Movie Production 101: What is a Producer
The best place to start talking about film and movie production is to break down what exactly a film producer does, including a secret that every aspiring producer should know that will guarantee getting your first feature film made.
The Academy Awards defines a producer as someone who “played a major role in originating the projects on which they have received credit,” and this is important because it is the producers who receive the Oscar for Best Picture.
In layman’s terms, and especially for independent filmmaking, the producer is the person(s) who take the project from start to finish. They are involved in every aspect of getting the film made, from initial idea to distribution. And on indie movies, the producer usually wears multiple hats – so they will most likely be also a writer or director of the project.
On my feature film, TORN, I was the Producer and Director, and the other producer on the project was the writer. Many different people were vital to making the film, but at the end of the day, it was the two of us who shepherded the film from start to finish.
Telling Your Story: The Material
So, how do you get started producing a feature film? Well, it begins with finding a story that you want to tell.
The story could be an original one, based upon a real-life event, or maybe you’re adapting a book or a magazine article. It doesn’t matter where it comes from, but in my opinion, it needs to meet two main criteria, and it has to meet BOTH of these criteria for it to be worthy of all the time and effort it takes to make a feature film.
1) You’ve got to be passionate about it.
Don’t pick a story idea because you think it’s commercial or will sell. Pick an idea you feel connected to and are passionate about telling in film.
2) It’s got to be a good idea.
Now, how do you know if something is a good idea? Great question! The best way to find this out is to tell people you trust about your idea and see how they react.
If they get excited hearing about your idea and say things like, “That’s a great idea,” or “I’d love to see a film like that,” then you know it’s probably a good idea. However, if the reactions you get from people are just lukewarm or polite, or if people say something like, “Oh yeah, I think I saw a film about that,”…then it’s probably not a good idea, and you should move on to another idea.
The hard truth is that you will likely work on this movie for a couple of years, so make sure it’s a story you want to tell.
The Film Rights
Once you’ve found your good idea, ensure you have the film rights to it. If it’s your original story idea, this isn’t a problem. If you’re licensing a book or magazine article, you will have to contact the author and negotiate the rights.
There are two ways to do this: option the rights or buy the rights.
Option the Rights
When you option the rights, you typically pay less money, but you only “own” the rights for a limited amount of time, usually one year, with an option to renew for a 2nd year. This puts a timeline for raising the money, writing the script, and making the movie. It’s less of a commitment, but it’s also riskier.
Buy the Rights
When you buy the rights, you will pay more upfront but own the movie rights forever. The risk you take is that the film never gets made, and you’ve spent a bunch of money. However, the opposite can also occur, and the movie rights could become a considerable windfall.
That’s what happened to the famous producer Saul Zaentz. Now, Zaentz was well known for his ability to find great film projects, as his 3 Oscars for Best Picture attests to.
In 1976, he bought the movie rights to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit book series from United Artists, who’d purchased them directly from Tolkien 8 years earlier. At the time, the books were thought to be unproducible as movies, and the first animated version, produced by Zaentz in 1978, wasn’t a big hit, but of course, many decades later, when Peter Jackson made the live-action versions, it became a mega-hit.
Figuring Out Your Audience
You’ve secured the rights to your great idea. The next step you need to take is figuring out who your potential audience is and how you plan to reach them. So there are two questions you’re trying to answer: Who will pay to see your film, and what type of distribution method are you planning to use?
I think one of the best ways to figure this out at this stage is to find one or two comparable movies or comps and research who their audience was and how they reached them.
For independent filmmakers, focusing on a niche audience is important because you won’t have the marketing budget to reach a mainstream audience.
I’d love to hear in the comments below your thoughts on this, and if you know your comps, I’d love to hear what they are.
Budgeting for Your Film
The next big picture item you must figure out is your budget, which is the secret I teased at the blog’s beginning, because raising money is usually one of the most complex parts of making a feature film.
When you’re thinking about the budget for your film, the secret to getting your first feature film made is to ask yourself one simple question – How much money do I think I can raise? And be honest with yourself.
This number is different for everyone. It could be $5K, or $20K, or perhaps you’re confident you can raise $100K or more. Whatever your number is, that should be the budget for your movie.
Of course, this means it has to align with the story you’re trying to tell. A $20K budget will leave little room for a huge cast, stunt work, or exotic locations, but don’t let that stop you. With limitations comes creativity, which can lead to really terrific filmmaking.
Movie Production 101: Getting Started
Now that you know the importance of being a producer, you can start producing your feature film.
If you are serious about a career in the film industry, San Francisco Film School offers multiple degrees and certificate programs to get you started!