The Producers

The Wave-inatrix has had the pain/pleasure/fascination and supreme frustration of interacting with not one but four producers in the past two weeks. And Wavers, let me tell you – producers are a sweet and sour combination of personality traits. They are ambitious dreamers looking for the Next Big Thing. Producers don’t see story in the same light that writers do; they view story from a profit-based and ease-of-production point of view. A producer can change your life and get your movie made. But Wavers – oy vey, dealing with them can be like walking in a moon-bounce house.

See, it goes like this: anyone with some money in the bank can call themselves a producer. One producer who shall remain nameless is a very wealthy man who’s decided, late in life to make a movie. He had the story all thought through, he had hired a crew and actors. But there was one problem. There was no script. Which is where the Wave-inatrix entered the picture. I beat out a treatment and met with the producer to discuss writing the actual script. While I argued for the necessity of more than ten days to write said script (feature length, in case you were wondering) the producer mused, in his own parallel conversation with himself, about whether it would be hard to cast the midget and whether it might be cheaper and easier to hire an animal handler and use a chimp. It’s okay Wavers, you can laugh. And this is God’s truth, by the way. The conversation culminated with a impasse; The Wave-inatrix felt that the time constraint was unrealistic and the producer held up a DVD with a blurry and indistinct cover – “See this? I wrote it in one week and it’s *&%$ brilliant.” Which is when the Wave-inatrix wished Little Mussolini well and went on her merry way.

Not all producers are alike but one must be cautious. What is their experience, what is their depth of understanding about story and most importantly how much respect do they have for the writing process? Working with a start-up producer can be an amazing experience for a writer but equally as much it can be a nightmare. Producers are budget and time-minded. While the writer is discussing concerns about the third act and character arcs, the producer’s mind is spinning in multiple directions. The communication gap can be profound.

Wait Wave-inatrix! What about being repped first?! Yes, that’s a better idea. This discussion is aimed at those writers involved in indy fare and who are willing to spin the wheel and be adventurous. Is it better to be repped before dealing with a producer – absolutely. And the Wave-inatrix would rather all Wavers did precisely that. However – there are exceptions and opportunities that might make working with a small, independent producer just the thing for some writers.*

*side effects can include: nausea, bleeding from both ears, experience, a produced indy film and a very small paycheck.

If a producer approaches you about a project of your own or rather, in a writing capacity, first make sure you are on the same page creatively. Wavers, if you think that agents or managers intimidate you – wait until you deal with a producer; they will simultaneously seduce you and put you in a camel clutch with their knee on your back. Make sure they actually do have a budget and a time-frame. And get paid in advance.

God love producers; without them, movies wouldn’t get made. But for sensitive writers, producers can feel overwhelming and intense. More experienced producers have a bit more panache and understand that the story and the writer must be treated with a modicum of respect. Newer, greener producers may move a bit fast and get ahead of themselves. And certainly, there are reasonable producers who fall somewhere in the middle. I have a producer I am currently working in partnership with to bring a script to several major production companies and he is professional, funny, passionate about the material and boy does he do his homework.

Because the Wave-inatrix wishes to have lunch in this town again, she shall refrain from going into detail about some of the other producers but suffice it to say that caution is the order of the day; Wavers if something pings for you, if you feel a producer is going too fast or not quite hearing you or not ponying up the promised funds – better to walk than to allow your project to get hijacked.

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