B) Scan the article and check your ideas.

The Director/Producer relationship

1. The relationship between the producer and the director is an extremely important one in the making of a successful picture. Ideally, the producer is the first person on the project. He / She is the one who finds what they feel is a bankable idea or script and presents it to the studio or director. Although the producer appears to play a crucial role in getting a picture made, the studio does not necessarily believe so. As a matter of fact, the producer is paid far less than the director of the film, and is not a big consideration when deciding whether a film receives the “green light” (the go-ahead for a film to be made) or not. Due to this, one of the greatest tasks of the producer is to find a director that is affordable and acceptable to the studio.

2. There are a handful of directors that are considered “bankable”, meaning that many studios are more than happy to have them on a project because of the almost guaranteed success the film will have with their name attached. Among these are such names as Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Oliver Stone, and James Cameron. However, not every director can direct every type of film, no matter how talented or accredited he is. The producer must take into high consideration how the director relates to the particular project in mind. A great deal of persistence and enthusiasm in the project are once again key roles the producer must play in trying to bring a director to the project.

3. As the preproduction process begins, the director and the producer should work closely together and collaborate about how the production process and the entire scope of the film should take place. From the start, the director and the producer should have a shared vision of the picture. If the director goes into the project with the agenda of making a film that will promote or benefit his status then the film is bound for disaster.

The producer and the director must share a common goal; to make a picture that they both believe in. It is inevitable that there will be an overlap of interests and responsibilities between both players, and they should discuss these areas and try to figure out the most effective way to deal with them. The producer and director should work closely together while deciding on the cast and crew, as well as location scouting and a lot of groundwork in preproduction.

4. During the production process, the producer is very helpful because they can be present in areas that the director is not. While the director is busy with their specific duties such as filming, the producer can be dealing with the studio, supervising crew members and their work, handling the press, etc. The producer is also extremely helpful to the director in providing an objective point of view on the film as the process moves along.

5. It should be considered helpful to the director for the producer to look at the dailies and be objective as to what they see. As the picture begins to take shape, the producer’s objective point of view will help to siphon out minor discrepancies that may plague the film in the future if not corrected. Often the director and others, who spend countless hours daily with eyes glued to the camera lens, miss the discrepancies. The point of view of the producer may pertain to both the performance and the technical aspects of the film.