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.

Cinematographer

Choosing a cinematographer is a complex decision that is based on artistic taste and budgetary constraints. For example, it would make sense that if you are producing a slapstic comedy, that you would hire a DP who had worked on other comedies as opposed to a DP who had only worked on sad dramas. The lighting of a scene contributes tremendously to the emotional response of the audience.

The other consideration is your budget. DPs who have only worked on big studio budget films, may not know how to effectively a light a shot on a short schedule and smaller lighting budget. Studio films generally film 1-3 pages of a script per day as opposed to an independent film which usually needs to film 3-6 pages per day. Sometimes, you may find a DP with experience in both worlds and the ability to light on any size film budget (Keep those DPs as close friends!)

For a guideline on how much to budget for a cinematographer and his lighting equipment, check out www.QuickFilmBudget.com