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Many people have misconceptions about what a producer is and what they do. Producers are jacks of all trades, masters of few. She or he needs people skills and technical knowledge, while still being willing to not only think outside the box but also rip that sucker up and reinvent it.
They are mediators and counselors of egos, who understand that sometimes you need to hold hands, while other times they need to kick butt. Cast and crew are people with individual challenges that sometimes spill over onto the set. Differing opinions can be resolved if the common goal remains to produce quality. Hiring the right people means more than just focusing on experience or job skills. It’s bringing together those who work easily and effectively together. One bad apple will create a hostile work environment that threatens every aspect of production. This doesn’t mean that everyone needs to be besties, but respect is paramount. Another analogy would be that of gears in a machine. It only takes one to be out of sync to start a cascading effect that will eventually cause a loss of productivity.
Having a general, yet working knowledge, of all aspects of production, marketing, and distribution means knowing more than just the job description. It’s being able to assist without getting in the way or becoming a liability to the task at hand. The producer doesn’t have to be able to set the lights, but she or he must know the difference between a flood and a spot. It’s having the humility to be willing to pull cables, help with food service, pick up trash, and load equipment. It’s doing the job at hand without egos getting in the way.
As scrouges, they find cost-effective solutions to production challenges. She or he needs to be inventive enough to turn to drop clothes and Christmas lights into the interior of a circus tent. It also requires helping the team to be flexible enough to alter schedules and methods when challenges present themselves. You can plan to the nth degree and things will still go sideways. Freaking out or allowing others to do so only exacerbates the situation. Running around with their hair on fire because it rained or someone came down with the flu, only creates unnecessary stress. However, remaining calm and stepping back lowers the emotional temperature and makes finding solutions much easier. Effective producers formulate plan b and an outline for plan c.
Having these skill sets gives the producer the ability to bring projects in on time and within budget. It also builds teams that become working families that build the trust that is necessary to produce quality, while pushing the status quo of the industry.
