By Richard Johnson—
THE final day of workshops for the Jamaica Film Festival saw the morning sessions dedicated to music in films.
The Bob Marley Museum hosted a handful of industry players who listened to experts on issues relating to clearing music for use in film and television, as well as how to find the right music for your project.
For Canadian cinematographer Marlon Paul, one of the biggest mistakes by film-makers is not tapping into resources available to them.
“Work with local artistes. The music you have here in Jamaica is fantastic. There is a lot you can do with your local acts and work out joint deals. Film is a great way to get your music heard, and film-makers must tap into this,” he stressed.
Canadian film-maker Cyrus Sundar Singh noted that a major pitfall is not getting the correct licensing to use the music. He cited his own experience on his very first film: due to budget constraints, he only licensed a particular piece of music for five years. As a result, after the five years had elapsed he was no longer able to showcase his film.
Singh has credits in The Conflicted Samaritan, My Sikh Wedding, and The Spirit of South Asia.
“Double and triple check your licensing and, most importantly, the ultimate owners of the music you want to use, whether it is the writer or a producer or label who owns the publishing to the piece you are interested in,” Singh added.
Music supervisor Barrington Cole urged film-makers to put music as a priority when developing a project. This, he said, limits post-production difficulties.
“I have to say hire a music supervisor. It is critical. Music has to be in mind from the moment you are creating your budget. It is critical… it is an important part of your final product,” said Cole.
The inaugural Jamaica Film Festival, organised by Jamaica Promotions Corporation, closed yesterday with a the screening of three films from Trinidad and Tobago.
The five-day event saw 43 films screened. There were workshops and presentations featuring a number of local and international industry executives.
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