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. 

So the guy says"But can you play the part of a Mom"?

 Earlier this week I was looking for some extra ways to make some quick cash.  So I opened up Craigslist and found an ad that titled "Actor's/Commercial" for those of you who may not know,  I was a Professional Actress.  (My IMDb page http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0340565/) It has been a while since I've been in front of the Camera.  I'm sure I'll be a bit rusty.  And while I prefer to work behind the scenes now, I'm still relying on the 3 years of studying at the Actor's Workshop in Royal Oak, Michigan and the 1/2 year at Second City in Detroit, to get me through the audition. 
So with all that talent and experience I applied.  Not really knowing what they were looking for, I did what any other professional would do.  I sent them my head shots, (thanks to Lucie Aleks of Studio Moonlight who just helped me update those old pics) my resume and a quick few lines of how I found them. I then requested more details.
Much to my surprise I got an email back the next day asking for a demo reel.  Apparently they wanted to see me in action.  I didn't have a demo reel of myself.  However, I did send them an MP3 of my Radio Talk Show "Tire Kickers Radio" (for those of you who didn't know I'm a Radio Personality as well).  Shortly after sending them this file I got the call from the producer.  I'm not sure if it was my Jolting Smile or my Golden Pipes that sold them but he called and asked me a very important question.
He asked me with a very stern, deep voice "So can you play a mom"?
For those of you who didn't know I'm also a mom of a beautiful 24 year old daughter,.  I said with confidence "I'm pretty sure, I can do that".
  So if you are reading this you're reading the words of the next spokesperson for a new coupon that will have me acting in the video's.  I'll post the first video as soon as it's done.  
Can I play a Mom?  Scheeeesh!




 

A little PR goes a long way...Written by Eve and Maureen of EveGreyProductions

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CEO Eve Grzadzinski of EveGreyProductions L.L.C., (formerly Co-Producer of the John Kerwin Show and Ashley Olson’s Stunt person), saw a need in San Diego for a full service Videography Company that would allow clients to incorporate Hollywood calibre video into their businesses without spending the money of a Hollywood Production.

Eve accessed her extensive network of film professionals and has a formidable collection of 9 Cinematographers, 4 Editors and 4 Associate Producers to do your bidding.  Her team is experienced and will craft the video that will get your business the internet presence it needs to stay competitive and capture a much larger  market share than businesses not using video marketing.