Jan 29, 2010

The Unsung Heroes of Film-making

I found this interesting article on Screen Daily titled "Producers who actually produce" and I am reminded of how film producers are one of the major unsung heroes of the film-making business.

During my last semester at film school, I learned how difficult it was to coordinate strong, individual minded people to create a film that everyone (including myself) would be happy with. At the very end of this first-time run as a producer, I found myself feeling quite proud of what I'd achieved and what I was capable of doing, although I honestly wasn't happy about the final product.

However, at the end of the day, I found that I was the only one patting myself on the back for the effort I thought I never had, but found for this project, in order to produce the film. When I look back on all the times I had to make quick decisions to meet deadlines, I'm reminded of all the times when I would receive such dirty looks or hear others begin to mock my efforts. No one looks at a film and thinks about how the producer's work - it always seems to be how creative the cinematographer is, and how fancy the costumes look. It really is a difficult job. Nevertheless, it's one that I honestly enjoy.

After reading this article, I can now add this issue of "where are the producers who actually produce" into the list of downsides of being a producer. Another thing is that the producers are often overlooked in today's culture - it's often the director who is the film's representative, yet all they do is 'direct' the film's creative vision while the producer is busy maintaining the budget, keeping the cast and crew happy, licking floors for favours from external companies and organisations, and everything else behind the actual making of a film.

Till then, I might just have to grow a pair of balls to succeed and feel good about myself in this industry as an aspiring producer. I might.

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