Major Project - My Role: Producer and Screenwriter

My Role

As discussed in a previous post, we have all decided to continue with our chosen roles. Mine of which being the producer and the screenwriter for the film.

My Role as Producer

For the earlier stages of the term, I will be continuing with my duties in ensuring that everything I have planned for the film goes ahead. This will involve, but is not limited to:

• Communicating with the actors regularly
• Talking with the locations, ensuring everything is still okay
• Organising production meetings with cast and crew
• Ensuring that crew are up to speed on what their duties are

To ensure that each of these tasks are carried out appropriately, there are a number of skills and traits I must use or indeed learn:

• A creative vision
• Problem solving
• Communication skills
• Organisation skills
• Self-motivating as well as motivating others
• Negotiation skills

These are all skills that apply to the pre-production phase alone, and though some may bleed over into the production as well as post-production phase, I must ensure that I am able to appropriately use these skills to help carry forward the production.

It's easy to think that the producers take a back seat during the filming stage of the production, this is indeed not the case. While it will be the director that takes the drivers seat on set, it will be up to me as the producer to ensure that everyone is satisfied and that the cast and crew are making the most out of what they have. I will be there every day to ensure that the production is going smoothly and offer creative suggestions where possible.

What makes my role as the producer particularly vital is the fact that I am there every step of the journey, supervising and ensuring everything is working as it should be, from pre-production through to post-production.

During the final stages of the production, it will be my job to overlook the edit, organise edit screenings, find a music composer (if not done already) and, if necessary, organise reshoots.

My Role as Screenwriter

Having produced 6 drafts of the script already, I felt as though I was in a comfortable position leading into the production phase. Leading up to shoot week, it is important that I frequently update my scripts based on the feedback and suggestions offered by our course leader as well as the cast and crew. My role as the producer will assist me in doing so as I will be able to organise feedback sessions with the crew. By doing this, I can get a better gage as to what the script will sound like and how it will play out. This allows me to write the best possible script for the film.

A relatively small role in comparison to producing, cinematography or directing, my role as the screenwriter will certainly take a bit of a backseat in the latter stages of the production. This does not mean, however, that it ends once filming begins. As a screenwriter, I feel that I have a right to express my creative suggestions with reference to the script should my ideas conflict with the directors. I should also understand that while I am entitled to my own opinion and can express this to the director, I must also allow the director to express his own vision as he sees it.