Creative Production
Becoming a “Producer” is a trip. The role means so many different things to different people and there’s no well-defined description of the position nor a universally accepted criteria for what makes a “good” producer. There’s also a notion that the skills to be a producer can’t be taught - that you can only truly learn to be a producer by learning as you go. Truth is, most producers are simply too busy doing to really think about and reflect on how they’re producing and articulating their methods others.
As a thinker and a doer, I’ve come to realize is that “Producer” is just code for “Project Manager with a specialty”. For me, that means I’m managing projects with a focus and expertise in Music and Audio in video and films. As far as a framework, I’ve come up with a model that highlights 4 attributes I believe all producers should have at least some skill in…
Organizability | being meticulous in collecting and sorting assets, information and the steward in managing budget and schedules
it’s the most fundamental attribute any Producer or Project Manager should have
Technicality | knowing processes and tools that will most effectively and efficiently produce elements to build the creative
whether the driver or a facilitator, a specialty in a specific technical process or tool is what sets a Producer a part from a Project Manager
Interpersonal-ity | communicating well and being mindful of both the practical and emotional needs of yourself and those you’re working with to promote their best as individuals and achieve the best product for the production
this to me is often what helps make you someones “favorite Producer”
yes, I made up a word.
Creativity | finding and exploring ideas in the production process that support, push, and elevate the storytelling
in most environments, the creative responsibilities lie solely on the shoulders of the Writers, Artists and Directors. The addition of “Creative” in a Producer title is earned in doing all the primary jobs expected of a producer, yet still finding space to contribute in the development of ideas and helping the team adapt as production hurdles arise so that the core concepts prevails in spite of limitations
How much one employs any of these attributes varies project to project based on what’s required, but on a fundamental level these are the things I look to bring to the table on any job I’m producing.
Music Supervision
Music is arguably the most subjective art of any of the arts. It’s all about feeling and people’s receptors are tuned so differently based on their personal preferences and past associations. And yet, in the realm of music sync to film, music is the tool used to help level set how people experience a film, calibrating the audience to a shared perception and reaction to what’s happening on screen from scene to scene.
There are so many parts in the make up of music that contribute to what you’re hearing and feeling when you’re listening, and how to think about all that in context and relation to the many visual elements of a film can seem like an impossible task. On top of all that, whether you’re a virtuoso or barely a casual listener, it’s hard to find language that accurately describes what elements in a piece of music are making you feel.
Whether reworking an existing piece of music or scoring something original to picture from scratch, there’s a basis I follow that’s simple yet effective enough to help translate the needs of music in film.
Structure | the sequencing of the different sections of a music track
beginning, middle, end - it’s thinking about the order from moment to moment in a film’s edit and how the different sections of a music track relate to it
Tone | how a music track as a whole, or its parts at any given instance, make you feel
uplifted, suspenseful, reflective, bright, spicy - it’s thinking about the specific reactions you’re trying to garner from the collections of elements of music in relation to the film
Cadence | how the tone of a music track travels through the structure
slowly, uptempo, rigidly, swinging, arhythmically - music by nature implies movement; it can’t be static. A film is a “moving picture” and the motion is why they works so well together. Thinking about cadence is thinking about the how the music moves.
Regardless what style/genre or how long a piece needs to be, these are the things I’m THINKING about when figuring out what I need music to DO.