Commission: Producing

GOV.UK defines being a producer as managing "the production process from start to finish, organising people and resources." After this project I can completely agree with that; I have had to see every single detail for this project from start to finish. It was therefore important for me to plan myself what my duties may include so I can tick this off. When researching what it is to be a producer I came across the 'National Career Service' and in the job profiles 'producer' came up. It gave a list of the included duties which are as follows:
  • deciding which projects to produce, or creating programme ideas yourself 
  • reading scripts 
  • securing the rights for books or screenplays, or negotiating with writers to produce new screenplays 
  • identifying sources of funding and raising finances 
  • working out what resources are needed 
  • checking and approving locations 
  • pitching to television broadcasters to commission your programme 
  • planning filming schedules 
  • hiring staff, cast and crew 
  • managing cash flow 
  • making sure the production stays on schedule and within budget 
  • working with marketing companies and distributors
In terms of programme ideas the entire responsibility rested on my shoulders. Whilst I found it useful generating ideas form the brief and other people, responsibility lied at my door, so it was solely up to me what ideas passed. This meant I also had to be strict on myself and realistic with my budget. "Without an agreed budget, you will not be in any position to start making proposals and decisions about scheduling"(Production Management for Television, Leslie Mitchell). Given I have a budget of £0, my job is in many ways more difficult. 




References 

Production Management for Television
By Leslie Mitchell


https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/job-profiles/tv-or-film-producer#entry-requirements

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