LiquidGeneration Music: THE O.C. INTERVIEW

We here at LiquidGeneration like things real easy like. So if we're able to watch some good TV and listen to cool new music at the same time, well, then all we need is someone to feed us pizza and we're in heaven. So when we had a chance to sit down with the woman behind the great music on The O.C., we couldn't pass up the opportunity, even if it meant more work for us. We really are too good to you people. Below is the chat we had with Alexandra Patsavas, who is the Music Supervisor for the show. What is a Music Supervisor you ask? Well, you'll just have to read the interview. Oh, and be sure to check out Music From The OC Mix 5 that came out on November 8. Here are a couple of goodies to give you a taste of what you can find on the record:

Youth Group - Forever Young (Audio) Windows Quicktime

The Subways - Rock & Roll Queen (Video) Quicktime

Here's our chat with Alexandra:

LG: First, why don’t you explain to us exactly what a Music Supervisor does, as most people out there figure you just go to shows and party every night?

ALEXANDRA: The very first thing I do, is I sit down with the executive producers and help define the sound of the project by talking to the producers about their hopes and expectations for what they want the musical component of the project to be. That could involve finding a theme song as well as their hope for background music and how it will be used; if there will be a lot of music or montage based music that happens once in awhile. Once that is decided and sort of defined, I then send the producers and editors weekly compilations of music I have selected as possibilities for the show so that they always have new music to check out. Finally, I then work with them to decide on music for specific scenes. Of course the music always changes over time as the show airs and the producers have something different in mind, the sound really does get refined over time.

LG: How does the whole process work for finding music for a specific project, is it pretty much just what you like?

ALEXANDRA: Well on most projects it’s my taste in concert with the producers taste. On this particular show (the OC) I definitely am a big fan of the bands, and it’s my personal taste, so I really enjoy the music we use.

LG: Do you find all of the music yourself, or do you have a team that you work with?

ALEXANDRA: I get a lot of mail, a tremendous amount of submissions both domestic and international.

LG: Ah, so that’s why you got into the business…all the free music!

ALEXANDRA: No, no I wish I would have known. I really got into the business because I loved the idea of marrying film and music.

LG: For sure. It’s not as easy a job as people think. Now, you and your team are also in charge of the arduous and not so fun side of the Music Supervision business, which would be clearing all licenses for the music you use, right?

ALEXANDRA: That’s right. It’s a huge part of the job. If you can’t deliver a cleared and on budget episode, all your creative work is for naught. It doesn’t matter if you found the best thing in the world for a scene; if you can’t clear it within the monies that you have it really doesn’t matter. I actually quite enjoy the clearance process. It is confusing, and it’s a lot of paper work, but it is really essential to the job.

LG: We here over at LG don’t know much about how anything works, so we were wondering if the bands get paid to be on The O.C? Is it different for each artist depending on the type of record deal they have?

ALEXANDRA: It is different. You know we’ve used artists like U2, Coldplay and Bob Seger, and we’ve used artists that perhaps have a big regional fan base but haven’t quite received national attention. So the money does shift, it also shifts depending on the type of use of the song, how many times it’s used and the length of the use. There’s no real set type of fee. Everyone always asks me, ‘What does a band get paid to be on the show,’ and I can’t answer because there really are a lot of different type of factors involved.

LG: Right. So just for the record, no one can pay to get a song placed on the show?

ALEXANDRA: No, that’s actually funny. No way, the song has to work within the context of the show.

LG: In a recent New York Times article, Claps Your Hands and Say Yeah said they wouldn’t want to perform on the show because The O.C is "too popular." Is this something you run into often, or are most bands smart enough to realize that it’s great exposure to a wide audience?

ALEXANDRA: That’s interesting. We actually have not gone after them. I was interested in hearing the record as I heard from people I would really like it. Umm, I think that it’s an artist’s choice. If they want to get involved, and find a bigger audience I think it’s great way to do it, but I really think it’s up to the individual band. Once in awhile bands do say no, sometimes they say no to licensing in general. Often times it’s not the bands you might think, for whatever reason.

LG: So is it ever on the record labels end, or is it usually the choice of the artist?

ALEXANDRA: I think it’s very rarely the label. I think the labels and the publishers really embrace any opportunity to get music out there to the fans. As radio has changed over the years and become more limited as far as playlists, I think labels are very interested in new opportunities.

LG: You had mentioned before that one of your duties as Music Supervisor was to place the music. So do you get to chose specific songs for specific scenes in the show?

ALEXANDRA: Well, sometimes the editors are putting together the show and are referencing a compilation of different, but specific songs and cutting those into a scene. Sometimes Josh [creator of The O.C] scripts songs for the first draft of the script, when he wants a song to be an important part of the scene that helps to show what the characters are feeling. Then other times I pitch for specific scenes, where they send me a DVD of the scene and I sit with my DVD Player and stereo and play songs to the picture until I find something that I think works. Very lo-fi.

LG: Whatever works, right? That sounds like it would actually be pretty fun. So, the LG offices are dying to know what kind of music Mischa Barton really listens to? We don’t picture her sitting around at home listening to the Sex Pistols record.

ALEXANDRA: (Laughing) You have to ask Mischa.

LG: Yeah but your as close, sadly, as we’re probably ever going to get to her.

ALEXANDRA: She really likes Rachel Yamagata and I know she likes Phantom Planet.

LG: All right, well that’s a start. Ok, we hate to do it to you but our users need to know. If somehow the cast of Beverly Hills 90210 showed up in an episode of The OC, and there was an all out brawl, who’s your money on? Oh, and it’s the “alcoholic Dylan” and “drug-addict David” era 90210.

ALEXANDRA: Unfortunately I’m a little older and never really got into that particular show, so I couldn’t make the call.

LG: Well, our money is definitely on 90210. What other shows or movies have you worked on?

ALEXANDRA: I’ve worked on Roswell, Boston Public and I currently work on Grey’s Anatomy and Without A Trace. When I started working in the business I was doing all feature films, and I’m going to be doing some more in the near future. It’s a very fluid business; you can really go back forth between Film and TV as a Music Supervisor.

LG: Well thanks so much for taking the time to talk to us here at LiquidGeneration. We can’t wait to watch the OC and hear what you turn us onto next.

ALEXANDRA: Thank you.

Comments

hey, i was just wondering how i would be able to get some contact information to send my band's demo to alexandra patsavas or to whereever for the oc, thanks.

Posted by: justin | June 13, 2006 at 02:34 PM