Hollywood movies, television shows, and YouTube videos all have one thing in common: they start with a "big" idea. The producer takes that idea and brings it to the screen. The more complicated the project, the more skills a producer needs. Today, technology makes it easier for more people to take on the role of producer. Digital cameras, smartphones, and the internet help students and others produce their own videos. This book describes the production process and includes advice from industry experts, teachers, and young professionals to help students complete their projects successfully and safely while developing valuable skills that help build great careers in other fields.
Producing for TV and New Media provides a comprehensive look at the role of the "Producer in television and new media. At the core of every media project there is a Producer who provides a wide array of creative, technical, financial, and interpersonal skills. Written especially for new and aspiring producers, this book looks at both the Big Picture and the essential details of this demanding and exhilarating profession. A series of interviews with seasoned TV producers who share their real-world professional practices provides rich insight into the complex billion-dollar industries of television and new media. This type of practical insight is not to be found in other books on producing. This new edition now covers striking developments in new media, delivery systems, the expansion of the global marketplace of media content.
Imre Horvath, producer of 60 Minutes, was asked how to get to talk to inaccessible people: "People that are busy...are scheduled tight...it's at 5:00 and 6:00 that they're back in their office to unwind...there's a kind of resonance or sympathy that springs up. "Oh, you're still in your office too?" Twenty-two interviews feature the producers or creators of Mister Rogers, Highway Patrol, Sea Hunt, The Cisco Kid, The Tonight Show, Rockford Files, Falcon Crest, Gunsmoke, Family Feud, and Roots, among others. These people offer opinions on the producer's role, the creation and packaging of different program genres, getting the best from the production team, tips for success, and of course personalities and personal moments. Honest and intelligent, these interviews give the reader a fascinating view of the industry.
A revealing guide to a career as a film producer written by acclaimed author Boris Kachka and based on the real-life experiences of award-winning producers—required reading for anyone considering a path to this profession. At the center of every successful film is a producer. Producers bring films to life by orchestrating the major players—screenwriters, directors, talent, distributors, financiers—to create movie magic. Bestselling author and journalist Boris Kachka shadows award-winning producers Fred Berger and Michael London and emerging producer Siena Oberman as movies are pitched, financed, developed, shot, and released. Fly between Los Angeles and New York, with a stop in Utah at the Sundance Film Festival, for a candid look at this high-stakes profession. Learn how the industry has changed over the decades—from the heyday of studios to the reign of streaming platforms. Gain insight and wisdom from these masters’ years of experience producing films, from the indie darlings Sideways and Milk to Academy Award–winning blockbusters like La La Land. Here is how the job is performed at the highest level.
Media Production is an introductory guide to radio, TV and film production techniques. Illuminating the step by step process from conception to delivery, from the initial brainstorms, through planning, research and editing, this book creates a guided structure to help students learn about media production. Aimed at those producing radio, film or TV productions for the first time, this book offers relevant advice which takes account of the context in which students work and the type of equipment available to them. Supported by online resources, this textbook provides templates, notes and exercises to help students prepare for their own productions, as well as a video and audio library showcasing techniques, interviews and behind the scenes industry footage.
This volume brings together a range of voices from across the global environmental media community to build a comparative international set of perspectives on ‘green’ film and television production. Through this, it provides a necessary intervention in environmental media studies that actively foregrounds media infrastructure, production, policy, and labour – that is, the management and practice of media production cultures. Due to its immense sociocultural influence and economic resources, the global screen media industry is at the forefront of raising awareness for the political and social issues resulting from accelerated environmental instability. However, the 21st century relationship between screen media and the environment has another face that demands urgent scrutiny. The advent of the digital age and the vast electrical and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) infrastructures required to support digital production, distribution, and archiving has resulted in the rapid expansion and diversification of the industry’s resource use, infrastructure construction, energy dependency, and consequent waste and emissions production. Addressing these structures is essential to alleviating their environmental and social impact and ensuring that the industry’s rhetoric on environmental responsibility is reflected in its practice. As a mitigating counterbalance to the above trends, there has been a heightenedpush for sustainability measures along various lines of industry management, policy, and practice. These initiatives—including the cultural values they reflect, the political economies that form their logic, the managerial and marketing tactics that orchestrate them, and the environmental realities of their implementation—form the central object of inquiry for this collection.
This volume offers an up-to-date analysis of film and television co-production in Europe. It brings together the voices of policy professionals, industry practitioners and media industry scholars to trace the contours of a complex practice that is of increasing significance in the global media landscape. Analysis of the latest production statistics sits alongside interviews with producers and the critical evaluation of public film policies. The volume incorporates contributions from representatives of major public institutions—Eurimages, the European Audiovisual Observatory and the European Commission—and private production companies including the pan-European Zentropa Group. Policy issues are elucidated through case studies including the Oscar-winning feature film Ida, the BAFTA-winning I am not a Witch and the Danish television serial Ride Upon the Storm. Scholarly articles span co-development, co-distribution and regional cinemas as well as emerging policy challenges such as the digital single market. The combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches, and the juxtaposition of industry and scholarly voices, provides a unique perspective on European co-production that is information-rich, complex and stimulating, making this volume a valuable companion for students, scholars, and industry professionals.
The Producer's Business Handbook provides a model for making a successful business of independent filmmaking. It will give you a comprehensive understanding of the business of entertainment and supply you with the information and tools you'll need to successfully engage all related aspects of global production and exploitation. The handbook also provides a global orientation to the relationships that the most successful producers have with the various participants in the motion picture industry. This includes how producers direct their relationships with domestic and foreign studios, agencies, attorneys, talent, completion guarantors, banks, and private investors. It provides a thorough orientation to operating production development and single purpose production companies, from solicitation of literary properties through direct rights sales, and the management of global distribution relationships. Also presented is an in-depth discussion of the team roles needed to operate these companies, as well as how to attach and direct them. For those outside of the US, this book also includes information about how to produce successful films without government funding. This edition has been updated to include comprehensive information on the internal greenlighting process, government financing, and determining actual cost-of-money. It includes new simplified project evaluation tools, expediting funding and distribution. Together with its companion CD-ROM, which contains valuable forms and spreadsheets; tutorials; and samples, this handbook presents both instruction and worksheet support to independent producers at all levels of experience.
