How Do You Become a Producer?

Let's face it a producer has to wear many hats in order to get a documentary off the ground and completed.

Your Role as a Documentarian:

You are a storyteller. Your job? You must bring people into the heart of that story. You give the story its life force. Every life is unique and every story is unique. Something of great value exists within everyone and can be learned from their story. The only thing that will take you into the heart of the story is your own heart. Come from there and you can’t lose. (It also helps to use the funny bone if appropriate.) The heart of the documentary is a story worth telling. It’s an opportunity to open people’s eyes.

Who are You?

You Have a Compelling Vision

It is your vision which will inspire and guide the whole production from start to finish. You will need to go back to that vision often during the months or years of production to keep your goal fresh and the reason you are doing this documentary foremost in your mind. At the start of your project your energy is high. Your enthusiasm is contagious. When you get well into your production and you lose a role of critical film, someone important quits at the last minute, or you get stuck on a particular scene, it is that glowing vision you began with that will keep you going and on track. That vision must have enough power to carry you through.

You Hire and Direct a Team

You must be the boss and direct the whole thing. Yet, you must be open and allow things to happen. You must never lose control of your vision by someone you hire. Don’t let them argue with you. Remember you are paying them to serve your project.

If you have a good project, people will get excited to work with you and to work on your project with you. Sometimes it means that they will see their own way to do this documentary. You must keep the focus. Allow input if you wish, but keep the control of the documentaries outcome in your hands. That old “too many cooks spoil the soup” thing can ruin a potentially great documentary.

You Are the Producer/Director

The Producer/Director will be your signature when you sign off on your documentary. You must be able to inspire others to want to join you. It will be up to you to pull your documentary together and keep it moving. It will be your vision. You are the one ultimately responsible for that vision. A good director gives the gift of his/her vision to the team but doesn’t lose sight of it.

Even though you are the producer and director, you’ll most likely wear a lot of hats. On most of my documentaries I was producer/director/writer/editor. As I learned some new task I just kept adding on titles. I’ve recently added “ composer.” You can add as many roles as you are capable of but start off with confidence. Then whatever role you play as a filmmaker will be better.

You Are the Decision Maker

Get used to it. Each day on your production you will have to make hundreds or more decisions. Those decisions are not all going to be perfect. So what? Each decision moves your production further along. So start making decisions.

You Are the Expert

Choose your topic carefully. You will become an expert in whatever you do a documentary on because you will have to learn it inside and out to be able to do a documentary on it.

Your first documentary could even be the next “Blair Witch Project” or “March of the Penguins” and the world would be poorer without having your vision and your documentary.

If you’re not already the expert, you can make yourself the expert. You could have a really good idea for a story. Let’s say you decide to do a story about people and their pets. You could just go to a park and interview people with their pets. Or just go walk someplace and find someone walking their dog. Ask them questions. As you do that, you will find out even more about your story. Sometimes you will find your story will take a completely different angle than what you thought your theme was. That’s where the magic comes in. That’s where you can create something really wonderful.

There are so many ways to make yourself the expert. If you are passionate about your project, that is a great start.

When you do your research you aren’t just doing it for your documentary, you are also doing it for your promotion of your documentary. When you get to that stage, if you are seen as an expert, your documentary will be that much more successful and credible.

I had no idea I would become an expert on life stories. But I made one and made it really well. Then I did another and another. My Hero column focused on life lessons. Then I did another column taking a slightly different angle on the same topic. Voila. That’s how I became an expert on telling people’s stories. You are an expert on something. Use that knowledge and talent of yours.

You Are a Relationship Builder

Almost every documentary that gets finished does so because of the relationships the producer/director has built to make that documentary. You will need to be or become an excellent relationship builder. It’s how you will get your crew, your locations, your equipment (and better deals on it) and the many elements your documentary will require. Let’s face it. People like to work with people who are nice as well as competent and professional.

To Recap: A Producer...

• Gets the money to fund the documentary

• Resposible for hiring

• Gets the whole project moving

• Is ultimately responsible for the entire productiom

• Oversees the finances of the documentary

• Coordinates all elements of the documentary

• Finds distribution for the documentary

• Is the ultimate "boss" and decision maker on the film

Get out your hats and start producing!