How to Become a Film Producer (part 1)

Every film, large or small, needs a producer to ensure that the project is completed. While the role of the producer is usually standalone, it is often also combined with other roles on set—making director-producers, writer-producers or even actor-producers commonplace. But beyond finances what does a producer even do?

Film producers are responsible for all the finances and management that go on behind the scenes. That means everything from securing funds and finding a cast and crew to daily problem-solving on set and ensuring a film gets distributed. Because of this they’re often working with a film for the longest—often longer than the film’s director—making them perhaps the single most important role in getting a film made.

Due to the large amount of paperwork involved in film production, you may want to join FilmQi which provides some great tools to help you get on top of that paperwork early.

Let’s take a look at how you can become a film producer. To keep things simple, let’s home in on the example of a commercial—with the knowledge that these ideals can all be generalised outwards to most styles of film production.

Part I: Finding and Refining the Project

There are a thousand and one ways that projects can come to you: whether they be personal, historical, contextual, job-related or the result of being approached by a company/individual. After the initial spark of finding the project, it’s important to refine it to clarify exactly what it is you are going to make.

For our example, say you’ve been approached by a company to advertise their product. You now need to get a general idea of what direction the project will go in—will it be an explainer, an advert based on emotion or something new?

Here it’s worth studying the market and your target audience, to ensure that your project will be attractive to the target audience while also standing out from the crowd.

Part II: Securing a Budget

For a commercial, you’re likely to be pulling your budget directly from the commissioning company or brand. But if you are coming into the project without financial support, securing a budget can be a huge hurdle.

Before approaching any funding source, it’s important to know exactly how you’re going to spend every part of the fund supplied—otherwise you’re unlikely to be trusted with the money. So, this is the time to pull up spreadsheets, and making a whole load of calculations.

There are plenty of ways to secure a budget including: approaching studios directly, applying for grants and support from film festivals, crowdfunding or finding private sources.

Check out this video to get an impression on how we produce a corporate video.

Part III: Pre-Production

After securing the budget, you can embark on one of the most exciting parts of the project: bringing together the team. After which you will need to work closely with the department leads in order to ensure all the necessary equipment, locations, staff and assets are obtained before the shoot.

Then it’ll be up to you to finalise a shooting schedule.

Fortunately, these tasks are made easy with the tools available at FilmQi. In the “Marketplace” you can easily locate professional cast and crew to help out on your production, while the platform’s shooting schedule tools help to make the process of pre-production a breeze.

Part IV: Production

While the producer is essential throughout production, if the pre-production went smoothly, production days should be relatively calm for a producer. That said, you should always be ready to take on new challenges that arise throughout the process—be it the need for more time, extra equipment or if any accidents do take place on set.

Part V: Post-Production and Beyond

Entering the world of post-production, it is now your responsibility to ensure that all the goals of the project are met. Say you were going for a funny commercial aimed at teens—it’s up to you to ensure that those jokes land and help increase brand sales.

Then you’ll need to get the film seen—which, in the case of a commercial, means getting the advert aired in relevant places, on TV and/or online. In the case of a film, these final steps will likely be undertaken over a number of months, seeing you submit to film festivals, secure a theatrical/online release and having physical media printed.

And, finally, it’s your responsibility to make sure that the film turns a profit.

How to Become a Producer

Well, the question still stands—how do you become a producer amid the contemporary sea of media? Fortunately, you’re now pretty well equipped to get going. Of course, you may need to start small with personal/peer projects, commercials for local businesses or music videos. But with a few projects under your belt, and a tonne of motivation, you’ll be able to push through the crowd.

As an aspiring producer, you’re also in luck that your profession is on that is sought after by many in the film industry—meaning you’ll soon be hot property.

One more thing. A process is essential for every producer. In this video we explain why you need a process