- The producer has "overall control on every aspect" of production - "they steer the film from beginning to completion and beyond." [1] The producer comes up with the initial idea and steers the production team to obtain the outcome they desire. The producer always has to be on hand to direct and approve any changes being made to the content of the programme.
- The producer has different roles over the different stages of production:
- Development: producer comes up with idea
- Pre production: producer brings together and liaises with production team
- Production: producer responsible for day to day operation of team - constant communication with creative team
- Post production: producer oversees edit to ensure their vision is realised
Being a producer means that you are the decision maker of the project. The producer must delegate jobs to the appropriate creative teams and then finalise the outcomes - being a producer means collaborating with the entire team. [2]
As well as controlling the overall direction of the production, it is often the producer's job to script the content as well. As I have not written a studio script before, I decided to look into how a studio script is formatted. The shot numbers are written on the far left, the camera shots on the left hand side and the dialogue on the right hand side.
To help further my understanding of what is expected of a producer, I researched into the series producer of Later... With Jools Holland - Alison Howe.
As the series producer for the show, Alison states that her job was to co ordinate all the different departments involved with the production of the show and to solve any issues that arise. As she is also concerned with the content of the show, she spends a lot of her time listening to music and seeing artists live to establish which ones she wants to book for the show. During the production of the show Alison liaises with the talent - the artists on the show and Jools - this displays that whilst the producer's job is to co ordinate everything, keeping the talent happy is at the heart of the role. As the show goes out live, she does not need to liaise with the editors on this front - however, there are extended cuts of the show which need to be edited and approved by Alison. She also works closely with the executive producer of the series to prepare the future episodes and book future artists. [3]
How this has informed my own work
- I have learnt that as producer my organisational skills need to be good as I will be in control of all aspects of production - I need to confirm content and keep track on how this develops.
- I have learnt that constant liaison with the production team is important to achieve the desired outcome - even though the producer is ultimately in charge, the creative teams are responsible for producing the content - to ensure this content is what I had in mind, I need to keep clear and constant communication with these teams.
- I have learnt that I am responsible for the smooth day to day operation of the production. I need to ensure everyone is performing their roles as they should be and rectifying this if they aren't.
- I have explored the layout of the studio script - I now have an idea of how the script needs to be formatted so that the visuals match up with the dialogue.
- Through researching into Alison Howe I have also learnt that I am in charge of the talent - both when it comes to casting and liaising with them once they have been chosen. I will need to communicate with the casting team to ensure the right people are chosen for the roles - and then once they are chosen, it is my job to liaise with them during production to keep them on board and happy with the project.
[1] http://creativeskillset.org/job_roles/757_producer
[2] http://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/production/television/producing/article/art20150225110952220
[3] http://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/production/article/art20130702112135189
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