a Producer can be a writer, an investor, an idea man, a manager or all of the above. In film, the head producer is called the executive producer and is responsible for each and every phase of filmmaking: pre-production, production and post-production.
In pre-production, the Producer reads scripts and hears ideas from writers, directors and agents. After choosing an idea, the producer has to raise money to fund the project. One route is to get the backing of a major movie studio. Another is to go independent and seek funding from individual investors.
Now the producer has to hire a screen writer, a director, production staff, casting directors, art directors, camera and lighting crews and editors.
It's the producer's job to make sure that the project stays within budget throughout production and post-production. A good producer not only makes good films, but makes money for the investors.
Like most jobs in the film industry, producers work their way up. You might start as a production assistant or a script reader, learning how to spot a good idea and how to bring it to fruition. Or you can just leap right in and learn by trial and error, making small, low-budget films and working up to bigger ones.
A producer also makes sure the group sticks to a scheduled time frame.I found out during my research that it is very rare that they will own cameras. They usually rent them. So sticking to a set time frame can be very important as it costs money each shooting day and of course they don't want to go over there budget. My research not only helped me understand the invididuals I researched but also the general role the a producer has in film production.
The main thing I will take away from my research however is what I have learnt about the qualities of a producer and various things in which good producers have to have, from being bold and ambitious like Howard Hughes, to being calm and cool headed like Laurence Bender. I also now admire each of my chosen producers so much more. I have realised that becoming a producer doesn't happen over night and it takes time and a creative spark, but it is possible to do it even from a young age, as shown by Paul Thomas Anderson.
It has also been interesting for me to see how nobody is just a producer really, they all have written, directed or acted in something. I am glad I found this out as it means if I ever do go into the industry it doesn't necessary mean I have to have the some role within film production every time. Which is good.
All in all I am extremely glad I chose to research what I did, I became so interested in researching producers I actually went over my original target of 3 producers and did 4 instead.
My Mum briefly summing up her thought on my Arts Challenge
