# What if the film absolutely sucks?



## artsoundz (Aug 24, 2008)

yup. "Go on...take the money and run"...


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## midphase (Aug 24, 2008)

Man...I did that film....well...not sure, but the one I worked on is just like it!


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## choc0thrax (Aug 24, 2008)

I saw a film a few days ago with my friends called Recon 2022: The Mezzo Incident. This movie was the biggest pile of crap ever. The music was either screaming choir crap taken from extrememusic or the original composer using percussive adventures and storm drum loops alone with no other music. Heres the trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcL-xdqqkTs


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## CFDG (Aug 24, 2008)

You may have found the perfect gig for Zimmphobia. :mrgreen:


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## janila (Aug 24, 2008)

choc0thrax @ Sun Aug 24 said:


> Heres the trailer:
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcL-xdqqkTs


How can you criticize a film that contains sex on a space ship? (o)


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## homebilly (Aug 24, 2008)

if there are naked breasts in the first 3 minutes do the film


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## José Herring (Aug 24, 2008)

Imo, can't expect that you're going to be hitting the A-list first time up to bat. If you've never done film before then do it. The learning experience is incredible. And, scoring a film is like nothing else. Being good in music production doesn't mean that you can score a film nor being a decent composer. So any film even a bad one is worth doing just to learn how.

On the other hand. Of the dozen films that I've scored so far 6 or 7 of them are dogs. At the time I needed to do them for the money or the experience, but at this point in my life I'd probably just say no. 

The only reason to do it is if you need the money or the experience.


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## Thonex (Aug 24, 2008)

I was asked to score a short comedy for a "Brosky" of mine... he asked me over a year ago... I couldn't say "no" because 1) he's a close friend and 2) he was willing to pay me real money for it.

Ok... fast forward a year and he calls me and tells me the short (25 minutes) is done and he needs me to score it before the festival deadlines. I said ok.

I get the movie.... AND IT ABSOLUTELY SUCKS!.... HORRIBLE.... didn't laugh once... cringed throughout the movie... just really really really bad.

Now... I know this guy is going to plaster this movie all over the place and submit it to 10000 film festivals... and anyone who "googles" my name will most certainly hit that P.O.S. movie first.

What do I do??

Well this is what I did. 

I couldn't turn down the movie because he was a friend (and I don't blow off friends) and there was NO WAY I could have my name attached to this movie... so... this is what I did. I told 1 little white lie.. and everything else fell into place.

I first called him and told him that I hadn't seen the movie yet (this was the white lie) and that I would do the score for free (since it was so low budget and he was my friend) and since it was so low budget, I couldn't have my name attached and would have to use a pseudonym because it would look unprofessional to all the producers and directors that pay me good money for movies. 

He was ecstatic about the freebie and understood my reasons for a pseudonym. 

Then, *the next day* I called him and told him I had just watched the movie and, as a friend, I had to tell him not to get his hopes up for the film festivals. That I didn't laugh once.. but that I was a tough customer. He appreciated the honesty.

So.. in the end I scored it for free (25 minutes of music in a couple days)... but that was a small price to pay to keep my name away from that movie and to help out a friend.

T


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## rJames (Aug 24, 2008)

Thonex @ Sun Aug 24 said:


> I told 1 little white lie..



I hope you never told him about this forum.


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## Thonex (Aug 24, 2008)

rJames @ Sun Aug 24 said:


> Thonex @ Sun Aug 24 said:
> 
> 
> > I told 1 little white lie..
> ...



nope 8)


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## Herman Witkam (Aug 24, 2008)

Thonex @ Sun Aug 24 said:


> rJames @ Sun Aug 24 said:
> 
> 
> > Thonex @ Sun Aug 24 said:
> ...



Does he use Google? :D


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## Thonex (Aug 24, 2008)

Herman Witkam @ Sun Aug 24 said:


> Thonex @ Sun Aug 24 said:
> 
> 
> > rJames @ Sun Aug 24 said:
> ...



He doesn't know my handle 8) 8) 

The only way he could find out is if he stumbled on this thread.

But when I told him not to get his hopes up for the festivals, I think he could read between the lines.

I would have felt worse saying nothing... I had to give him my honest opinion about the short... but I did it tactfully.


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## Frederick Russ (Aug 24, 2008)

Thonex @ Sun Aug 24 said:


> He was ecstatic about the freebie and understood my reasons for a pseudonym.



Let me try a guess at the pseudo - it was "Choc0thrax" - right?


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## choc0thrax (Aug 24, 2008)

Directors had alan smithee, composers can have chocothrax. Everyone start using my name, I'm refreshing IMDB right now waiting to see my credits grow.


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## kid-surf (Aug 24, 2008)

In short...

Go write your own film. AT LEAST half of the guys writing/directing these gigs (even at a respectable budget) suck ass. Life is too short to hope one of them writes/directs something strong enough to get you to the next level. Why allow someone so untalented to control YOUR destiny?


At length...


A couple years ago I sat (for an hour+) watching a film with a B-level name. Previously was told the name before I agreed to sit down with the guy. Figured, "that's an interesting name, maybe he knows what he's doing?" So... we watch the film, to my horror the flick was ASTOUNDINGLY bad, cringing as I pray for it to end (and I'm not even religious). It ends and I'm almost speechless. I mean, ridiculous green-screens and such. Story from hell. Etc... Flat out ridiculousness. I leave it at, "I'm not sure I'm the right guy, this may be over my head... I just want to see you get the best guy for the job, you've really got something here, etc." 

Simply -- There are way too many, so called "directors" doing this for the wrong reasons (i.e. Fame/Adulation, etc. As opposed to being compelled to tell a "story"). They've got no business (literally) directing or writing. I say, steer clear of them. If they are THAT in the dark as to how CRAP their film is, how can you expect they'll EVER be any good? They won't get better. They'll fade away, find a new hobby and/or never make a good film. One either "gets" filmmaking/story or they don't. Simple as that. Find those guys (the guys who deliver world-class quality from the drop) and they may just take you all the way...

At risk of sounding arrogant (so what, it's reality) ---- These same directors who've patronized me throughout the years (me as the composer), bottom-line, couldn't get the same meetings I'm getting now and/or aren't developing films with people who matter. Most of them are still struggling with their bad film ideas. These are the same type of guys who, when you meet them, are so very arrogant about how THEY are the boss and MAYBE they'll allow you to write music for their precious film. The film they are so sure everyone will flip over --- The film that to you (the composer) is clearly a piece of crap. Yet, they proceed to talk over you about how much their film will mean to your career and how (more or less) you are blessed to even be in the same room with them. 

Self-awareness is not a trait we'll find in those types of directors ("directors" -- I use the term loosely). The good/potentially great ones know what their film is or is not. They know what they can do and what they cannot.

I apologize (lie) for having an aversion to directors who lack any trace of creative prowess and/or self awareness, but I do. 

The easiest way to evaluate a director's (or writer/director's) "potential value" to YOU is through their estimated value to Hollywood (after all, you wish to someday score tentpole films, yes/no?). What is this director's (writer/director's) temperature in Hollywood? Another key ingredient (in my opinion) is whether or not this director can WRITE. A director who can write will know a great script when it lands on his desk... OR... he'll write one himself. A great script is VERY hard to come by, yet it's the nucleus of a great film... the film that will catapult the composer to the next level.


My unedited opinion...


I know, I know... but come on, too many of these guys live on mars. They should all be held to a VERY high standard. The SAME high standard composers hold themselves to.


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## kid-surf (Aug 24, 2008)

If the guy knows his film sucks... well that's something else, aside form being rare. :lol:


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