What The Heck Does the Producer Do?

I always love the fact that people question my job title.  If you aren't in the business you may be wondering the same question.  What the heck does the producer do?

  I wish there was an easy way to answer this question. Producer's are technically the Architect of the project,  they find the Construction workers who build the house and then make sure the house gets built.

Depending on what capacity of Production, TV vs. Film vs. Video there are different Production Jobs with varying titles.  From Executive Producers to Production Assistants, job descriptions can change drastically.  The smaller the production the more Hats and Tasks the producer will have.   For the use of this blog we will refer to Commercial Production.

People always assume that I'm going to show up with my camera and shoot the commercial.  Not to say that there aren't Camera Operators who are also Producers.  There are a lot of them.  However,  I'm not the one you want shooting your Commercial.  I will hire the one who is best for your budget, who is able to obtain the look that you want to achieve,  and make your life easier in the process.

Why would you hire a Producer if the Camera Guy produces as well?  Why not go through the yellow pages and contact all the Videographers you can,  review all their demo reels, negotiate their pricing after spending 20 hours of discussing your projects birth, conception and delivery of your commercial.

Then after you have wrote your script with the Camera Operator, you can also be sure to do all the scheduling, and hiring the crew, you will have to contract with them and be sure you know all the details of the project.  The producer helps you select your Camera Operator, they are able to communicate with the crew in both the technical terms and then relay the message to you so that you can understand it without going to film school.  The Producer makes your life easier by managing your project for you.  They know the camera people and their skill levels.  They know which Editors are capable of telling  your story with the best skills.  They keep the project on target and ensure deadlines.  The producer looks out for the integrity of the project and has the  Executive Producer (the customer) best interest at all times.

If you hire a production crew to do your Commercial, you are the one with the money and therefore are the boss.  Everyone else works for you including the Producer.  So What the heck does the Producer do? The Producer makes your life easier and ensures that your project is delivered and that you are happy with the results.   You deal with one person and delegate the responsibilities to them.  They in turn will handle the rest.

Making videos can be fun, easy and can get you great results.  If you were going to build a house you would hire a contractor.  Think of a producer as the same.