Role Research
With our pitch being selected, I was made co-producer alongside Heather Wallbanks and Vicki Chrisofi. A producer holds a key role within the production. The producer liaises with the studio and the production and is the “governing force” (Kellison, 2008) behind the production.
As there are three producers, my role will mainly be focused on the organisational side of things. Some of the responsibilities that I will be conducting will be things like creating call sheets, completing risk assessments, creating to do lists etc. (Screenskills, 2022).
Producers are present throughout the whole process, from pre-production to production and usually have the overall say (Palmer, 2021).
As producers, we will collaboratively be overseeing the interviews, locations and every other aspect of the production, including the cast and crew. The casting and locations will be key for our production, with both of them carrying the production (Glazier, 2022). With the theme of the show being camp, fun, outerspace, the location and cast will be key to letting the theme shine through.
Being a producer, you have to learn to stand your ground whilst also organising a team and collaborating (Palmer, 2021). This is a skill that I will also look to develop throughout this project. I can often struggle to stand my ground when it comes to other people; however, within this project I will be taking on the responsibility of managing others in order to (hopefully) successfully bring the vision of “Cosmic Snatchers” (Potter and Wallbanks, 2022) to life. To achieve this, it will be important to ensure that there is “mutual trust, respect, humour, and a shared vision” (Kellison, 2008), which I will attempt to continue to establish throughout this project.
Multitasking is an important feature of a producer as you’re often having to balance multiple tasks at once whilst thinking quick on your feet in order to solve issues that can arise throughout the whole process, from pre-production to post-production (Kellison, 2008). When producing our live show, it will be important to try and keep on top of things. From reading this, I have learnt that dedicating a certain amount of time to each task each day that needs to be completed, will ensure that I am able to successfully multitask (Glazier, 2022)
Ensuring that there is trust between the producers, cast, and crew is important in helping the production run smoothly. It is important to build a positive rapport and relationship between yourself, as producer, and everyone involved in the production. Due to the importance of this, it will be key to have at least one producer on set at all times and to keep in regular contact with everyone involved in the production (Kellison, 2008). This will enable a (hopefully) positive relationship with everyone involved in the production, display that the cast and crew can rely on the producers, and aid the smooth running of the production.
In addition to being a producer, I am also the production manager, which involves doing the admin for the production and means that I hold responsibility for the day-to-day running of the production (Screenskills, 2022). The role of a production manager is essentially to ensure that the production runs smoothly. In terms of this production, I will be managing things like the budget, helping the locations manager find the locations, aiding the casting team, ensuring that health and safety guidelines are adhered to etc.
However stressful the role of producer and production manager may be, it is important that the process should also be enjoyed (Kellison, 2008). There is not a need for the producer to know how to do everything, which is why it is important to ensure that the producer has a reliable, talented team to do the jobs/help complete the jobs that the producers can’t (Kellison, 2008). When working on the As Live show, it will be important to ensure that the crew and cast work together in order to get the show to the best that it can possibly be.
Through researching the role of a producer and production manager, I feel as though I have a greater understanding of what the role entails and will use the research to develop my production skills both for this unit and in future projects.
Bibliography:
Banijay. (2022) Shows: All Together Now. At: https://www.banijay.com/shows/#show-20 (Accessed 20/01/2022)
Banijay. (2022) Shows: Masterchef. At: https://www.banijay.com/shows/#show-18 (Accessed 20/01/2022)
Glazier, J. (2022) ‘Pitch Feedback’ In: Pitch Feedback Meeting. University for the Creative Arts, Kent. 25/01/2022. (Accessed 25/01/2022)
Kellison, C. (2008) Producing for TV and New Media: A Real-World Approach for Producers. (2nd ed.) London: Taylor and Francis. At: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ucreative-ebooks/detail.action?docID=535177 (Accessed 20/01/2022)
Palmer, B. (2021) How to Become a Film or TV Producer in the UK. At: https://www.backstage.com/uk/magazine/article/how-to-become-a-film-or-tv-producer-in-the-uk-72775/ (Accessed 26/01/2022)
Pottre, E. and Wallbanks, H. (2022) Cosmic Snatchers Pitch. [Kent: University for the Creative Arts 25/01/2022].
Screenskills. (2022) Screenskills Production Coordinator Unscripted TV. At: https://www.screenskills.com/job-profiles/browse/unscripted-tv/production-managment/production-coordinator-unscripted-tv/ (Accessed 25/01/2022)
No comments:
Post a Comment