Ingrid asked this question via the Facebook Fan Page:
I'm writing a musical puppetry feature film. Once the script is complete, one big challenge awaits me: figuring out what to do with the music.
I've written most of the songs and will write the rest, but the problem is I'm not WRITING them as in transposing them onto paper. I can't. I can create songs, singing them, tell people notes to play, but I'm not a composer.
When it comes to having my script submitted, what should I do?
A) Submit without written music, just the lyrics, and if it gets picked up try to work with pro composer through the studio?
B) Or should I save up my coins and pay a composer from my city to put the music together?
I fear the latter will delay the submission of my idea by a lonnnnng time, and my idea is novel and original and I want to get it out before someone else has the same idea.
Here's where I'm going to sound like a dick, but there's really only one answer I can give:
As an outsider with (presumably) no representation, your chances of selling a musical puppetry feature are pretty much zero. It's really not even worth worrying about A or B because you're chasing a concept that is all but impossible to sell as your first feature.
Can you name any musical puppetry films from the last 10 years? Studios just aren't making those movies - except for possibly the next Muppet Movie, and that's a completely different kind of animal, a franchise.
If anyone here is able to offer contrary evidence they're welcome to comment, but that's the way I see it.
But let's say that's not a factor. I'd go with B. Having read one or two musical specs (again, by very misguided people because at least one of those was based on a pre-existing character they did not own... how it actually ended up in the agency slush pile I'll never understand) there is nothing worse that page after page of lyrics with no melody. A demo track of the songs would at least give a sense of the mood and the feel of the music - which are extremely critical when it comes to this genre.
So I'm sorry to deliver such a crushing answer. I feel like I gave you a choice between "Bad news" and "Worse news."
