Film Production and Film Producers in Cinema

by:Parisa Zehtabian

A film producer plays a crucial role in film production because of his/her direct and immediate relationships with all executive and financial crew. The most important role of a producer is to participate in this so-called art-industry economic cycle. In other words, he/she is a vessel for cinema. In fact, a producer is the person responsible for providing all the necessary equipment for director, actors and all the crew who intend to produce a feature film. What a producer does in a project relates to executive and financial tasks and together with directing team and actors who are the artistic and creative elements, they form the main body of a feature film.
Wikipedia (free online encyclopedia) defines “a film producer” as: “A person who oversees film production, launches a project, coordinates the whole production such as arranging financing, hiring key members and supervises the process of filmmaking from development up to completion.”
The role of a producer in cinema is highlighted with this famous statement: “A producer is the first person who joins a project and the last person who leaves it.” This statement clarifies a producer’s role. He/she has a key role during all stages of a film production, so a producer needs to be a multifaceted figure that has a good command of the production, advertising, distribution and financing. To produce a good feature film, it is very important to provide a friendly and pleasant environment for director, actors and production team. In this regard, the first stage is to choose a good screenplay. A screenplay is like a road map which has a vital value in filmmaking. If a producer doesn’t have a good screenplay, one cannot expect him/her to produce a good film. What’s most important about choosing a screenplay is the potential and actual values of it and all artistic and commercial aspects should be predicted in a screenplay so that it is likely to have a good film.
The first and most vital stage of filmmaking is production planning which is called pre-production. If a film doesn’t have a good pre-production, it won’t succeed in other stages. This stage has two important parts.

Firstly, arranging financing and secondly, choosing artistic and technical members who can do their tasks well. For the first part, a producer prepares a budget for a film from resources of the public and private sectors. The budget can be established by public or private investors. It’s important to determine each side’s share from the film ownership. Whoever invests more will have the film.
After a film producer prepares a budget for a project, production planning begins. First, the crew is chosen and their tasks are given. Preparing a production timetable is very important at this stage. This timetable helps to carry out production on time. Hiring members for various tasks, preparing technical equipment such as cameras, lenses, moving objects (tripod, travelling, crane and…), coordinating with support service centers to carry out pre-production technical affairs and coordinating with director as the most important leader and coordinator of the crew are essential at this stage.
Another important item is editing and rewriting screenplay on director and scriptwriter’s recommendations. Production team (director, assistant director, production manager and…) revise or change the screenplay after observing locations. Scriptwriter writes the screenplay according to his experiences and the story he/she has in mind but the production team rewrites it according to the existing locations so that they can prepare everything. This stage ends with signing contracts with all the cast and crew (director, actors, director of photography and…), making sure everything goes according to the projected budget and production stage begins from this point. A producer is responsible for the quality of a film so he should go from one stage to another carefully.
The second stage which is the most important stage of film production is called “production section”. Major filmmaking tasks belong to this section. In summary, every scene in the screenplay is filmed at this section. Actors stand in front of the camera and play their roles. Director of photography and all the stage crew who work under the supervision of the director will reach a single goal with teamwork and the producer plays a key role here. Unlike theater plays, scenes of a film should demonstrate their real qualities and this is very important. There shouldn’t be any fake or unreal scenes or elements to the audience. Therefore, set crew who

serve as the hands of the director should make the scene seem completely real. A producer has a big part in preparing such an environment.
As we mentioned before, a producer is responsible for the quality of a film and he/she is one of the key elements in production, distribution and release so he/she must have an extensive knowledge of production and release in different divisions of cinema, television and VOD platforms. A film producer should also be a sociable person with public relations skills because he/she needs to be in touch with different people. In order to increase the quality of a film and reduce production costs, a producer needs to be creative. He/she should be very good at negotiating with different people including TV and media managers, owners of theaters, owners of VOD platforms, distributors and everyone involved. A film producer must be able to handle situations with tact and diplomacy and should persuade others for a better cooperation.
Arranging financing and management are two other qualities a producer should have. Therefore, a producer needs a special financial and accounting team who can manage a project’s financial affairs well.
To be self-confident, motivated and courageous, they all are some other characteristics for a producer. These characteristics help producers welcome challenging and creative processes. A positive atmosphere in film production will lead to a better film. Producers enjoy spending time with creative people and try to use their communication skills in their work. In this sense, we can compare producers with directors who combine technique and contents artistically. With their smart management skills, they also coordinate everyone and all equipment towards creating a great project.
There’s a false belief about producers that they are like employees in a private company and they start work in the morning and finish in the afternoon and go back to their daily routines. But it isn’t true. Most of them have no specific working hours and think about the upcoming project round the clock. In other words, their concern starts after working hours. This profession is considered art which requires taste, smartness and personal abilities. In addition, producers’ worldview and attitude towards problems in the surrounding environment, they all form individual and artistic personality of producers. A wide diversity in this section 3

has paved the way for people with different viewpoints and tastes and each one has become interested in cinema differently. This diversity is eventually for the benefit of cinema and the audience and it can make a wide range of fans happy. Similar to a painter who creates a masterpiece with his/her amazing taste, a film producer also needs to carry out his/her tasks with heart and soul.
Professional ethics are necessary in every profession and art including film production. Professional ethics are a branch of applied ethics which focus on ethical issues in professions (we mean professional ethics in film production). Good manners of every profession are determined according to the rules and out of expediency. Professional ethics observe manners, prevent ethical problems and explain ethical standards and rules. Professional ethics are the kind of ethical commitment and work ethic in every profession. Since a film producer has a central role in leading the filmmaking group and influences on cultural and social divisions of a society, they need to research into basics of professional ethics and formulate them. Therefore, formulating a charter of professional ethics for producers help them to become professional by getting to know the communication parties, right owners and ethical necessities in production.
In conclusion, a film producer is a person who can manage all aspects of film production. This duty will not be fulfilled unless he/she is highly skilled at planning and organizing and also has a team spirit.

Parisa Zehtabian