Do I really need a Producer?

justinisfilming

justinisfilming

Do I really need a producer? I've posted a while back that I'm gonna be meeting with a producer, but after that, our communication seem to have died down (since he's from downtown Chicago and I'm in the suburbs). I mean I've been e-mailing him, but he doesn't reply to any of them. I just feel like it slows the production of the film down.

Would just giving a friend a producer's job work? Is there any other place I could look for a potential producer? Should I ditch my current producer? Any advice?
 
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Be your own producer. If you do then you will be more integral in every part of the movie's production process. It does require a lot of organization and social/communication skills, however the benefits are great. So my advice to you would be... act as producer as well.
 
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To find out what a producer does, watch the MTV Movie Awards intro with Les Grossman from 2009 I think it was..

He basically sets up the production so it can happen. He coordinates the schedule, coordinates the personnel, coordinates what post production house you use, etc.

On a smaller scale production where it's you doing 90% of the work, I don't think it's necessary...

On a Jerry Bruckheimer film spending 300+ mil (Pirates of the Caribbean, Prince of Persia, Pearl Harbor, etc.) that's what he's good for. He's a firebreathing production demander...

I think it's safe to say Jerry is probably one of the best if not the best producer in the past 30 years.
 
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justinisfilming said:
Do I really need a producer?
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No, it should be you. No one will be as committed to the film as you will be and you don't have enough money to buy that kind of commitment. Learn to be one. Read Christine Vashon's books.

I've posted a while back that I'm gonna be meeting with a producer, but after that, our communication seem to have died down (since he's from downtown Chicago and I'm in the suburbs). I mean I've been e-mailing him, but he doesn't reply to any of them. I just feel like it slows the production of the film down.
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It means one of two things -- he doesn't like what you have available to pay him or someone else (likely with more $$$) has his attention.

Would just giving a friend a producer's job work?
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No.

Should I ditch my current producer?
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Yes, pronto!

If your producer is like this now, just wait until production starts and it'll be total chaos for YOU (not him).

Fire him. No need to explain why except to say it was a business decision.

Good luck!
 
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Are you directing?

If so, it would be beneficial but not necessary to have a line producer. You can still be the exec producer and tell him what to do but during the shoot you need someone to manage and arrange things so your mind can be focused on the film.

Ive been in both situations and it's always better for the film if the director is free to think just about directing on set than directing AND managing things.
 
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Producers are REALLY nice to have. It's just a tremendous amount of work they take off the director so he can focus on his real job. However, as stated, at our budget level, nobody but you is going to be as dedicated to the project as you are, so you usually wind up STILL doing a huge amount of producer work.
 
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I agree with the other folks here. No one is going to be as committed to the project as you. Sure, a producer would be awesome. But you really need to find someone that you trust and is really committed.

If you find yourself emailing or calling the producer about every task he/she has to do (ie: "Hey, so have you secured the location yet?" "Did you get all those release forms printed out?" "Have the actors confirmed for tomorrow?" "Did you find a good DP?") then you are basically producing through a middle man. Cut the middle man.
 
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Depending on the size of your production, yes, you really need
a producer.

What you do not need is a producer who is not totally, 100%
dedicated to the movie. Face it; this guy isn't interested. A
producer who is totally, 100% dedicated to a movie does not
slow down the production of a movie by not communicating.

If a friend is totally, 100% dedicated to the movie but not
experienced then that person is a fine choice to produce. There
really isn't a place where producers are waiting for a director
with a project. Producers by their very nature are actively
developing projects. As you make more movies you may meet
producers.

For now, you have found the producer of your movie. It's you.
 
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The producer is THE SINGULAR ENTITY WHO DRIVES THE PROJECT FORWARD... this guy isn't that. Ditch him, find someone else or do it your self... the producer is responsible for the nouns in the script and making sure they all coalesce in front of the camera. People, places and things.
 
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I agree with everyone else. Drop your current producer. Also, as already stated you may want to be your own producer if you are financing your production. A friend who works for free can end up costing you more money that not having them if they mess up the scheduling and the shoot is extended several days. You're probably best off doing the job yourself.
 
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finderskeepers said:
A friend who works for free can end up costing you more money that not having them if they mess up the scheduling and the shoot is extended several days.
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Wouldn't this depend on many factors?

With a beginning director working with a beginning producer they
are BOTH likely to mess up. They are BOTH learning together. From
what I've read, justinisfilming, is fairly early in his career as a director.
Of course it would be great to work with an experienced producer,
but if he is going to produce and direct, maybe bringing on a friend
with no experience but with dedication to the project is better than
producing and directing himself. Even if the inexperienced producer
makes some mistakes.

