10 tips for first-time producers
Industry Centre > Blogs > 10 tips for first-time producers
Posted by Anneli Ekborn
on Tuesday, July 20, 2010.
Categories: Production, Alumni
Welcome to my thoughts on where to start in this complicated business of ours!
I’m happy to join the National Screen Institute blogging team to discuss, examine and admire the intricacies of media making – film/TV/web.
This is my first post, so be gentle and expect me monthly! Yikes.
I'll be looking at various topics down the road and welcome any thoughts on what you'd like investigated. I'll be focusing closely on festivals, new media, cross platform
opportunities, promotion and distribution, and development. All the good
stuff!
In the meantime, I've put together some thoughts and advice for first-time producers. Enjoy!
1. “Be a collaborator not a facilitator”
This is advice that I got during my first producing venture from my mentor Greg Klymkiw. It's the best advice that I have ever gotten. Great films come from great teams.
As the producer you are there from conception though production and post, and then distribution and promotion. You are not there just to perform a task. You get to carry through everything. Be wary of people that are only after your resources – they are not great collaborators and often it becomes difficult for you to do the best job that you can. These individuals want you to facilitate and, unless you love paperwork and calling in favors, facilitation is quite boring, very disheartening, and the final product usually ends up not meeting its potential.
So be there with your writer, editor and director from the beginning on all levels of the production and the film’s vision. It's worth it and will make you love your job.
2. Aim high, but don’t BURN OUT
Be realistic about what you can deliver. If you're a producer you probably already have tons of ambition to begin with so you’ll be trying to make anything possible.
Remember that you don’t have 36 hands and the last thing you need is to totally burn out. That said, everything is worth trying. I’ve been told many times, “Oh, like that’s going to happen Anneli.” And guess what? Sometimes it did. There is usually a way to get what you need if you have the right angle and a savvy spirit. But again, when it's not happening, don't kill yourself trying to get it.
Burn out also applies to having multiple projects going at once. I've made this mistake more than once and every time each project ends up feeling neglected, you feel exhausted, and it seems that everyone is mad at you. If you are doing multiple productions, scatter them. Some overlap is fine but when it comes to pre-production and production, schedule smartly.
3. Don’t forget your clearances
Make sure you're safe with your clearances. Some producers, and a lot of writers and directors, think clearances don’t matter that much but they do if you want to see your film go far.
Watch what you allow on your screen; any artwork on the walls, clothing on the actors, signs on streets? These all need to be cleared or else you'll either spend a lot of $$ paying for them or a lot of $$ in post trying to blur them if you want to make sales.
If you don’t have your Errors and Omissions insurance (often referred to as E & O) then your film’s exposure will be limited. Most art directors and wardrobe stylists know this but remind them that they have to be careful with the use of original works and logos of any kind - even on a pop can. Make sure you vet the script for references to anything specific. The big one people tend to forget is cars – if your character is driving a Porsche then you'll need permission in writing from Porsche (even if it's just parked on the street).
4. Help your fellow producers
You will: (1) Maybe learn something new and benefit from others’ mistakes and/or successes; (2) Make new contacts; and (3) Have done a nice thing.
The more support you offer to other people, the more they’ll want to give back. The Canadian industry is especially challenging so avoid being overly competitive, and embrace your peers.
5. Get yourself to events
Parties, screenings, fundraisers and festivals are great ways to meet people. While it’s good to chat about what you’re up to, don’t spend the whole time pitching because it can be a big turn off, especially to established industry folks.
Sometimes all they need is to see your face around and have a casual chat at the buffet table. That way, when you end up setting up a meeting, they’ll recognize you and know that you are active. Make sure you do your homework on all the big and small things going on in your area so you can recognize others at the events.
6. Learn the “Bibles”
For example, Actra’s Independent Production Agreement (also know as IPA), and all union and guild rules, health and safety guidelines, etc – are all online and are a helpful resource to for understanding work days, overtime, working with kids, safety and more. Everything that you need to know to ensure that your production meets industry standards is in these documents.
7. The Same Page
Don’t underestimate the power of your production meeting and your tech survey. Get all your department heads in the same room to go through the assistant director’s (AD) schedule line by line. Discuss any questions and concerns for everyone to hear. Make sure everyone travels to the location(s) so they are all aware of what they are in for and have ample time to express any new needs. This should be planned early; if you wait until the last minute you’ll discover that you need more time to meet new requirements or troubleshoot problems.
8. “Safety First” as they say
They are right. You are liable for what happens on your set so don’t let a director of photography (DOP) sit on top of a car to get a great shot. It's your job to help find a safe alternative where no person and no equipment will get hurt. It’s good to sit down with the director and your AD to discuss any possible dangerous shots or action – go through the shot list. Refer to the ‘Bibles’ on safety regulations and procedure for your cast and crew. Also, should you have anything resembling a stunt, you must employ an ACTRA certified stunt coordinator to be present and advise the actor for the sake of their safety.
9. On Set Comfort – food and space!
Respect your crew and cast. NEVER under-budget for food, craft or water. Make sure your crew gets a proper full hour lunch. Pizza does not count as lunch. It's more than likely that a lot of your crew will be volunteers and the only payment they're getting is proper craft, and a real lunch along with 'subs.' An unhappy crew makes for a lot of on-set frowns that drive energy down.
When you scout your locations remember that you will need a space that has access to bathrooms, a space to use as holding for your actors, and of course a space to break for lunch. This seems obvious but often gets short-changed and affects the crew’s morale and interest in working with you again.
10. Plan for your success early!
Think about your tag line(s), think about your potential key images for posters, postcards, website, etc.
Research other films that have been successful and have a similar audience to yours. Check out what worked for them.
Make sure you have a photographer on set for key scenes and to grab additional stills that can be used to package your film when it comes time to start submitting materials for distribution, for press, and for your festival promo.
BONUS TIP
Sleep with your cell phone next to you.
- Anneli Ekborn, NSI Features First alumna, is an award winning Toronto-based film, TV and web producer with a penchant for freelance writing and photography -
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Views expressed here are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI).
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The views expressed here are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI).