The Producer vs. The Director

Anthony and I have been hard at work for the past year putting our comprehensive package together, and we're now getting ready to test the waters with pitching it.

The package can be daunting- you want to have enough brevity to hold people's attention, but turn around our project has so many layers we have to fight the urge to indulge. Studio execs and independent production companies are insanely busy people, and I figure we'd be luck to hold fifteen minutes of their attention.

But we've been told over and over that we've got on e of the most unique and compelling products out there. We call it a "product" because while it may be art to us, it'll only get made if people can see dollar signs from it. Film is a product when it is released, it is art when it is being created. This is one of the definitive things I've learned being in the film business. I've previously had issues "distancing" myself from my artistic product. We have to think how this thing will actually sell, not just how cool it would be to watch.

Anthony did his MFA at the Peter Stark Producer's program at the University of Southern California. Well, we both did an MFA because I lived vicariously through him and we both learned the ropes (I already have an MBA). One thing I have to give USC is its pragmatism- they understood that art comes from within, and it cannot be taught. Business, however, is a game and one must have real-time strategies for getting a film made.

And from this I've understood the distinction between a director and a producer. A director makes a film, the producer gets the film made. They're two totally different spectra, but incredibly interlaced. As a director it is my responsibility to create an entire lucid vision of the project, from start to finish. It's also the director's responsibility to make sure that he works within the budget. I know that many of my directing compatriots will cringe at this notion, but it is very important. The director needs to be an integral part of establishing the budget, and then the producer will know exactly how much money she needs to raise. One this budget is attained, it is up to the director to stick to her word and make the film given the parameters that they themselves laid out. If, due to unforseen circumstances, not all goes to plan, that is what the contingency is set out for.

Conversely, the producer must understand the vision of the director, and in order to do that they must have a comprehensive knowledge of film. It's a pitfall when producers see directors as "pretentious artists" becuase a producer themselve is an artist. That may seem hard to stomach, but it is true. If the producer cannot see the entire vision of the film crew, then they can't be a successful producer because they simply "don't get it."

I guess every part of filmmaking has its share of pretension, and this needs to be quelled by a healthy dose of humility. While what we do is hard work, it is still work like any other. We are doing a job, a job that requires a lot of money had is statistically stacked against us. We have to understand that we are not the only people on the Earth with a unique vision, and that we have to compete with the best to get our film made. Which is why our product has to be unique, it has to have a competitive advantage. We think we've got it with THE KILLING MOON. I'll let you know more about the film later as this blog develops.

I sent my reel to Oil Factory yesterday, and now I can just hope for the best. Let's hope they like what they see. Man, I hate having my fate in the hands of others, but that's a bitter pill I have to swallow, at least for now.

I don't know who to root for in the Rose Bowl- I like USC for its awesome talent, but I'm always a fan of the underdog. I actually think Texas will win. We'll see.