Messing up the schedule (or the 10,000 other mistakes a first time
producer can make) isn't much of an issue in most small, amateur
productions.
 
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Wow, thank you guys for the feedbacks y'all have given. They are really helpful. I just told him the situation and told him that I can produce it myself. I agree with you guys that I'm the best producer for my film. I think I was just carried away thinking that a separate producer is a REQUIREMENT But I think for my first film, I think it's best to do it by myself.

"As you make more movies you may meet producers." -directorik
That's a good point! This film that I'm doing right now is gonna be my first serious, big film that I'd be confident to enter into film festivals. And I guess as I climb the ladder, I'll meet more people who I can work with in the future!
 
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The best way to lose a good friend is to go into "business" with them. Friends don't take "orders" well and they tend to view you less as an authority figure in regards to the production. My advice is to stay away from bringing on friends IF you can avoid it. I realize you are just starting out so working with friends could be the easiest and the cheapest so you have to weigh the pros and cons. I've worked with friends before and it worked out fine, but I've had it where it didn't. :)
 
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Each of the roles in the credits are REALLY important to making a film... they don't always have to be different people, once you get to a certain budget/production size, specialization is really important.
 
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DeJager said:
The best way to lose a good friend is to go into "business" with them. Friends don't take "orders" well and they tend to view you less as an authority figure in regards to the production. My advice is to stay away from bringing on friends IF you can avoid it.
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An interesting perspective with - I'm sure - an interesting story
behind it.

I have always gone into business with friends. Never have I lost
one because of the business. I suspect if I ever started ordering
my friends around who thought were partners I would lose both
their friendship and their partnership. I several of the cases the
friend I went into business with was the "boss" giving the orders
and in other I was the boss. But in most cases I have created
equal partnerships where we both work to our specific strengths.
Specifically the producer/director relationship.

Since it has always worked well for me, my advise is to work with
friends any chance you can.

I guess it depends on the people. As you said, you have had it work
sometimes.
 
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I would be absolutely nowhere in filmmaking if it weren't for my friends. Not every one of them is going to be as dedicated to the project as I am, and that is why I produce, but any help I can get from wherever, I take it, and that help usually comes from friends. If you can find someone willing to put in the amount of work required to take the title of "co-producer", regardless of their experience-level, that should be cherished.
 
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You've heard lots of very good - and sometimes conflicting - advice and points of view, as is normal in such a diverse community.

The life of many creative endeavors is very solitary - writers, painters, composers and the like. Bands are very small closed structures similar to a family. Filmmaking is entirely different; it is almost impossible to do everything yourself, and not even recommended that you DIY even 20%. This is why you need creative partners. An active line producer at the big-budget level is your buffer between and your communications with the "real" world; your 1st AD is your buffer between and your communications with cast and crew. Even though my descriptions are very similar they are entirely different jobs. The line producer protects you from wasted time, allowing you to be the creative artist; the 1st AD streamlines your interactions with the creative crafts and the talent, allowing you to be the creative artist - subtle but important differences.

At the low/no/micro budget indie level the two jobs - line producer and 1st AD - are combined if it exists at all. Don't worry too much about the label, but it is always a very good idea to have another person who is totally committed to you as a director and committed to your project. You can call him/her a producer, 1st AD or anything else that you or s/he wants. The important thing is that you have a common creative vision and an easily flowing communicative rapport. You bounce ideas off of each other, encourage each other when one of you is down, celebrate together when things go well, and shepherd your flock (crew and talent) towards the finish line of a good project. So put aside definitions and try to find a creative partner.
 
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DeJager said:
The best way to lose a good friend is to go into "business" with them. Friends don't take "orders" well and they tend to view you less as an authority figure in regards to the production. My advice is to stay away from bringing on friends IF you can avoid it. I realize you are just starting out so working with friends could be the easiest and the cheapest so you have to weigh the pros and cons. I've worked with friends before and it worked out fine, but I've had it where it didn't. :)
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+1.

For what it's worth - I recently produced a sci-fi short in my area alongside a friend of mine who directed the film. I thought I did my part. I dealt with the contracts, I made phone calls, I helped acquire cast and crew members, and both my friend and I worked our best to make sure the production stage worked out accordingly to our micro-budget and short schedule.

But when I offered advice and tried to give reasonable orders, my friend had trouble putting his pride aside and just like DeJager said when speaking from past experiences, he treated me as though I was just some lackluster right-hand man as opposed to an authority figure, and was too stubborn to use my advice. And now, we're both paying the price for it. When he came whining to me about all the mistakes he made after the film was complete, these were my exact words: I hate to say "I told 'ya so," but I told 'ya so.

It may seem like a good idea to use a friend, but if your friend is not open to new ideas and is too stubborn, exclude them from your project.
 
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