Like, do they only have influence in marketing or something?
In: 3
If you’ve ever wondered why there isn’t an Academy Award for Best Producer, that’s because it’s called Best Picture. Basically the producer is in charge of the whole production. How much they get involved varies a lot. Some producers are very hands on, some delegate a lot.
At a minimum, the producer is responsible for deciding what movie gets made to begin with, negotiating the rights to it if it’s going to be an adapted work, hiring key personnel such as the writer and director, and most importantly arranging financing. Even a major studio like Disney or Sony doesn’t have the cashflow to fund all their movies so big budget movies generally have to be financed through a bank.
Some producers mostly stick to the business side of things and don’t get too involved with creative decisions. Other producers are much more hands on creatively. For example, a surprising number of people don’t know that *The Nightmare Before Christmas* wasn’t directed by Tim Burton. However, it was produced by Tim Burton and it’s easy to see his fingerprints on the film. Likewise, films produced by Jerry Bruckheimer all have a similar feel regardless of who is directing.
Although people tend to think of the director as being in charge, ultimately the buck stops with the producer, not the director. However, a lot of the more well known directors are actually producer-directors. Most of Christopher Nolan’s movies list Christopher Nolan and his wife Emma Thomas as producers.
Latest Answers