Composer mad bills

What do composers get paid? That's been a topic of conversation as old as the internet (and we all know there was nothing before the internet).

Well, "thanks" (I am sure Disney isn't so happy) to the muckrackers at The Smoking Gun, you too can go behind-the-scenes of film budgeting. TSG has posted the budget for M. Night Schymalan's disastrous The Village in an "effort" to educate the public. What intrigued me was the budget for music. James Newton Howard wrote the terrific score, and was eventually nominated for an Oscar. What did James bank for his efforts? According to the budget posted at TSG, a cool $1.3 million. Worth every penny!

This should indicate the going price for today's top composers: Williams, Horner, Elfman and Zimmer must surely be in this price range. Particularly when they sign on to score projects for frequent collaborators like Howard does with Schymalan. The added bonus of having the director in your corner must surely help nudge up your asking price.

Check it out: music budget from The Village, at thesmokinggun.com.