Producing for the Screen is a collection of essays written by and interviews with working producers, directors, writers, and professors, exploring the business side of producing for film and television.
In this book, over 30 industry professionals dispel myths about the industry and provide practical advice on topics such as how to break into the field; how to develop, nurture, and navigate business relationships; and how to do creative work under pressure. Readers will also learn about the entrepreneurial expectations in relation to marketing, strategies for contending with the emotional highs and lows of producing, and money management while pursuing producing as a profession.
Written for undergraduates and graduates studying filmmaking, aspiring producers, and working producers looking to reinvent themselves, Producing for the Screen provides readers with a wealth of first-hand information that will help them create their own opportunities and pursue a career in film and television.
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION: WHAT IS PRODUCING? CHAPTER 1: GETTING STARTED
THE CURTAIN-RAISER: FINDING THE FLAME, FANNING THE FLAME
An interview with Lianne Halfon By Amedeo D’Adamo
MOVING TOWARDS A CAREER: WHAT ARE THE DOORWAYS?
JUMPING INTO LOW-BUDGET PRODUCING: THE WRITER AS WEB-SERIES PRODUCER: DRIVING THE INDEPENDENT WEBISODE
By Lydia Yeoman
WATCH YOUR METRICS, CHANGE YOUR WORK, AND JUST KEEP PRODUCING! A QUICK GUIDE TO PRODUCING FOR YOUTUBE
An interview with Bruna Capozzoli By Amedeo D’Adamo
CASE STUDY: THE SMALL PRODUCTION COMPANY
An interview with Graziano Chiscuzzu of 5e6
STORY PASS: HOW TO HELP A WRITER MOVE FROM A PITCH OR STORY IDEA TO A FULL STORY: PART ONE– CHARACTER AND CHARACTER ARCS
By Amedeo D’Adamo CHAPTER 2: STICKING IT OUT
STORY RADAR AND GENIUS-SPOTTING: ON WORKING WITH DIRECTORS
An interview with Jack Lechner
WORKSHEET: TEN STEPS TO PRODUCING YOUR FIRST FEATURE: YOUR INITIAL PRODUCING PACKAGE
MEDIA LABS: THE NEW DEVELOPMENT DEAL: A WAY TO CREATE BUZZ, RAISE YOUR PROFILE, NETWORK AND IMPROVE YOUR STORY
By Gabrielle Kelly
"ARE WE ALL MAKING THE SAME MOVIE?": THE DIRECTOR-PRODUCER RELATIONSHIP
An interview with director Adam Salky, head of the AFI’s directing concentration By Amedeo D’Adamo
KNOW YOUR PRIORITIES:THE ART OF THE BUDGET: WHERE TO SPEND, WHERE TO SAVE
By Peggy Rajski
WELCOME TO POST-PRODUCTION: HOW TO WORK WITH THE EXPERTS
An interview with Niko Remus
THE COST OF DISTRIBUTION: HOW TO KNOW WHAT YOU WANT
By Avril Speaks
STORY PASS: HOW TO HELP A WRITER MOVE FROM STORY TO SCRIPT: PART TWO– CHARACTER OBJECTIVES AND RELATIONSHIPS
By Amedeo D’Adamo
GOING ’ROUND THE TABLE: STICKING IT OUT
A conversation on dealing with rejection CHAPTER 3: FINDING SUCCESS
WHEN GOVERNMENTS GIVE YOU MONEY TO MAKE YOUR MOVIE: COMPARING THE US AND EU PRODUCING ENVIRONMENTS
An interview with Nevina Satta
FINDING YOUR AUDIENCE: CREATING THE WRITER-DIRECTOR-PRODUCER TRIANGLE
An interview with Roshi Nedjad
GETTING THE BEST FROM YOUR TEAM: HOW DO YOU COLLABORATE?: THE 2-TO-1 RULE FOR ARTISTIC COLLABORATION
By Amedeo D’Adamo
ON BEING FOCUSED, HONEST AND PREPARED: HANDLING THE COMPLICATED DYNAMICS BETWEEN PRODUCERS AND DIRECTORS
An interview with Joost de Vries By Amedeo D’Adamo
WHAT KIND OF PRODUCER WILL YOU BE? ON ISRAEL’S CO-PRODUCTION LANDSCAPE
An interview with Katriel Schory By Amedeo D’Adamo
SCREEN PRODUCING "DOWNUNDER": THE MEDIA-PRODUCING LANDSCAPE IN AUSTRALIA
By Ian Dixon
WORKSHEET: TAKING CHARGE OF YOUR MARKETING CAMPAIGN: WHAT ARE THE MARKETING HOOKS OF YOUR FILM?
