A lot of people get confused by the term “producer”, and most people don’t really know what a producer is, you know, does. I’ve learned that it’s so complicated that it’s also not a good topic of conversation in a bar. Now, maybe if I were an actor… but I digress. Although the term producer is nebulous, murky, and mostly considered inclusive, everyone seems to agree that there are different types of the producers, even if they do not agree on how they are divided.
TYPES OF PRODUCERS
The industry standard line is that producing is like herding cats. However, if you have ever produced, you know that it is woefully inaccurate. Producing is like herding suicidal, dizzy and exhausted cats on a boat in the middle of a hurricane while they recover from a strong anesthetic.
Usually a producer is responsible for things like; cast, crew, and location scheduling; find, pay and manage the crew; management of budgets, copyrights and contracts; oversee or manage all creative decisions; find, raise or provide funds or investors for the production; monitor distribution channels and marketing opportunities; and manage production as a whole. Basically, a producer has to make it happenIt does not matter that that it is. They literally do some form of everything. However, within the world of production there are subcategories of producers, each tending to focus on different aspects of the job. It’s like being an athlete; sure, you’re an athlete, but what class? Each producer mixes and matches his responsibilities depending on the needs of the project. And sometimes they don’t. Hence everyone’s confusion. Here are some of the ways the term “producer” is interpreted:
FILM PRODUCER
The most frequent interpretation of a producer is the iconic film producer. This person is responsible for all aspects of creating a film, movie, or television show. The film producer oversees everything, and is primarily concerned with making sure all the pieces come together to finance, create, distribute, and make money from a film. In this sense, being a producer is rather nebulous and nondescript, but incredibly important. These types of producers are not usually responsible for artistic decisions (they delegate them to directors, cinematographers, etc.), but they do have the final say on what ends up on film and serve as a tiebreaker. when there are creative differences.
CORPORATE/COMMERCIAL PRODUCER
Another predominant form of the term “producer” may be better described as a corporate or commercial producer. This is someone who will execute the creative and logistical actions of the production and make sure the client gets what they want. A producer in this sense takes production from the customer’s head and follows it through final deliveries to the customer. This is typical for a production company doing corporate/industrial/client-based work, or for independent producers creating local ads or videos for marketing campaigns. This type of producer typically serves as a link between creative desires and customer needs. This position is a more managerial position, as opposed to creative. However, this type of producer can also sometimes be directly involved in creativity. Most importantly, this type of producer deals with the customer. It’s your job to turn chicken shit ideas into chicken salad.
PREDICTOR
Someone who will basically do everything from directing to filming to writing to editing is called a “preditor”, derived from “producer/director/editor”. This is typical of people in the news world, cameramen, and production companies that have smaller production crews. He also finds this a lot when a client is looking for someone to “produce” a video for him: he’s thinking of a predictor. It’s also become much more prevalent on reality television, because there’s not enough of a script or budget to pay an entire crew to do things that one person can do. A producer is expected to shoot as much as he can get and then edit the pieces into an understandable story. Sometimes this is a one-band type of producer. You know the guy you see at a local event who has a camera with a microphone and is running, and you to knowonly to know, who is going to be editing his own footage later? That’s typically a predictor. However, in today’s economy, sites like YouTube and the prevalence and affordability of video equipment have created an expectation that just about anyone can predict. Avoid this presumption and remember that the music is not in the violin itself. It is in the hands of the artist.
LINE PRODUCER
Someone who creates and manages the budget, as well as the team, schedule, etc. for one film at a time he is considered a line producer. Usually less creative, this type of producer is more concerned with getting the money to go where it needs to go and making sure everything runs as smoothly and cheaply as possible. A quote is usually broken down into “line items”, hence the name. A line producer handles the day-to-day aspects of a production. In non-Hollywood productions, this terminology is mixed with the responsibilities of a regular producer and forecaster. For example, I did a lot of this kind of work in New York. Another producer/client/whoever gave me a set amount of money and told me to “produce” something. He would then create the budget for the line item and allocate, schedule, and hire staff/resources/locations/permits/vendors based on this budget.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Another version of a producer that many people imagine is someone who goes out and finds investors or other sources of funding, or is rich and finances the project himself. This is typical for feature films and documentaries, and that person is given a producer or executive producer credit. Most of the time when you find a freelance creative who is “looking for a producer to help with my film” this is what they are talking about. This is usually the job of an executive producer because the person who provides the money is the person who has the final say on how things get done. They are the boss. They supervise everything, although their main objective is usually the financing or accounting of the film. It’s easy to forget that the point of making a movie is to sell it. These people are there to remind you.
INDEPENDENT PRODUCER
There is also the independent producer. It is someone who is in charge of the whole project, whether he has money or not. This is typical of short films and independent films, usually things with no or low budget. The producer, in this sense, does everything that the creative/team/editors do not. This includes paying (or not paying) everyone else. Sometimes from his own pocket, sometimes from an investor’s. An independent producer, he will most likely also be the main creative force behind the project. It is not uncommon for the producer to have also written the script or is directing the film.
FIELD PRODUCER
There is also a type of producer who supervises the production in the field. This is called, funnily enough, a field producer. This person goes out on the set and makes sure everything runs smoothly, including allocating money. But his responsibilities in most cases include filming, managing the crew and cast, interviewing talent, and even doing PA tours if needed. As far as growers are concerned, the field grower and “preditor” are usually much more geared towards boots on the ground. They are the people who buy the crew beers after a hard day, if there is money left for it.
There are no hard and fast rules as to what kind of producer does what (except, of course, when there are), and often a producer is a combination of some or all of these different types. And this is by no means an exhaustive list. There are also associate producers, production assistants, production assistants, assistant directors who are on the producers’ track, second assistant directors, unit production managers, and so on. There really is no way to explain what each type of producer does. The best explanation I’ve heard is that “no one really knows what a producer does. But not a thing happens without one.”
