Producing : Advice on finding a producer by Eric Dwight

Thanks!

Find a person or company who believes in your script/story. If they are invested in that aspect of it then they more than likely won't treat it as just another job.

Passion for the project,ability to raise capital,organised ,good multi tasker, ability to adapt to unforseen changes ,leadership ability to keep the writers/directors etc focused , sense of humor and most important the ability to be calm under pressure

A few questions first because different producers have certain comfort zones and certain boundaries and limits to their financial farm. First of all, what’s the genre? How complex (locations, characters, FX, animation…?) Shoot where, (US, UK Canada, NZ….?) What’s the intended market (kids, adults, what rating?) If you’re seeking financing now, that means you have a logline, synopsis and polished script – you do, don’t you? Do you have a past product to show your capability and how much skin do you have in the project. Filmmaking is one of the riskiest investments available and that’s reflected in the interest that investors require. Investors want a guaranteed return of investment and a reasonable expectation of a return on investment. And there’s a whole lot more.

Eric you have certain producing skills and obviously know your own limitations. You need to work out what aspects you need handled that you feel are too far out of your comfort zone. You saying your looking for a producer to handle the financial aspect is that writing the budget, scheduling, raising the funds, or managing the budget or a combination? will they be expected to do more than this? Once you know precisely what you want them to do, then you will know what sort of experience you are looking for in them.

You've received some excellent advice here (above) and you're off to a good start. My advice is to hire a women (sorry guys). We don't have the same opportunities as men in this industry but statistics show that having a woman --a good one-- in a high position on your film, will come in under budget and on schedule. At this year's Sundance Film Festival, Robert Redford said that he feels the future of film will be in the hands of women and young people.

Okay then, I need a woman to produce my Cuba movie. Besides women have a certain touch, I feel when it comes to making a film. A woman director too would be a nice touch.

Walter, I am in Utah; you are in Utah. Talk to me....

I really don’t want some pro or anti feminist tirade going here; but I’ll tell you what I’ve noticed over the years. Filmmaking is a team effort – period. And everyone on the team is critical to success. Males (self included) tend to be competitive and each is sure he’s the best. Women tend to have a greater team spirit and can work together to achieve a common goal – remember, these are generalities only. Personally, I prefer an all woman crew whenever I can get one but I seldom have that option because few women have acquired the needed expertise as yet – I see this changing and I hope it continues. To my way of thinking, it’s not so much an equality issue as much as it is an issue of respect. I actively encourage women to become more involved in filmmaking.

Doug, I agree that this should not be a pro or anti feminist issue. Some people have the expertise and commitment and some do not -- regardless of gender. I am a board member at Utah Women in Film and our mission is to empower women to go out there and compete. We provide education, networking opportunities and mentoring.

We’re getting away from the OP’s original question about finding a producer. Eric, your profile says that you are in Nebraska; which is not a known hot spot for film production. You may need to log a few air miles or if you have a polished script in hand; you may need to use it as bait in your quest -.pdf via the internet works pretty well. There are lots of Producers out there that you’ll find via Stage 32 and some other forums – just make sure they work with your script’s genre. (for example: I only produce shorts in the comedy/paranormal with strong relationship overtones – so I’m probably not the guy for you.) When it comes to women in filmmaking, I strive very hard to bring women into the production process whenever I can – sometimes I think I scare a few off by giving them more responsibility than they think they are capable of – you can’t help a wallflower although I often try. – but that’s a whole different discussion if any of you want to take the lead.