THOUGHTS
ON WRITING - STYLE, VOICE, FORMAT, BUSINESS
and other
knobby screenwriting questions
WHO IS A PRODUCER, ANYWAY?
At the Academy Awards only three producers are allowed to accept a statuette for Best Picture. This is a recent development following the guidelines of the Producers Guild in defense against the trend of a growing number of “producer” credits on a film. It has become not uncommon for there to be 6, 8, 11 “producer” credits on a film (or television series). One film recently had 25 producer credits. These credits come in various forms and shadings: Producer, Executive Producer, Co-producer, Co-Executive Producer, Associate Producer, Supervising Producer, Line Producer, and the slightly off center Executive in Charge of Production.
So as a writer, you’ve been told that to get your script sold and made into a movie, you need to get it to a producer who will buy it and make it into a movie. So you go to pitch fests and festivals and parties and meet someone who says they’re a producer and try to interest them in your script. But who the heck is a producer anyway.
The Producer’s Guild defines a producer as (an individual instrumental in the production of the film) But from a writer’s point of view, is this true, or what matters to you? We’ll leave television for a later discussion, but let’s deal with motion pictures. Some of those producer credits are for work on the production, some are for people who we’re in some way instrumental in getting the film packaged or financed and some are “giveaway” titles for people who may have been go-betweens in the process and have been given a title in lieu of actually getting paid. Some may have never met anyone else on the film, except probably one of the other people with a title. And certainly were no-where near the film. Some are one of the creative talent’s managers, and this is increasingly common.
Writers sometimes get producer titles in lieu more money or to appease them for being shoved out of the way. Sometimes writers are closely involved in the production and are actual producers, but the titles may vary. I have been on both sides of this coin.
But what you’re interested in is who gets your script sold and hopefully made. There are four broad categories of “producer” I’ll call them: The Creative Producer, The Physical Producer, The Financial Producer, The Intermediary Producer. These are not titles you'll actually see anywhere, they're just a way of defining.
The Creative Producer is the one you normally think of and see collecting the Academy Award and who major movie studios think of as a “Producer”. The Jerry Bruckheimers, Joel Silvers, Brian Grazers. Producers who find material, attach directors and actors, go to studios and get a movie made and sold. For the purpose of this discussion, this kind of producer may or may not be all that “creative”. They may be artist geniuses with an inate sense for the taste of an audience, or just be very good businessmen with a track record and a rolodex who leave the creative stuff to others. But they have the capability and track record to get money for a movie. They may be on a large scale or an independent scale, but the key element is they are the producers most important to getting a script bought and made.
The Physical Producer is the person who is actually in charge of
making the movie. The hiring of the crew, getting the film made on
time and on budget (hopefully). He/she typically rose through the
ranks, say from prop guy to production coordinator to production
manager to producer. Even though this person most closely fits the
definition
of “producer”, they are lower in the food chain and answer
to the creative producer. They certain can be the same person. But
in terms of getting a script sold, the buyers (studios and finaciers)
don’t give the physical producer the same credibility as the
creative producer. While the key figure in the production of a film,
they are usually “guns for hire”. Most of them would
like to be able to get their own projects made, but find this very
hard to do and like Rodney Dangerfield, feel the don’t get
no respect. But very often they are not willing to give up the for
hire work long enough to take the risk and time to run around trying
to attract actors and find money.
The Financial Producer is the guy with money or with access to money
to invest in film production. You will encounter a lot of types who
claim to be this guy or know him or are in business with him, or
sleep with his wife. Most of these people you encounter are full
of #@^*. If they claim to be the guy, usually they are only brokers
or finders or game players. (I say guy because game this seems to
be less common with women, who actually do know or are sleeping with
the guy, sometimes married to him, sometimes not)
These fake types will tell you how connected they are or promise
to invest or raise money for your film and then when it comes time
to deliver, you never see or hear from them again. Now, even though
90% of the people you encounter are probably these bozos, but you
have to give them a certain benefit of the doubt because they might
actually be “the guy” or at least who they say they are.
You have to use your internal radar about these things. The people
who are actually capable or, or more importantly willing to invest
in or finance films are very few, far between and hard to find. And
usually they only want to do business with the folks in the top category,
with a track proven record or a studio or distribution deal.
The fourth category of producer is the Intermediary Producer (or go-between). This is the person you will most likely encounter in trying to get your work sold and made. They can be huge industry players like a major talent manager or can be your sister-in-law who wants to give your script to one of her nail-polishing business customers who knows the secretary for so-and-so. What defines this category is they are not the creative producers who can buy, but people with the ability (or lack thereof) to get a script into the hands of someone who may buy it. This is often where the literary manager falls. Especially the recent growth of managers. Many former agents. The agency business has gotten very tough so many agents and development executives have become “managers” so they can attach themselves to projects as producers. But essentially are doing the same thing they did as agents or executives, finding a piece of material and giving it to someone in position to buy it as they cannot afford, or won’t risk buying it themselves. Very often the go-between producer will try to “option” your script. Most usually for free or a “dollar option” or for very little money. This is so that they “own” the rights, so when they hand the script to a buyer, they won’t be cut out of the deal. Movies are very difficult to get sold and made these days, very often needing to have "elements attached" for them to be attractive to a buyer, hence the growing number of Intermediary Producers on a film. One knows an actor. Another gets to a director, and so-on. Very often the are people who want to be producers and just have a telephone a business car and the urge and energy to try to make it happen. Some succeed and many fail. You must use your judgment and the best advice you can on whether you want to “option” your material to one of these folks. It can be a tremendous waste of time and energy, and sometimes reputation if you give your material to the wrong person. On the flip side it is certainly the most common way that material gets bought and made, someone as hungry as you believes in your script and gets it to someone who can buy. So it can be one of the most important judgments you make in a writing career.
More on options
and attachments to come.
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