What do body tattoos and music have in common?

Both can torpedo a micro-budget project if you’re not careful. And trust me — I’m speaking from experience.

A lot of filmmakers don’t realize that tattoos are copyright protected. Most people also don’t realize that the moment you create something original — a song, screenplay, painting, logo, or even a tattoo on someone’s body — you automatically own the copyright to it.

Now, registering that copyright with the Copyright Office is a different conversation. Without registration, proving ownership or pursuing damages becomes harder. But ownership itself begins at creation.

And quiet as it’s kept (I like saying that), there are many, many things that end up in a movie that require permission, licensing, or a materials release before you can legally use them.

When you’re working on a studio film or television series, there’s usually a clearance department that handles all of this. They review the script and identify anything that might require legal clearance:

• artwork
• music
• products
• logos
• character names
• brands
• signage
• tattoos

Sometimes they’ll tell production certain products are fine to use because they’re being used as intended — like someone casually drinking a Coke. Other times, they’ll tell you not to use a particular item because it’s difficult to clear or because the brand doesn’t want to be associated with the context of the scene.

And honestly? Sometimes companies or artists refuse permission for reasons you’ll never fully understand. It happens.

But for a micro-budget filmmaker, you usually don’t have a clearance department.

That doesn’t mean you get a pass.

Whenever I see someone online post copyrighted music and write:
“I do not own the rights to this music”
or
“No copyright infringement intended”

…I always laugh a little to myself because neither of those statements protects you from copyright infringement.

Now, most of the time online, the copyright holder either doesn’t care or simply asks you to remove the content. But films are different. Once money, distribution, festivals, or streaming platforms get involved, those mistakes can become expensive.

And that brings me to tattoos and music — two things that became a thorn in my side.

🎬 Tattoos: The Problem I Didn’t See Coming

In my film Maya & Her Lover (you may have heard of it 😏), the co-lead character, Kaseem, was supposed to feel rough around the edges — a guy who grew up in the projects with very little home training. I wanted to emphasize that through his wardrobe.

Originally, he was supposed to wear a sleeveless ribbed undershirt in several scenes. You know the one (It’s most definitely politically incorrect to use the colloquialism for it) but that one.

What I didn’t know when I cast the actor was that he had several tattoos on his arms and back, plus a fraternity brand on his chest.

That immediately became a legal issue.

Because once those tattoos appear clearly on camera, technically, I need permission to use them.

And it’s funny cause you’d think because the tattoos are on his body, he could simply give me permission. But nope.

The tattoo artist who created the artwork would need to sign off. Which meant tracking down multiple tattoo artists and getting releases. Same thing with the fraternity brand — that potentially meant getting permission from the organization itself.

We changed the wardrobe instead.

And it sounds minor, but to this day, I still think about it when I watch the film. I really believe that undershirt would have added something to the performance and characterization.

The tattoos also affected how we filmed intimacy scenes. I wanted to focus on parts of his back and chest without explicitly showing sex acts — using body language and framing to create sensuality. But we had to constantly avoid revealing the tattoos.

The other option would’ve been removing them in post.

But “fix it in post” — whether through traditional VFX or AI tools — still costs money.

And on a micro-budget, those costs matter. It’s not always practical or cost efficient.

🎵 Temp Tracks: Falling in Love With Music You Can’t Afford

As for Music, it deserves an entire blog on its own, but for now, let’s talk about one of the biggest traps filmmakers fall into:

Editing with temp music.

A temp track is copyrighted music you temporarily use while editing to help establish rhythm, tone, or emotion of a scene or the entire movie.

The problem?

The longer you edit with that music, the more married you become to it emotionally.

And replacing it later becomes painful. Really painful. I’ve even heard Hollywood directors talk about becoming attached to a temp track but was unable to license the song after the fact and how it bothered them.

This happened to me on my short film Minor Blues.

This was the late 90s — peak neo-soul era — and the temp music completely transformed the film. It was everything! Honestly, some scenes worked because of the music. It elevated weak acting, strengthened emotional moments, and helped carry the story.

I finished the film with that music still in it and even started screening it at festivals that way.

Quick side note:
You are not supposed to screen copyrighted music at festivals without a license.

At minimum, I should’ve secured a festival license.

I don’t remember whether I fully understood that at the time or was just rolling the dice… knowing younger me, probably the latter.

As the film gained momentum and screenings, I realized I had to replace the music.

So I hired a local artist (which honestly is what I should have done from the beginning).

I basically asked her to “Create something that feels as close as possible to this music.”

And she did a very good job.

But emotionally it wasn’t the same.

Every time I watched the new version, the film felt diminished to me because I had spent so much time emotionally connected to the original songs.

Even my father — my biggest supporter — leaned over during a screening and whispered:
“I liked the other music better.”

Yeah Dad, Me too!

The lesson here isn’t:
“Don’t use tattoos”
or
“Don’t temp with music.” (Although, I actually suggest you don’t use temp music if you can help it)

But the lesson is:
Be aware of the legal and financial realities before you shoot and edit your film.

Because these small decisions can affect:

• your budget
• your creative choices
• your distribution
• and how your finished film ultimately feels

Micro-budget filmmaking already comes with enough obstacles.

Don’t create more for yourself by ignoring licensing and clearances.

Trust me. Future you will be grateful.