Director+Producer=Good Movie????

Redemption

Redemption

Haven't been around for sometime. Dropped by and I noticed hey there is nothing in the directing thread.

So I hoped we could start a good discussion.

I have been around some form of Production (mainly TV) my entire life. My Father was and still is in the business. From a cub reporter on a major newspaper in high school to being the head of a major network. He has survived, thrived and excelled. From the time I could remember he took me to the office(my Parents were divorced when I was very young). I hung out with him and made friends with the cameramen, editors and reporters, sometimes I was just a kid they wanted to get rid of and sometimes I was a student.

I throw all this back story in becuase it is what has helped to form my vision as a director, and has aided in forming my philosophy as a Producer and 1st AD. Making a Feature can be a battle with the director as the general, or it can be a community striving for survival and growth.

Currently I am producing a short film. It is the first time I have produced something creative for another director. I have 1st AD for many directors. But producing is more intense and often can be frustrating. But I am holding true to my belief that I am there to help the director to achieve his vision. That thought calms me when I get frustrated. One of the things I wanted to give my director was a better producer than I had on my feature becuase in the end I was the producer, with some help but it was up to me to carry the load to the finish line. So I guess what I put to the board as a starting point is what do you look for from a producer as a director? And how to view production? A war or a creative community looking to grow?
 
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I'm interested to read any thoughts people have, too.

I'm still at the stage where I am one & the same... it would be handy to learn more about how it works when director & producer are two (or more) people. :)
 
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The producer's role is to be as supportive of the director as the budget will allow. They should guide the production's logistics so the director can focus on directing. Sometimes they have to save the director from themselves. That's when the director tries to do something that will look great, but cripple the production due it's cost or the time will eat.

Scott
 
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The director is the energy, and the producer is the grounding.
The way I see it, the producer is the guy who deconstructs the director, figures out where he is coming from, and eventually, is able to share his vision... but coming from an angle of realism and budgets, the producer makes the final calls on how it all works... but only after lengthy conference with the director.
I think of them as the left and right side of the same brain, working together with the body (crew/cast) to make a living thing. That way, it IS indeed a thriving community!
 
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This is very insightful, as my understanding for producer is the same, to understand, to support, to provide realistic scenarios and to help guide.

I also see it as a business environment, the producer is a small business owner, and the director is the marketing director, both wants the same thing: to publicize and promote a product, but both see it in different perspective, owner want to maximize the buzz within a very limited money spent, while marketing director sometimes want to spent more to achieve the maximum exposure... At times, they clash, but with mutual respect and understanding, it can happen where both find a common ground and move on.

After all, a producer is not only to help and make director's vision come to reality, sometimes, they also are looking for the benefit from their perspective (making money).

I also believe that a successful filmmaking process is the result of collaboration of all skill and talent put together and that a project's vision can be realized because everyone believed in it and making it happen.

That said, I would say kudos to all the independent films, hollywood films, Asian films, that I've watched and enjoyed that have given me additional learning experiences and because of their collaborative effort, I get to watch them and enjoy them :) (PS, not going to name the names of films I've watch in case I miss someone that would probably get them upset with me, but you know who you are) :)

Johnny
 
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If you look back at pre-autuer picture making the producer was the author and creative force behind the picture. The director was just some guy who was hired in on first day of principle photography and signed off on the last. The director often was not involved in 90% of the creative decisions that most would see as their primary function now, casting, script development, hiring of crew, location choices, all of these would be decided by the producer, who would drive forward the creative vision.
Cut to today:
Directors have taken over the most of the creative choices and are seen as the people who hold the creative vision for the film. The producer's role ahs been pushed mroe and more into the business side of film production, taking care of the film's financial life. Far too many directors see the producer as a wallet on legs, whilst at the same time bemoaning the fact that the producer puts limits on the vision of the director by either saying no to spending or as more often is the case challenging the commerical sense of the director's vision. What the director often forgets is that the producer is often under incredible pressure from the investors to protect and maximise their investment.

Personally, I split with my producer of nine years six months ago. It has actually been more painful and expensive than the divorce from my first wife :( If I've learnt anything from that experience it is that good producers are very rare animals. The skill and knowledge levels required are unbelievable. As I'm finding out for myself, producing is 400% more difficult than directing.
 
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Clive's right on the money here. No pun intended. A good producer is gold-dust in a (bull)shit-storm, a good one will stop the problems from occuring or nip them in the bud as they creep up like weeds in the garden...Or they're a powerfreak who can't handle the job in it's real terms in the REAL world.
Aside that, it's a view that the 1stAD works for the director. Not so. He works for a producer to keep the director in line.
 
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This is Great

All of this thread is great. I would add that the Director directs the artistic side of the production and the Producer directs the production. That's why the producer gets the "Best Picture" Academy Award.
 
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For me the producer creates the playground that the director plays in.

I've produced before and I don't like it. There's no glory in producing. No one seems to appreciate the hard work the producer does. I just think directing is more fun. For me directing is playing, and I'd rather let someone else worry about the construction of my playground. The problem is, as you have all mentioned before, who can you trust to build you a good solid playground with all the amenities that you need and that no one will get hurt in?
 
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I've tried directing for another producer. And I've tried producing for another director. Maybe it's my experience or my way of working, but to me they are intertwined in a way that I can't separate the two. I see myself primarily as a director, but when I direct I take on much of the producing. It's the best way I know of to achieve the vision I'm looking for.
 
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Beeblebrox said:
I've tried directing for another producer. And I've tried producing for another director. Maybe it's my experience or my way of working, but to me they are intertwined in a way that I can't separate the two. I see myself primarily as a director, but when I direct I take on much of the producing. It's the best way I know of to achieve the vision I'm looking for.
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Hey there,
It looks to me that you are a multi-tasker! So you are definately indie-film material! I have found that a person needs to be able to seperate the two jobs in their head somehow, because if they can't do that, the producer-head that's so conscious of how much money is being spent, and where costs can be cut is the same view that can damage the creative work done on a movie.
I've been on sets where the tension is palpable because the director is thinking like a producer. It doesn't produce the best work from your actors if you're not supporting their work and helpling the creative process. A director really is there to make a collaboration between the screenwriter, and of course the cast, work cohesively. He'll also figure the sense of character a location can lend to the work. A director shouldn't be putting out vibes of how limited the creative work has to be to meet a budget. The director, if he's able, pushes for more and tries not to take less...
what are your thoughts...?
 
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samurai said:
A director shouldn't be putting out vibes of how limited the creative work has to be to meet a budget. The director, if he's able, pushes for more and tries not to take less...
what are your thoughts...?
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Most directors I know, myself included, are mindful of the budget even if they're not producing. It's just a fact of life for the director. But I think in any case that budget limitations are no excuse for limited creativity. In fact, the opposite should be true. Budget and other limitations should be a major source of creativity. If you can't afford thirty monster suits, how do you get by with only six? If your mechanical shark won't work, how do you let the audience know he's there anyway?
 
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I'm glad you're the type of guy that you are. you're one of the 'Captain Kirks' of this world!
As opposed to one of the 'Dr McCoys'...
However, my interest here is to discuss the aspects of the film director who may inadvertantly create 'budget-tension'. A person should really hang that stuff up on a hook before they enter the set. Truthfully, these conditions arise in unequal working conditions where in the playing field of the production some are paid, some aren't, and some are given a deferment (a moot point that meets the same condition as working for nothing).
 
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