From the Producers: What is it You Do, Exactly?

Hello!

My name is Veronica, and I’m the producer of this wonderful film we’re working on. Over the next few months, Kat (our associate producer) and I will be stopping by the Five and Dime to share some of our experiences and stories with you. I hope that you enjoy what we have to share with you, and that we can shed a little light on what goes on behind the scenes of a movie production.

I come from a background of producing live-action films, so working on Burp’s Christmas will be a different ballgame for me. I’m learning and adjusting to the differences between producing these very distinctive types of films, but I’m also finding that many of the basic principles remain the same. We’ll talk more about that in another blog post, however. For today, we’ll start at the very beginning: what does a producer do, exactly?

Whether we’re talking live-action or animated, I find that many people don’t know what a producer does. That’s not a surprise, really, as a producer’s job is one that (when done correctly) should go unnoticed. It’s when things have gone awry that people begin to notice that the producer isn’t doing his or her job. To put it basically, the producer’s job is to run the show: they’re the one who coordinates the who, what, when and where of the entire filmmaking process.

One thing that I’ve always found very romantic about producing is the idea that the producer is the only person who is with the film from the very beginning to the very end. The producer is the one who initiates the process, brings on the talent, executes the production, and sees the film all the way through to distribution. To easily illustrate some of the main things that a producer does, I’ll lay out the basic model of a film production. This simple layout applies to just about any type of film, no matter the length, size, or budget.

A film begins in a stage called development. It is in this stage that a producer has procured an idea or script and starts to bring it to fruition. If there is only an idea, not a completed screenplay, then the producer works with a writer to create one. Here, he or she may also begin to attach key talent, such as a director or lead actor. Often, in high-concept Hollywood films with big stars attached, a film is shopped around while still in the “treatment” phase (a relatively short summary of the story). Whatever the situation, the development phase ends with a nearly complete script, a director, and ideally, financing in place.

The next step is pre-production. This is when the producer assembles their “dream team” with the help of the director, and irons out all the details before diving in to production. The producer is responsible for hiring their actors, crew, cinematographer, production designer, editor, and so on during this phase. He or she will also scout shooting locations and finalize the script, budget, and schedule. This is also the time when concept art and storyboarding is done; though it is sometimes done earlier, especially in the case of animated or VFX-heavy films. In our case, as is the case with almost all animated films, this stage also includes character development, character turnarounds, and modelsheets.

Production, or principle photography, is the stage in which the film is actually made. For us, that’s when Mike and the other animators will be working hard to create the animation you’ll see in the final film. For a live-action movie, the crew films the story either on location or in a soundstage. Here, it’s the producer’s job to keep the production moving. He or she troubleshoots problems, keeps track of the schedule and budget, and watches dailies with the director.

The last stage of the process is post-production. In “post,” many different people may be working on the very same film at different places simultaneously. It is in this stage that picture editing, visual effects production, music scoring, and sound editing takes place. The producer has to supervise each of these areas at once, working with the post-production supervisor to ensure a smooth dialogue between the different departments. During this phase, the producer also creates the film’s credits, arranges test screenings and previews, and works with the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) to obtain a rating for the film. After post, things could go a number of ways. Studio films move on to marketing and eventually wide release. Smaller films search for distribution and begin applying to film festivals.

Currently, we at Burp’s Christmas are at a phase somewhere between development and pre-production. While we don’t yet have our financing in place, we are still working on the script, and beginning our version of casting by working on what the characters will look and move like. We are working very hard to create a look and feel for the film so we can show potential investors what we want the film to be. Once we’ve completed this phase, then we’ll move on to some serious fundraising (which I’m sure I’ll blog about!).

Hopefully this (rather long) explanation helps to clear up the confusion about what I really do, and what Kat and I will be doing for this film. I’m excited to be a part of this project, and I can’t wait to start getting to the good stuff! Be sure to stay tuned for more news from the Burp’s Christmas producing team!

-Veronica