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Wednesday, 11 June 2008 |
Becoming A Producer
You're sitting in a row of famous people. One billion households worldwide are watching you trying not to care. Jack Nicholson gives you a wink. Your voluptuous B-list partner squeezes your hand. Tom Cruise opens the envelope, cracks a gag about pre-nuptial agreements and intones: "And the Best Picture goes to..." A low voice whispers in your ear: 'Do you have a photocard with your pass, madam/sir?' You don't. You swear at the conductor. You're asked to pay a £10 fine. The moral of this story is blindingly obvious: most producers don't get winked at by Jack Nicholson. In fact, most producers don't get anywhere near the Oscars.
What is the difference between a would-be movie mogul and a bona fide movie mogul? Girth. Clout. Films. And money. Lots of money.
WHAT IS A PRODUCER?
The reason why it's the producer who goes up to the podium to collect the Best Picture Oscar and not the director is because it's the producer who really authors a film. The producer raises the money that pays for the film to be made, and is responsible for anything affecting the budget of the film. The producer hires the director and the crew, manages the film through production and secures distribution for it when it is finished. In short, most of the time, it's the producer who does the work to make a film happen.
SO WHAT'S AN EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, THEN?
They're the people who never get famous. Either faceless studio executives, bankers, sales agents, film channels. They have usually invested cash in the film, although the title is sometimes given to a project mentor or initiator, who then has very little to do with the project. If they are the financiers, then the buck stops with them. They put in the money, so very often, what they say, goes. Producers go to financiers for money. And as Tony 'Scarface' Montana knew only too well: "First you getta da money. Then you getta tha' power".
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