So…wtf does a producer really do?

We never really bothered with the definitions until we actually decided to make movies. The best definitions so far I found here.

Apparently, when the pictures were just starting, producers and directors were interchangeable. It was never a big deal because these are the two folks who head the whole project. Eventually, laurels and trophies came with the job, which necessitated proper crediting. But let’s not even get there. Credits, like never before, have become such a big deal it deserves its own entry.

Producers in the Philippines come in all shapes and forms. As with the rest of the world, here is what’s going on: the smaller the set, the more blurred the definitions of producer and director roles. Directors also produce, and producers are very much involved in the scripting, shooting and final cut of the movie.

I recently had to go and actually check the glossary again because as much as we have created a structure that suited our style, we recently embarked on a co-production that involved four countries. So how do four producers from different regions (Philippines, North America, Taiwan, France), with several investors, come up with a clear and fair framework to work with? A lot of research, painstakingly long overseas calls and kilometric e-mails later…we’re now forging into an agreement regarding credits, roles and film share…but it’s a lot of hard work. We had different interpretations of our roles and different styles of doing it. But we have to work together to be able to make this movie. More of this project, when it is full speed ahead.

mother lily - the more we hate the more we love her!

So for the uninformed, and the curious non-Pinoy filmmakers and enthusiasts, this is how I understand we do it. An Executive Producer is the legendary Mother Lily. She is the ultimate EP in town. She’s the money bag. This is more or less an accepted definition of executive producer, at least in studios and even among indies. You also rarely or never see them on the set. Typically any investor can put his money as the EP title.

A Line Producer is the busiest producer on the set. He or she is the hawk on the set. Were we able to save today? Why is that actor always late? Why is there never enough food during lunch? The LP worries about everything. Although someone else does the legwork, it’s the LP’s head that’s on the plate. In an Arkeo set, chances are, your Line Producer might also be the Producer. We try to keep a lean set and the Producer is like the Guardian and the champion of that project. However, in other local studios like Star Cinema and Regal; Line Producers are more or less high-level Production Managers.

In terms of hierarchy, the Producer is actually higher than the LP. The Producer is THE GUY. In Arkeo, the Producer is also in charge of finding funds, grants, festivals, and investors. The Producer is on board the project, the minute it starts until literally the end of time. Mainly because movies never really just disappear. They still have to take care of after-sales, and so on. A Co-Producer is just someone who is also a producer; but I also interpret it as someone who plays second only to the Producer.

Things get sticky though for the Associate Producer because it was never really clear to me what they are.
They mean very different things in different production sets. An AP can be the business-side part only of the production (legals, finances, etc); leaving the Producer to concentrate on the creative part.

I like how Joe Ruiz (Arkeo partner) defines the essence of a producer: it’s really holding the director’s hand. There are times i admit, that there’s a lot of handholding involved (especially since I produce a lot of my boyfriend’s works!).  But seriously, I think that is the producer’s role TO THE DIRECTOR. But producers have to worry about other things too. You have to do a great movie, within budget, and be able to maximize the salability of the movie.

Our job, lest you get lost in in the maze of definitions, is TO GET THE MOVIE DONE. So don’t get fancy. That’s all you have to think about the next time you see that producer-credit. They’re not necessarily the bad guys…because that would be the Executive-In-Charge of Production.