Get Those Rights!

We're weeks away from picture lock and in that weird place most indie filmmakers find themselves of beginning to adjust to letting go of some of their temp music. We've learned through experience to not fall in love with temp music, but it's almost impossible. You wouldn't have put it in there in the first place if you didn't think it properly captured the tone and feel that you were going for. And over weeks and weeks of watching your film dozens upon dozens of times in all kinds of forms and lengths those songs begins to embed themsleves into the fabric of the film. They become not only inseperable of the image, but seemingly essential to tell the story, YOUR story.

So how do you defend against falling in love with a track you can't get? First off, you don't use something by The Rolling Stones (even though Russell played "Fool to Cry" on set dozens of times). Self-awareness is a virtue. Procrastination is another option! We're only half-joking. Filmmakers are a delusional bunch. Why not push that delusion just a little bit further? Festivals accept cuts with temp music. Some even allow you to play your film at the festival with music you dont have the rights to, or with just "festival rights". So you hold onto the idea that at some point some kind of set of circumstances will come into play where you'll be able to lock in all of your temp tracks. It's just a matter of time!

The most rational solution it seems is to do exactly what we're doing on this film: use music that feels right, that's not universally ungettable, and then sic your pit bull producer on the case to do whatever is possible to GET THOSE RIGHTS!!