Distant Shores and Crasdant

[Maart]

The most recent TV series I recorded for, Distant Shores, starts at 9pm on ITV1 this Wednesday.

The band was:

Nick Bicat, composer, guitar, keyboards, programming
Sir Danny Thompson, double bass
Peter Knight, violin
Troy Donockley, whistles
Angus Lyon/John Kirkpatrick, squeezeboxes
Kathryn Tickell, Northumbrian pipes
Maart, guitar, mandolin, bouzouki, cumbus and other weird stuff

The series looks like good fun but we had a ball recording it at Keith Grant's.

I start my new job today producing an album for Huw Williams' band Crasdant, traditional Welsh music, at Sain Studio near Caernarfon here in Gwynedd, though I'm going to ask to finish early on Wednesday coz it's my birthday...

Maart

[GarethWR]

It's a good show and I really like the music. However, I'm the guy who's made the on-air promos for it, and I'm afraid I've used Oysterband tracks on some of them! 

[Maart]

Things Can Only Get Better...

[Amethyst (Jenny)]

Just watched it this evening Maart... great..  good also to hear the Sandy denny track too.

Amethyst

[Chris]

yeah - i thought it watchable too - pretty amazing for itv really!

did i see jon boden amongst the islanders musicians?

[Amethyst (Jenny)]

I wondered that too... couldn't quite tell...

Amy

[Jim]

i thought it was him,send for Sandy,she'll know

[Sandra]

Wo is me - I missed it. If he was tall and very good looking (swoon, swoon) it was him. Oh, and he can play the fiddle a bit as well.

Anybody know if it is repeated.

Sandra

[Chris]

Not immediately - & probably on ITV2 or ITV3 I would guess.

[GarethWR]

There's going to be a complete catch-up run on ITV3 starting on the 12th January.

[Mitch]

A question for GarethWR and/or Maart, if they don't think it too nosy.

On the basis that the program makers would presumably wish to minimise their costs, does this mean it is cheaper to commission specific new music than to use existing recordings, particularly if you are using a reasonable amount of music?

Why then use different (pre-recorded) music for the trailers? Is this because a different company makes the trailers and doesn't own the music used in the program so would have to pay for it, or just different budgets?

Thanks

[Maart]

Over to you Gareth WR

Maart

[GarethWR]

On the basis that the program makers would presumably wish to minimise their costs, does this mean it is cheaper to commission specific new music than to use existing recordings, particularly if you are using a reasonable amount of music?

It all depends on the specific needs of each individual project, but as a rule of thumb, commissioning music usually works out better both creatively and in terms of budget. It means that you get music tailored precisely to each scene as required, which is especially important when underscoring dialogue scenes, and there are no hassles later if you need to sell the programme abroad. Using commercial music (i.e. stuff already available for the public to buy) requires negotiating different rights, which can be expensive and is sometimes impossible - the surviving Beatles, for example, have decreed that you can't use original Beatles tracks as backing music on TV for any purpose other than in documentaries about the Beatles, and even then Apple insists on all sorts of approvals and restrictions.

Why then use different (pre-recorded) music for the trailers? Is this because a different company makes the trailers and doesn't own the music used in the program so would have to pay for it, or just different budgets?

There's nothing stopping any of us using the commissioned music - we'd have to ask the production for clean copies of it, that's all. As promo producers, we have free choice as to what music we use; commercial music is subject to rights clearance, but about 90% of all commercially-released music is clearable for promo use with no problems. The exceptions are odd artists like the Beatles, Rolling Stones and Bowie, and - unfortunately - artists who release on smaller labels that aren't members of the PPL and MCPS blanket agreements used by broadcasters and/or who don't have publishing agreements. This covers a great many folk acts.

Getting back to the point, there are subtle but important differences in usage that often mean that incidental music isn't suitable for promo use. What works beautifully underscoring a mood over 60 seconds in a programme doesn't necessarily work in a 30-second promo, which will usually have a faster visual pace and involve both voice-over and dialogue clips. Promos have to stand out and make their point while fighting for attention with lots of very expensive commercials, so you often need music that sums up the programme and makes its point more quickly than incidental music.

Often you'll use production music, which is specially composed for use as backing music for broadcast and has a proper beginning, middle and end, all in 30 seconds.

[Amethyst (Jenny)]

Just having watched the second Distant Shores prog  I was wondering if you (Maart or Gareth)can tell us who the players were, and who was singing the male voice during the ceremony??

Amy

[Zoe]

The fiddle player was Stuart Hardy (ex John Wright band) 

[Chris]

I think the info can be found on Maart's website....

But the composer - Nick Bicat - has this on his website www.nickbicat.com

I had a great time working with a truly remarkable line-up of musicians:
Danny Thompson (bass)
Peter Knight (violin)
Maartin Allcock (guitar mandolin & cümbus)
Angus Lyon & John Kirkpatrick (accordion)
Troy Donockley (whistles)
Kathryn Tickell (Northumbrian Pipes)

[Amethyst (Jenny)]

Yes thanks, I knew who the musicians were on the soundtrack, it was the ones in the film I didn't know..  I didn''t word my query very well.

Amy

[Maart]

I don't know who the singer is. We just did all the background stuff.

Maart

[Amethyst (Jenny)]

Thanks Maart... Gareth??

Amy

[tony the roundhead]

I've just caught up with this on ITV3. It's brilliant. I love the surreal bits - the dead doctor getting of of his coffin  - reminicent of "Hamish McBeth". Off now to watch the 2nd episode