There was a time, not so long ago, that the idea of making your own movie (be that a short for a college project or a full-length movie) would have been almost unthinkable. The costs and time to conduct such an undertaking would have made the concept of dead in the water before you’d even begun.
However over the past few years the associated costs with making a top quality production have dropped significantly. Firstly the equipment needed to make a project that looked big budget, even though the camera technology being used is still relatively cheap, became universally available.
This meant that an aspiring filmmaker could shoot their films with low cost cameras, or even their phones, and the results would still be acceptable and that meant that the success of your vision was not bound by technical restraints, only by your own imagination.
The Moving Image
As the cost of quality filming equipment, and online editing tools, have reduced so have the misconceptions around films and shows made by individuals outside of the traditional studio systems.
The increase in demand for UGC (User Generated Content) has led to an explosion of shows, usually broadcast via social media channels, available for the public to enjoy. No longer are viewers left with only terrestrial national or regional channels to view material.
This is a refreshing change in the mode of production that means that if you have great ideas, and the patience and determination to make them a reality, then it’s just possible that you could garner a strong following to watch the films and shows you produce.
The Perfect Soundtrack
A great film, or TV show, is not complete without a strong soundtrack. That soundtrack could come from individual tracks recorded, or purchased, to back your film or in the form of SFX (Special Effects).
These are crucial, not just from a technical perspective, for instance you may have not been able to record the sound you required on the day of your shoot, but also to make your production feel like the real deal.
Some look to use mainstream music to back the visuals in their movies, perhaps electing to use a well-known song in their soundtrack. However there are two major issues with going down this route.
Firstly the costs of securing the license for a mainstream track are very high indeed, they could end up as expensive as the entire budget of making your movie. And as well as the resultant cost, it’s incredibly difficult to find the relevant publishing house that owns the rights to a given track.
Another option that far too many filmmakers adopt is to use the music without permission or clearance. This is not a path you should follow. Failure to secure permission for a track will most likely result in a very large financial penalty, or worse. Also, if your movie or short film is posted on a social media channel you could soon find yourself the subject of a DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright notice) notice and then the fun really begins.
If you receive such a notice your social media channels are most likely to suspend, and delete, your post and if you commit such an offence on multiple occasions, you could be banned entirely from the likes of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Professional Results on an Amateur Budget
However there is an alternative at hand. Due to the massive demand, and output, created by UGC content there have been a number of sites who have opened that offer competitively priced royalty-free music services that will resolve these issues.
Royalty-free music traditionally means music, and SFX, that is available for your use for a flat fee. This means that you can get your hands on a near limitless amount of high-quality music and SFX for a fraction of the cost of paying for the license for an existing chart topping hit.
These providers offer mammoth liberties that offer music and special effects which will be ideal for any situation or scene in your films. The range available is truly vast and in many ways that will make your film far more original than just using a song that frankly we’ve heard far too many times over the top of your quality visuals.
The tracks provided are of the highest quality, usually by aspiring artists who are looking for the exposure they can secure from being used on soundtracks, advertising, social media posts etc.. and these are all helpfully placed in databases that are easy to search and inexpensive.
The Perfect Marriage of Sound and Vision
When you decide to make a film or show you do so because you want to bring your singular vision to an audience, be that large or small. Therefore you are looking to make your vision stand out from the rest, and the marketplace is huge.
So in that way royalty-free music and SFX services give you the security of finding and using bespoke solutions to your soundtrack needs. Using what is available on these sites will help you create a perfect soundtrack to the visuals you produce and the possibilities are frankly endless.
So what are you waiting for?!