I'm looking for advice from people who have experience composing music/cues/foley for Television and Film.
Contract and "Mechanics" of its Fulfillment
- Are there good templates for contracts? Do you need to be really formal and get a lawyer involved, or is this sort of thing usually done more informally? Is/can the contract be signed over the internet?
- Do you specify things like: how many revisions you'll do, when the music is due and penalties for late delivery, etc.?
- Does your client typically handle the task of mixing your music to the video, or are you expected to do this?
Copyright and Licensing
- Do you surrender your copyright (and thus royalties) when you make soundtrack/cues, or do you sell a license to the film/TV producer? Does this vary much?
- If a license, how limited or encompassing is it? Again, does this vary much? (I.e., is the music only licensed per-episode or for the full series, do you retain exclusive rights to publish the soundtrack, etc.)
Charging Money
- How do you set your fees? I.e., by minute of finished music, hours of work, % of project budget?
- What are standard rates in the industry (if such exist), and/or what have you charged? (If you don't feel comfortable posting this, please feel free to PM me.)
- Would you (and if so, how) charge differently if you're dealing with a small, indie production company, versus a larger company?
- Would you work for "free" for experience? I've heard opposing viewpoints here.
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I realize there are many possible valid answers and experiences here. Just looking to get a good representative sample of what's common.
Thanks!
