Why should I use production music?
First, it's legal to use. No copyright issues, no artist agreements to work out.
Second, you can use it in competition. You cannot generally use copyrighted material in contests unless you negotiate the legal issues out with the owner of the rights.
Third, it is inexpensive. If your masterpiece makes it to Sundance, you may find yourself suddenly having to pay someone a lot of money if you used a song you do not have the rights to use.
fourth, it is anonymous. It is not attached to anyone's memories. I.e., you may have had a great experience while listening to a certain song, and so it holds a good feeling for you. Someone else may have broken up with their boy/girlfriend recently and that same song was "their song" etc., and it holds an entirely different meaning to them. No one, generally, remembers hearing production music - so it is neutral.
Here are a few resources for production music. Most are free - or require just the payment of shipping and handling.
Footagefirm
Audionautix
Freeplaymusic
Treatment Example
THE CHEATER
(a Film Treatment)
by J Serembe
A high school student faced with a math test he knows he cannot pass seeks out someone he can copy from. We see Bill in class. Then a shot of the advisor telling the class about the test to be taken next class. We see a shot of Bill looking scared, and a shot of Jane next to him looking confident. We see Bill look at Jane. He knows that she will ace the test.
Next we see Bill following Jane. She looks nervous, looking at him. Finally she stops and asks him what he wants. He tells her that he wants to sit behind her in class and cheat. She says “no way - just study instead - loser!”
Next we see them in class. Jane is nervous, thinking that Bill is cheating. She looks over her shoulder to see him. The teacher calls her out. “Jane - you are cheating!” She looks at Bill. She can say nothing. Finally, Bill speaks up. “No, I asked her if I could cheat. She said no. So I studied instead.”
Final shot is them going out to a movie together.
(a Film Treatment)
by J Serembe
A high school student faced with a math test he knows he cannot pass seeks out someone he can copy from. We see Bill in class. Then a shot of the advisor telling the class about the test to be taken next class. We see a shot of Bill looking scared, and a shot of Jane next to him looking confident. We see Bill look at Jane. He knows that she will ace the test.
Next we see Bill following Jane. She looks nervous, looking at him. Finally she stops and asks him what he wants. He tells her that he wants to sit behind her in class and cheat. She says “no way - just study instead - loser!”
Next we see them in class. Jane is nervous, thinking that Bill is cheating. She looks over her shoulder to see him. The teacher calls her out. “Jane - you are cheating!” She looks at Bill. She can say nothing. Finally, Bill speaks up. “No, I asked her if I could cheat. She said no. So I studied instead.”
Final shot is them going out to a movie together.
To Convert .MOB files
(To convert USB camcorder .MOB files for use with FCP)
1. Connect the USB camcorder to your Mac.
2. Open drive that appears on the desktop. Copy the .MOB files (in the "SD_Video" folder) onto your Mac.
3. Rename all the .mod to .mpeg and change the extension when prompted.
5. Download ffMpegX application
6. Run ffMpegX and open the first .mpeg file. Convert this to a .MOV, .DV, .AVi file or whatever format you need. Final Cut is best with DV (although uses a lot of bytes).
7. Repeat as necessary for all your .MPEG files.
You can now import into iMovie (which will in turn convert into .dv files which means you can then trash the .mpeg and .mov files) and do as you wish. This is also true for importing into Final Cut Pro/Express, or pretty much any other editing program.
If possible, get a Firewire compatible camcorder, generally one with a MiniDV tape and use that next time.
1. Connect the USB camcorder to your Mac.
2. Open drive that appears on the desktop. Copy the .MOB files (in the "SD_Video" folder) onto your Mac.
3. Rename all the .mod to .mpeg and change the extension when prompted.
5. Download ffMpegX application
6. Run ffMpegX and open the first .mpeg file. Convert this to a .MOV, .DV, .AVi file or whatever format you need. Final Cut is best with DV (although uses a lot of bytes).
7. Repeat as necessary for all your .MPEG files.
You can now import into iMovie (which will in turn convert into .dv files which means you can then trash the .mpeg and .mov files) and do as you wish. This is also true for importing into Final Cut Pro/Express, or pretty much any other editing program.
If possible, get a Firewire compatible camcorder, generally one with a MiniDV tape and use that next time.
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