“If no Producer, no movie.” — Dino De Laurentiis

A Producer’s journey in moviemaking begins even before the project starts and stays till the completion of the project. Right from the inception of the idea and the selection of the script, to coordinating, writing, directing, editing and arranging finances — a Producer is involved in each stage of the filmmaking process and takes charge to bring the project to fruition.-It all begins with the Producer; his key role early on is to develop the material to get it ready for production, following which he secures the rights and hires key team members for the project.-But why are there multiple names of Producers on your movie posters and end credits? That’s because there are different types of Producers, represented by 5 opening title credits.-Let’s take you through the 5 types of Producers who are integral to the filmmaking process:

1. Producer

A Producer is a visionary — a specialist who comes in with an idea and is involved through each stage of the overall production process, from inception to completion. His role includes coordination, supervision and controlling the finances of the project. He is responsible for hiring and managing the key team members for a successful film, including writers, directors, talent, heads of department, key crew. A Producer can oversee, arrange, manage, and begin every single aspect of the production process.

2. Executive Producer

An Executive Producer’s role is a varied one, depending on the scope and type of the project. In the Indian Film Industry, an Executive Producer’s major contributions are either to be a part of the project from a creative supervision perspective to secure and source funds, or to help in boosting sales and marketing. He is also responsible for maintaining the creative vision, the financial plan and completion of the project on time. In Television, his role is towards supervising both, creative and financial aspects, and is accountable for the quality of the project as well. In most cases, the individual or company that invests the funds into the project is often credited as the Producer, while the responsibility of executing the funds in the right manner is given to the Executive Producer.

3. Co-Producer

A Co-Producer jointly performs with another producer on a film set to assist with finances, post-production and other high-level tasks. His role includes overseeing the project from development to post-production. In cases where 100 per cent of the funding in not secured prior to the beginning of the film, a Co-Producer plays a role towards dispersing of funds at various stages of the project. This could be either through cash or his personal involvement, providing equipment or any other service that the film may need.

4. Line Producer

Once your funding is secure, your next step as a Producer is to appoint a Line Producer. He is usually right beneath the executive producer to assist him through various stages of filmmaking. His key role is to manage all operations in the pre-production, production and post-production stages, including overseeing the daily production. He also acts as a link between the crew and higher-level producers.

5. Associate Producer

As your project moves forward, you will collaborate with various people and in return you need to credit each one of them. An Associate Producer title is given to anyone who contributes to the making of the film by performing under the supervision of another Producer and is often used as a token of respect in return for his service or favour towards the film. His role varies from coordinating set construction, supervising lights and sound plans, editing scripts and so on, depending on the requirements of your project.

Other Related Blogs