An Analysis on the Performance of a Producer and Investor who is Active and Dynamic at the Filmmaking Area in the Iranian Global Cinema

by Saman Sadeghi Mehr

Ehsan Valipourzand; The qualifications needed for the Art of Film Production and Management 

The role of a “Producer” is mainly financial and organizational. He / she is the first and most important person who enters the production and distribution cycle of a movie and he / she is of course the last one who leaves this cycle. From the first step of planning to the entire stages of production, distribution and advertising, producing the advertising teasers (commercials) and their television broadcasting or utilizing the environmental advertising space, he / she is always present at all steps and leads all of the aforementioned tasks.     

 He / she is the one who obtains a screenplay (scenario) in different ways and makes the final decision about it. After the screenplay is confirmed by him/her, he/she starts the filmmaking project.

With this brief description about a producer’s duties and commitments, here in this article we intend to define the correct and exemplary performance of one of these young producers of the Iranian cinema who although may not have been active in this field for many years, he has created valuable works that are good evidences for this claim that how influential an investor and producer having enough knowledge and ideas can be in the process of producing a long-lasting movie. 

Ehsan Valipourzand is a producer who has been successful in supplying the high-priced budgets for movies with his great ambitions and efforts while the famous cinema producers have not been able to do so. Through his own personal budget and or by finding some financial sponsors. As mentioned by some of directors who have worked with him, he is always the only person responsible for most concerns about the budget of a movie. He never lets the directors and other team members have the least concern about lack of financial resources to make a film. 

Most important fact is that with a complete understanding of all the costs of making a film or series, he always exactly knows how much his film will cost when he reads the screenplay. So, with a very accurate and surprising governance he always tries to use the technical members, locations and the cast (actors and actresses) who fit the budgeting condition of a movie. This might include hiring high-paid actors, too. But his potential to persuade people on one hand, and his tempting records for the family of cinema always helped him so he can use the best ones to create the best works. 

As one stated: “He closes the framework of a project and finishes it for any price even if he has to use his family members and or friends to help in some backstage works and or even applying low-cost strategies to execute an idea”. 

I remember when I talked to him in the Cannes Film Festival 2022 about the process of making “Loteria” (movie) that how he sent a group of 140 people to Mexico to make it, I encountered with a high dose of exemplary self-confidence when he replied: “Anyway, an intelligent cinema producer has to draw so much attention to the key points of budget saving in the financial situation of these days of cinema”.  

Producers will be surely much happier to invest less in making a film and gain more profits. For instance, a producer likes to finish a film within 50 days instead of 80 days of filming. Therefore, if a director cannot meet the expectations of the producer and his film cannot have a good selling in release, that producer will not work with him/her anymore and will choose the directors who can make qualified films with less budget. 

It is worth mentioning that the film “Loteria”, funded and produced by Mr. Ehsan Valipourzand will be one of the main claimants in the Berlin Film Festival.                 

Selecting and hiring the human factors that he intends to participate and collaborate with him in a film production group are factors such as production manager, procurement manager, project executor, secretary, accountant, etc. which is one of his constant obsessions and sensitivities. This is true while as acknowledged by some of his colleagues: “However, Ehsan Valipourzand is a person who can perform in several positions mentioned above and do them in the best possible way”. 

A glance at Ehsan Valipourzand’s cinema activities in the release time of movie: “Shark (Kooseh)”    

Ehsan Valipourzand is undoubtedly a producer who –because of special properties and standards of his movies- has an opportunity that either international festivals or producers count on his movies such as “Aqaye Alef (Mr. A)” and “Along the City” and this is a pleasant event.   

The movies produced by him are essentially rooted in his relativistic character while his lack of prejudice about anything allows him to portray and illustrate his characters and works in a manner that the audience’s exposure to them is sometimes definite and sometimes deliberately ambiguous. 

Since most of movies of this producer are made based on some of his own ideas, it can be said after recognizing his thoughts that even in some cases he criticize these ideas and sometimes he approves them. 

This attitude of Ehsan Valipourzand regarding human beings that their works are relative is originated from the people’s real lives. For this reason, there is no clear hero or anti-hero in the films he makes and each character is sometimes displayed as a hero or anti-hero due to the type of actions they take. 

Certainly, Ehsan Valipourzand cannot make these kinds of films with these procedures and beliefs, unless he always recruits directors who are in the same think tank with him.   

A clear line is always drawn between the people and his films that grants the viewer an opportunity for contemplation and evaluation. The works made by this cinema activist can be by some means considered as a practice in criticizing the zero or hundred (perfectionism) viewpoint. A brief overview on Ehsan Valipourzand‘s methods and characteristics in the process of creating his movies (of course together with his genius and innate talent of producing) can shed more light on the reasons for his ever-lasting global success in the films made by him such as “Shark” and “Along the City” in addition to being fruitful for the Iranian cinema. 

On the other hand, it should be noted that -against many investors and producers- he first selects the subject of his movies from among some simple but important and influential issues of human-social relationships. At the next step, he consumes so much time (several times more than what is usual for script writing in the Iranian cinema) for Screenplay Engineering so that in addition to representing a topic and its analysis in the lower layers, it can also convince the audience interested in storytelling in the upper apparent layer with a thought-provoking drama.

Eventually, he selects a director on the next step who has enough knowledge and studying record about that story or event. 

The most interesting fact is that he thinks like the director of the film in the execution and cinematography steps. In addition to using cinematic attractions such as famous actors and actresses and well-known technical team members, he (Ehsan Valipourzand) pays great attention to details, Mise-en-scene (stage design), acting, dialogues, etc. In a manner that it should be stated that the cinematography stage of his works lasts about two to three times more than normal time for other films. This more time-consumption includes the post-cinematography steps such as editing, dubbing (re-recording), music, etc. and completes this miniature-like puzzle. While most producers are reluctant about prolonging the production shooting.

It should be said finally that: “In the movies made by Ehsan Valipourzand, some situations are always manifested after a crisis that I call them “The Truth Moment” and similar situations can be seen abundantly at “Dekalog (Ten Commandments)” by Kieslowski. Situations that neither we can guess themselves nor specifically their consequences and reactions of characters involved in them.              

Specifically, after the cinema movie: “Along the City” made by Ehsan Valipourzand, the frequency and intensity of such situations have been more and also more difficult to guess in the special films that this young and well-minded producer has made. Therefore, entrance of some young producers with worldwide thoughts and visions such as Ehsan Valipourzand can be a valuable treasure for the Iranian cinema.