The Strategic Producer

The Strategic Producer

by Federico Arditti Muchnik
Released June 2016
Publisher(s): Routledge
ISBN: 9781317301868

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Book description

Today’s technologies and economic models won’t settle for a conventional approach to filmmaking.　The Strategic Producer: On the Art and Craft of Making Your First Feature combines history, technology, aesthetics, data, decision-making strategies, and time-tested methods into a powerful new approach to producing.　An ideal text for aspiring filmmakers, The Strategic Producer orients the reader’s mind-set towards self-empowerment by sharing essential and timeless techniques producers need to get the job done while also embracing the constantly evolving production landscape.

- Written in clear, succinct, and non-technical prose.

- Includes six sidebar in depth interviews with industry professionals providing additional perspectives.

- Clearly presented line drawings help readers quickly understand complex ideas like production timelines, story structure, and business models.

- Includes samples from key documents such as script pages, budgets, shooting schedules, and business plans for potential investors.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Half Title
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright Page
  5. Table of Contents
  6. Acknowledgments
  7. Introduction
  8. Part 1 Back Story
    1. 1 History
    2. 2 Story
      1. The Artistic Impulse
      2. Why Stories
      3. Oral to Visual Storytelling
    3. 3 Working the Material
      1. Suspension of Disbelief
      2. Character
      3. Suspense, Surprise, and Mystery
      4. Originality
    4. 4 Writing the Script
      1. Elements and Structure of the Script
      2. Style
  9. Part 2 Getting to Work
    1. 5 Development
      1. The Producer/Director Relationship
      2. Proof of Concept
      3. Sidebar: Interview with Piotr Reisch, Producer
    2. 6 Money
      1. The Producer–Investor Relationship
      2. What Do Investors Want?
      3. The Business Entity
      4. Investor Sources
      5. Your Money
      6. No Budget Filmmaking and the Compilation Film
    3. 7 Preproduction
      1. Sidebar: Interview with Brian Falk, Producer
      2. The Casting Session
      3. Location Scouting
      4. Shooting on a Soundstage
      5. Hiring People
      6. Sidebar: Interview with Michael Bowes, Producer
      7. Budget
      8. Scheduling
    4. 8 Production
      1. Camera Setups and Block/Light/Shoot
      2. Directing Actors
      3. Working with the Crew
      4. Meals and Breaks
      5. Common Problems
      6. End of Production
    5. 9 Post-production
      1. Workflow and Story Structure
      2. Sidebar: Interview with Anne McCabe, A.C.E., Editor
      3. Test Screenings and Finishing the Film
      4. Deliverables
    6. 10 The Marketplaces: History, Deal Structures, Distribution, Exhibition, and Film Festivals
      1. What Distributors Want
      2. Deal Structures
      3. Sidebar: Interview with Francois Yon, distributor
      4. Film Festivals
      5. Sidebar: Interview with Larry Jackson, producer’s rep.
      6. The Larger Distribution Landscape
      7. In Closing
  10. Appendix: The Business Plan
  11. Index

Product information

  • Title: The Strategic Producer
  • Author(s): Federico Arditti Muchnik
  • Release date: June 2016
  • Publisher(s): Routledge
  • ISBN: 9781317301868