What’s the job?
Generally, producers will come up through the ranks as Runners, Production Assistants or Researchers, eventually to fill one of a number of production jobs:

Assistant producer
The assistant producer is the producer’s right hand, responsible for maintaining the lines of communication between the producer and the production crew. Good people skills are paramount in this role, as the assistant producer is the messenger most people want to shoot.

Production manager
The Production Manager (aka The Unit Manager) is responsible for the administrative side of Production, such as booking cast, crew, equipment, catering, and transport, in accordance with the instructions of the producer and the assistant producer.

Producer
The lynch pin of any production. More important than anyone else, including the director, the producer is responsible for:

• ideas and their realisation
• project management
• the crew
• finances

It’s a powerful position to be in and can be pretty stressful because, if things go terribly wrong, you’re to blame. On the other hand, if you get nominated for an award, it’s your baby.

Executive producer
In television, the executive producer is the head honcho responsible for commissioning the programme in the first place. Generally, they will be the head of a department with responsibility for a number of programmes. They need to be able to get the right staff to do the right programme at the right time.

Why do it?
It’s an exciting job, involving ideas and how to package them for specific audiences. The money can be pretty good, particularly if you’re on a percentage of the box office!

Getting started
Would-be producers often begin life as runners or as part of the production office. (see Key Grip and Juicer for more details).

Qualifications
These days most producers are highly qualified. A degree in any discipline will stand you in good stead; there are also numerous HND courses in ‘Media Production’ offered at colleges and universities throughout the UK. (See Links for details.)

Training
The BBC runs Production Trainee programmes; see Links for details on applying.

‘Skillset’, the national television and film training organisation funded by the industry and the government, oversee a number of NVQ-based training schemes for people starting out in television and film, including:

• Cyfle run one and two year NVQ-based training courses in Production (Level 3 & 4), and Production Research (Level 3).
• FT2 run one and two year NVQ-based courses in Production Research (Level 3), Production (Level 2), and Production (Level 3).
• Skillset oversee a Level 5 NVQ in Production.

For more details about ‘Skillset’, ‘Cyfle’, and ‘FT2’, see Y is for Why?

Future Prospects
Make your way up the greasy ladder to become a top producer and the film and television world can be your oyster. But be under no illusions: it’s a difficult, demanding, dirty profession, with very few second chances.