee is much larger. Some big budget films bring in huge Artists and commission them to write for these two placements. Other types of projects find the best song for this slot.
It’s a huge responsibility to be a Music Supervisor and the project can take on many twists and turns, edits and last minute “get me a great song” moments from the Director. However, with all its wild ride moments, it’s a great job to have!
To some people, it seems like a great “mystery” as to how songs appear in Film & Television and who puts them there. Through the years, there has been an explosion in the use of MUSIC in Film & TV and the job of Music Supervision has become an important part of our music and Film industry, and that is a great thing!
Having an A&R background, and teaching at Musician’s Institute (filled with hundreds of musicians, singers, and songwriters) was enormously helpful to Arlene. Because of her love of finding new talent and hearing great songs, she was able to tap into all the relationships she had as an A&R Executive with Publishers, songwriters, musicians & record labels etc.
Some of her favorite projects she worked on were “Wayne’s World” (working alongside Maureen Crowe), wow, what a blast that was! Wayne & Garth ruled. This movie was very “music/song” driven and included many “extras/actors,” a band on camera and all kinds of fun for a Music Supervisor. Paramount had their own licensing department, so it made it much more of a joy to find those totally amazing, excellent discoveries, as Wayne & Garth would put it. A favorite moment for Arlene personally was our scene with Alice Cooper “Feed My Frankenstein” and Wayne & Garth with their hilarious backstage pass bit of “we’re not worthy” bowing down to Alice. Needless to say, it took hours to shoot that scene because everyone kept laughing…some great memories!!
Another incredibly special project was a beautiful film called “It’s My Party”. This one had 32 songs in it and a very limited budget. The film came out when Aids was raging, and it is such a heartfelt look at the personal lives of so many affected by this horrible disease. Randal Kleiser (who did Grease, Blue Lagoon, White Fang and many other huge films) wrote and directed this film and he truly poured his heart into it. It was an honor for Arlene to be the Music Supervisor of this amazing film. This is the kind of project she personally loves because with limited funds, it is a real opportunity to find some real “gems” and Indie Artist, which gives them a chance for some great visibility. She was also able to bring in a few special artists like K.D. Lang, and Dolly Parton who blessed this movie with her version of her fantastic song “I Will Always Love You”.
There were other films that Arlene really enjoyed working on like “Natural Born Killers” etc., but The Jackson’s Miniseries was also at the top of her list. Having toured with The Jacksons (Michael was still in the band, but this was his last tour with his brothers) and seeing them as young boys and the challenges in their lives really gave Arlene some great insight working on this project. Not to mention the fantastic music and performances they gave us all.
Strong relationships with Record Labels (who own the Masters), Publishers (dealing with the Sync), and a wide circle of Artists, musicians, composers, songwriters, singers, studios and Producers is a great help to being a Music Supervisor and Arlene feels very fortunate to have worn many hats and to have the background and connections she has.
Music Supervisors have their work cut out for them. Many people feel they can just pick the songs they love and lay them into the film then the job is done. Well…that is just the beginning. The stages of putting music in film are a process. First, you “spot the film or TV show” with the Director, who usually has strong creative ideas as to what type of music they want to use. Spotting a film means watching the film and making notes of each place the Director envisions music. If budgets allow, there will be a “music editor” in the spotting session with the Music Supervisor, notating all the places for music to go.
After the spotting session, the treasure hunt & creative process begins. The Music Supervisor will usually put the word out to the songwriting community, publishers, and record labels as to the kind of music they are looking for. At this point, there is usually a tidal wave of music flooding into the Music Supervisor’s hands, and it can be overwhelming sometimes. Though it can be all consuming, it is always a joy to listen to music, hear and discover new Artists and great songs. In fact, because so much music is now being used in Film & TV, it has sometimes aided a new artist to boost their career in huge way, and Arlene loves that.
Once you find all the music you want for the film, you sit with the Director and go through each choice, and the Director has the final word. The COMPOSER is a very special part of a film. This is also a part of the Music Supervisors job to oversee budgets with a Production Coordinator. However, often times it’s the Director that is hands on with the Composer.
The creative part is always inspiring to, but then comes the business of “licensing.” There are two parts to this. The MASTER (The Artist that sings the song/Label) and THE SYNC (the song itself/Publisher). Sometimes you have a department that manages all the licensing, again, depending on the budget of the project. The business of licensing is a whole other world from the creative process. This is where your relationships and ability to negotiate a good fee within your budget really come into play. The “crowning glory” is always the Opening Credit and End Title (where the credits roll). Not only does it usually feature the SONG, but the licensing fee is much larger. Some big budget films bring in huge Artists and commission them to write for these two placements. Other types of projects find the best song for this slot.
It’s a huge responsibility to be a Music Supervisor and the project can take on many twists and turns, edits and last minute “get me a great song” moments from the Director. However, with all its wild ride moments, it’s a great job to have!