Selecting a Producer

Every film has its own story of how it came together. Not every movie starts with a producer and who likes a script. Sometimes, a director will find a script and will have to find a producer for the film. Selecting a producer is difficult because it is tough to determine what was their impact on the film. The creative vision is the director, music is the composer, editor is the timing and pace, cinematographer is the visual look of the film. So how do you know what the producer did? First, there is usually more than one producer on a film. Each producer got that credit for some reason, even if he/she was only the star's hairstylist. So you need to know what the producer's role on the film was. You may want to ask the other producers on the film as a reference. You should also talk to the UPM to see how well the producer organized the film through the shooting schedule and film budget. Look at the level of actors in the film. If the film starred Brad Pitt, the producer either has a strong relationship with Pitt or with his agent. Most importantly, you need to see if the producer gets along with people and can accomplish his tasks of delivering the film to the distributor.

Being a producer is like being a project manager. They need to get the best out of the team in order to deliver the best possible product.

Check QuickFilmBudget.com for a sample film budget.