cost of a music score ?

[Joe999]

OK I know you "get what you pay for" but can some of you indie filmmakers give me some average cost for hiring a composer to do a music score for a 90 minute feature film? I am thinking for a ghost story suspense thriller genre--something along the genre of The Return (Sarah Michelle Gellar)--compositions using strings, orchestra, etc, and does the cost include the music or just the sheet music? PS: Musicians-- I am not ready to hire yet, I am just trying to get an idea for a year or two from now.
~Joe

 

[directorik]

Composer: From free (for the experience and credit) to a few thousand
(for a new composer with experience) to five figures (for a name composer).

Musicians: In my experience it's really hard to find good string players
for free. I once used a college string ensemble. While they were all enthusiastic
it took several days of rehearsals and several studio days to get the score
recorded. An expense I wouldn't repeat.

Experienced musicians are expensive and well worth it. I have never hired
an orchestra. My assumption is most of the best ones are union and would
be very expensive. I have only recorded a section at a time - strings for one
or two days, brass, winds and percussion on different days. That might not
work if a full orchestral score is needed, but for a nice sound it is amazing.

And I know the synthesized sounds are getting really good - but I just prefer
the feel and texture of recording live players. On my noir thriller I used a
six piece Jazz ensemble. They had a written score, but riffed off of the video
playback of a few of the scenes and that really added a great feel to the scene.

My total cost for a feature was $15,000 - including mixing.