Striving to create a Director or Client’s vision while managing available time, money, and energy, the Producer works to bring the whole project together from conception to completion. Their role is like the “Project Manager” of film and video production.

A Producer works to create a project timeline, break down the script, and meet with the Client, Director, and any Heads-of-Departments to build direction for the project. Together, they work collaboratively to pull together all the elements of video production for a smooth filming and confident hand-off to the post-production team; all while staying within allotted budgets, and creating the Director’s vision.

Most budgets allow for at least a few people assisting the producer, and as that team grows (to literally thousands), the producer’s focus shifts more to overseeing these departments’ progress via the Heads-of-Departments. On smaller budgets, however, the producer is often filling many roles beyond the original job description. Rather than having departments full of people working to find or create the locations, cast, crew, props, wardrobe, set design/decor, hair, makeup, crafts and so on, they may be the sole person responsible for identifying any (or all) of these components and acquiring them in time for filming.

A strong attention to detail and ability to breakdown a script are paramount for this role. Strong communication skills are vital as they strive to understand the director’s vision and then communicate that to other team members and vendors. They also often need to make cold-calls to strangers at various companies, to ask if they can film at their location or contribute in some other way to the project.

As the producer works to acquire all the pieces, keeping organized and updating others of progress helps keep team morale high and ward off the threatening paranoia that nothing is getting done. This requires regular meetings to keep the team informed and focused, as the preproduction days are counting down to production.

On production, the producer’s countless hours of planning and procuring come to the light. The set decoration needs to be in place, the cast ready, the props built, and yes, the crew would love a meal or two. All the cast, crew, and vendors need call sheets explaining (at very least) where to be at what time. These different components continue to be juggled until finally the set “wraps,” and production transitions to post-production. Hours of editing and reviewing, animating , and coloring ensue until everyone agrees to close in on a final product for marketing and distribution.

To say the least, this job can be very stressful, and especially for someone without much experience, an unhealthy workload for one person.

When you have a vision for a film, let us partner with you; pulling together the right team and roadmap for your project’s success.

The Producer’s scope of work may include:

• Spearheading successful completion of a project

• Creating project timeline and meetings

• Managing the budget

• Communicating with Clients/Investors

• Collaborating with the Director to understand their vision

• Supporting the Director and leading inter-department communication

• Collaborating with the First Assistant Director and all departments

• Breaking down the script

• Delegating tasks and monitoring progress

• Ensuring all elements of production are procured, including: cast, crew, locations, props, decor, wardrobe, crafts, etc.

• Continuously overseeing the progression of the project from script to final delivery of media, if desired

• Balancing the Director’s vision with the Client/Executive Producer’s investment