The Rules Of Producing Have Significantly Changed

Eight New Rules To Add To The Prior Three

“It’s a metaphor”

In 2013, I refocused my professional efforts away from primarily producing because I felt I could not in good faith believe I would deliver on what I consider the three first rules of producing:

1.          Make the best movie possible within the required constraints. Make it great.

2.          Make sure all participants are compensated fairly for their contribution and risk.

3.          Deliver the impact the film deserves. 

The business had shrunk and the industry was reducing budgets and ambition. There was no way to release a film without spending so much on marketing that that cost alone had changed what could get made and reduced the chances of new work ever launching. Our industry needed to be rebuilt.  Streaming seemed to arrive at the perfect time, and my hope was reborn. Little did I suspect….

By 2020, my new hopes had been all but crushed. There still seemed to be some opportunity though to make beautiful things though, and I thought I was one of the ones to do it. I have some unique skills, talents, and relationships. I do things a little differently and that often has appeal with directors from abroad. I quit Amazon to return to producing. I thought it was going to be great, maybe everything I ever dreamed of. I even had a big plan. Little did I suspect…

That too turned out to be some sort of mirage. I have gotten some things made since then, but the conditions have worsened. I moved too slow and missed the opportunity; it was too good to last long. And it became clear once again that there was no one at the helm; our industry lacks stewardship of any form. Conditions worsen for everyone, not even just the few. Those with the power to right the ship just get theirs and let Rome burn. It now even seems designed that way.

I still want to produce, but thee conditions are currently so dismal, I think we all must adjust the rules of what producing is again, and that’s going to change our focus yet again. It is most certainly changing mine, and I am not the only one who feels such things. One of the reasons I was very happy to participate in the Producers United effort initially is that they had already identified much of this as their very same mission. United, indeed!

These new rules though are mine and mine alone. I am throwing them down, but you should please feel free to pick them up and adopt them as your own too. It helps all of us to have a line drawn, at least somewhere. Know where you stand. You will be able to make better decisions quicker. These are my additions to The Rules of Producing.

It might appear redundant to some to have to state what is essentially the job description of a producer as some of its rules, but the necessity of doing so now is clear.

We have devalued the producing credit and in doing so, devalued the profession of producing. I place these next two new rules below the initial three because they are the simple reality of the job, whereas my original Producer Rules are the ideal. Most folks who take the credit don’t do either part of the job. They take the producing credit because they can. They can because the financiers, distributors, agents, studios, and global streaming platforms allow – even invite --them to. They are destroying our industry in the process, you’ll see. You can’t in good faith claim you are film producer if you don’t do these next two rules.

4.          Substantially originate, manage, and complete the project.

5.          Take responsibility for the creative, financial, and legal management as well as the delivery to the licensors.

My next grouping of The New Rules For Producing grows further from the collapse that the lack of industry stewardship has wrought. I might be able to still stomach it if the lack of stewardship was really their greatest sin, but as I said before, they are looting the store.

How did it get this way? I think everyone just thought that we would protect each other, but that is not how the story unfolded. We thought that we wouldn’t contribute to the collapse of the industry we loved. We hoped the nature of business was to try to make things better. But what good intentioned innocents and idiots we were. Business destroys more than it employs — particularly when it goes unregulated. It’s been profit above all else in our industry for far too long. It’s as if the participants were proud of their greed and self-centeredness. It’s gross.

We need to prioritize sustainability of both our industry, culture, and world. That requires continuing to diversify the perspectives, participants, and processes in all we do. These next four rules aim to address that.

6.          Halt the further deterioration of the producing craft and career.

7.          Improve the cinema ecosystem with all you do — and certainly don’t make it worse.

8.          Don’t let your success limit others’ opportunities.

9.          Facilitate innovation and experimentation.

Personally speaking, I can not see how sustainability of industry, culture and the world is possible while we prioritize profits over people. That doesn’t mean we can’t make money, but it does mean we can’t do so unless we make it conditional on other factors. And frankly, I think that will be better for the business.

I am pretty sure that everyone has more things they feel we should prioritize than what I am going to list as the additional New Rules For Producing. That’s fine. You should do yours. These Rules aim to be as few as possible and as applicable to as many as possible. We don’t have to agree. In fact, it is probably better for everyone if we don’t agree, but we can still work together for the common good, right?

10.       Prioritize the artist and promote an Artists’ Bill Of Rights

11.       Enjoy yourself and your good fortune to have a creative life.

So, if these are in fact The New Rules For Producing how will they change your practice? How are they going to change what you do? What I do? Our story continues to unfold…

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