A producer reads a short story on a train and cannot stop thinking about it. Two years later there is a script, a director, three financiers and a cast. Along the way the producer has pitched the project dozens of times, lost a lead actor and rebuilt the finance plan twice. The producer is the person who starts a film and stays responsible for it until the end.

What a producer does

The producer is involved from the first idea to the release. In development they buy or option the rights, hire a screenwriter and guide the script through several drafts. In financing they pitch to funds, broadcasters, sales agents and private investors, and put the pieces together into one finance plan. Many films are paid for by a mix of sources, and making them fit is a large part of the job.

Then the producer hires the director and the heads of department, approves the cast and agrees the budget with the line producer. During the shoot the producer protects the film, settles conflicts and makes the decisions that are too big for anyone else. In post-production and delivery they make sure the film is finished, approved by financiers and handed to the sales agent or distributor.

Responsibilities

  • Find or option material and develop it into a script
  • Build the finance plan and raise the money
  • Hire the director and approve the key cast and crew
  • Sign off on the budget and the schedule
  • Keep financiers, funds and broadcasters informed
  • Take the big creative and business decisions during the shoot
  • Steer the film through post-production, delivery and festivals

How the role touches the budget

The producer is accountable for the budget, even if the line producer writes it. They decide the overall size of the film, agree it with financiers and sign the deals that commit the money. Their own fee and development costs sit above the line. When the production runs over, the producer has to explain it, find the money or cut something, and they watch the contingency closely.

How people become producers

Many producers start as a production assistant, a development assistant or a coordinator, and learn how projects are put together. Others come from writing, directing, law or finance. A first feature is often produced after years of shorts, documentaries or work for other producers, and a track record is what convinces financiers.

In TV and commercials

In television the producer often works for a production company on a commissioned series and answers to the broadcaster. Credits vary a lot, and a TV producer can be anything from the person running one episode to the creative lead of a show. In commercials the commercials producer does a similar job on a much shorter timeline.