A question that comes up regularly and needs to be defined better or understood, is the types of producers involved in filmmaking, what these roles include, and why you need them in your production's process. Producers are similar to directors, screenwriters, editors, etc., they have specific strengths and weaknesses for different genres and types of films. The time that is taken to find the right producing team is worth it. Though it may sound as if this is out of reach as an independent filmmaker (too expensive or too much loss of control), finding the right full-producing team will elevate your project in multiple ways.

Let’s get to the down-and-dirty about the different roles of producing, what they do, and how they can work into your projects.

Executive Producers

The executive producer is the highest level of producer on a film project and in other industries would be the role of CEO on the project. They cover a wide range of responsibilities depending on the project and the agreements that they have made with the team. In some cases, the Executive Producer is the person who funds the film and in others may help to attract funds to the project such as lending their name and influence to the projects. Executive Producers can also step into the roles of assisting in the creative process, marketing, legal issues (copyrights and royalties), supervising day-to-day activities, and more dependent on the film.

Executive Producers are needed on projects to act as team leaders of the overall process if they agree to take on the role of CEO of the project, otherwise, they are more like an advisory board member who lends expertise and influence to bring the project forward.

When should executive producers be brought onto the project?

Executive producers should be brought into the project when you are in development but far enough along in the process to be ready for funding. This means having a script that is developed to the point that it can be budgeted out as a “spec” script at least (there are many resources out there for screenwriters to assist in getting their scripts to this point in the process including Stage 32 lounges as well as local writers workshops).

Why? If the script isn’t to the point of being able to be budgeted, it will be harder/near impossible to identify the correct executive producers to bring in for your project and result in a lot more frustration for both you and the possible executive producing team. This is a business proposition, and the executive producing team is your possible investor treat them as such with a strong business plan, which leads to another vital piece of the producing team.

Line Producers

Line producers are vital to bring into the fold during the development process of the project, though many will say I can’t afford a line producer and shouldn’t it be the pre-production stage?

The answer is yes, you can afford a line producer, many will work with what you have with negotiations on the pay in their contracts. Line producers understand every line of the budget, schedule, and needs of the project overall. They are vital to the process and are superheroes when it comes to dealing with the budgets. It may take time to find one that fits your needs but there are line producers who will work with you on different-sized budgets and some line producers will take on other producer roles as well, this is dependent on the person.

Line producers should be brought in during the development process so that your project has an accurate breakdown, budget, and schedule to bring to other needed producing team partners as well as talent and crew. They are logistical masterminds, and by bringing them in early they can help create backup plans for possible issues that may arise in pre-production, production, post-production, and possibly beyond. With a strong line producer on your team, your package for executive producers, talent, and crew, as well as possible distribution packages will be that much more attractive, as it shows that your team has thought through the entire process and is thinking about what is realistic for your project’s success. Gemini Crown Tech’s Production software for all-in-one producing and business production needs from development through deliverables can be a huge help!

Line Producers are the COO’s of the team, and having them allows for much smoother processes throughout the full production process. Now, what about other producers?

Development and Consulting Producers

Development and Consulting Producers are producers who take on specific roles that help with the creative side of the development through the production process, they have the specific job of being experts in the field and assisting in making sure that the project stays consistent and meets the needs of the possible distribution outlets that are the goal of the finished product. Consulting producers are also people who can leverage their contacts and the quality of the project to propel it to the next level. These producers can be comparable to the CMO or CTO in other industries, they have specialty knowledge and know how to leverage it.

So who gets the producer title and what is their job?

Producer

The producer title is one that gets thrown around but is not always understood. The producer is the one who oversees the entire production process, they are the ones who work on the project from the start (gaining rights to the intellectual property (script) and see it through the entire lifecycle of the project. While producers oversee all of these aspects of the development through the distribution process and get the coveted “produced by” credit they do not finance the film. They will however work to find the right crew members, talent, and resources to move the project forward and help to identify possible issues. Producers work hand in hand with the line producers to solve the logistical problems as well as creative issues as well. In many cases, the producer will do the first pass at the budget, but finding a producer who has experience in line producing is a great addition to your team as well and can be brought in at the beginning stages of the development process and see it all the way through the last payout at the end of the lifecycle of a project. The producer that has line-producing experience may also allow you to keep your team lean, but give credit where credit is due, they may insist upon, and rightfully so in hiring a line producer during the heaviest pieces of pre-production and production so that they can be freed to take over other responsibilities that may need attention including marketing and distribution needs.

Co-Producers

The co-producer credit is given to someone who works closely with the producer and sometimes is a screenwriter or rights holder who negotiated the credit, or it may be someone who takes over specific responsibilities from the producer, this credit tends to be on slightly larger projects but can be attributed to people on smaller projects when appropriate or given to someone that has a specific producer role such as marketing logistics throughout the life of the project

Associate Producers

The associate producer credit does not happen often but is given when someone goes above and beyond their duties on set in service of the producing team.

Producers are so important to the overall success and production process, understanding how each person’s role works within the process and will help you to create a team that can bring your project to the next level and strengthen the team itself. Build your team by understanding their roles.

You can check out Stage 32 Education for more resources about Producing!

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