Progress; Music

So we're getting closer to a rough cut of the film.  Lucy has most of her film edited, and Laura has been working hard on her edits.  I met with my editor tonight and we were able to finish up another scene.  Only a few more scenes to go.   The three of us are planning to meet this weekend to see the three stories together.  There is still the problem with "Jim's" buzz haircut in one of the stories, while in the other two stories he's sporting a full head of hair.  I also realized when looking at some of my footage that in one scene, there is a calendar in the background with an August date, even though the scene was supposed to take place 3 weeks before Valentine's day.   It's funny because when we were shooting that scene, we discussed whether we wanted to worry about the big clock in the background, but no one noticed the big calendar.   Oh, the pleasures of continuity issues.   

I've been dealing with getting the music licenses for this one song that I'd love to have in the film.   I had previously contacted the musician's manager and he had originally told me that I can use the song without any fee for festivals.   But after jumping through a few hoops, it looks like they're going to charge for us to use the music.  Bummer.  Though the amount isn't very much as music license fees go, it's still more than what we can afford.  So back to the drawing board to find a depressing, heart-wrenching song.  

For those going through music licensing issues, be aware that you will need to get two different licenses: the synch rights and the master license.  Sometimes one person/entity will own the rights to both, but I believe most times these rights will be owned by more than one person/entity.  In my case, the rights were owned by 2 different parties, and both parties asked for license fees.  

Though I'm disappointed, I know that there are a lot of very talented musicians out there who would be willing to grant us music licenses without charging an arm and a leg, in the spirit of indie filmmaking and indie music.  I'm planning to meet up with Watson, our music supervisor, within the next week or so to go over the music.   It's wonderful when you discover a beautiful song that will fit with a scene.   And even better if the music license fees are affordable.