By Amedeo D’Adamo
GOING ’ROUND THE TABLE
A conversation on coping with risk CHAPTER 4: GETTING AHEAD
THE PATH INTO THE STUDIO: GOOD DRAMA MAKES GREAT HORROR, AND OTHER TIPS ON MOVIEMAKING
An interview with producer Jason Blum By Chris Green
ESCAPING THE ALAMO: HOW DIRECTORS SURVIVE PRODUCING
An interview with Director Kimberly Peirce By Amedeo D’Adamo
"AHIGH CALLING IN A LOW PLACE": ON RUNNING A STUDIO
An interview with Thom Mount By Amedeo D’Adamo
PRODUCER TIPS: FINDING YOUR AUDIENCE: A SHORT PRIMER ON MARKETING DEMOGRAPHICS
By Amedeo D’Adamo
NATIVE AMERICANS STORM THE SYSTEM: A PRODUCER’S APPROACH TO RACISM An interview with Patricia Gomes and Ian Skorodin
By Amedeo D’Adamo
NAVIGATING THROUGH POST: FINDING THE CREATIVE PINCH-POINTS
An interview with Polly Duval By Amedeo D’Adamo
STORY PASS: "WHAT WAS THE NAME OF THAT SHOW AGAIN?": DEVELOPING TITLES THAT SELL
By Amedeo D’Adamo CHAPTER 5: STARTING AGAIN
THE WRITER-PRODUCER IN TV: COMBINING LUCK, PREPARATION AND OPPORTUNITY
An interview with Miranda Kwok by Amedeo D’Adamo
CASE STUDY: THE SHOW-RUNNERS OF SPAIN: HBO’S PATRIA AND GLOCAL PRODUCING
By Itxaso del Castillo Aira, Marian Gonzalez-Abrisketa and Andoni Iturbe Tolosa
STORY PASS: WHAT IS STORY TONE? HOW CAN IT BE GUIDED AND DEEPENED IN PRE- PRODUCTION? : A TECHNIQUE FOR PRODUCING YOUR PRE-VIS SESSIONS
ON CASTING: "NEVER CAST ONE CHARACTER AT A TIME"
A short conversation with Lianne Halfon
(Producer, Ghostworld, Juno, Perks of Being a Wallflower, Young Adult )
"ALWAYS COME TO THE TABLE WITH SOMETHING" : THE ART OF NEGOTIATING, HIRING AND HANDLING PEOPLE
An interview with Carolyn Pfeiffer By Amedeo D’Adamo
ASSOCIATE PRODUCING AND POST SUPERVISING
An interview with Mary Prendergast
CASE STUDY
Producing in the green economy: Emellie O’Brien builds a company where before there was nothing but waste
GOING ’ROUND THE TABLE: A CONVERSATION ON REGRET CONCLUSION
RECOMMENDED READING AND RESOURCES
INDEX
Author Biography
Amedeo D’Adamo currently teaches in the Directing discipline at the American Film Institute and filmmaking and producing at Universita Cattolica, Milan: he is also the Lead Teacher for the studio-funded Native American Feature Film Writers Lab in Los Angeles. He was the Scientific Director of the EU-funded Feature Development Program Puglia Experience (2008–2011) and the founding Dean and then President of the original Los Angeles Film School, where he also co-created and ran the Feature Film Development program. He has also taught at many universities and labs including Royal Holloway, Universita Svizzera and the University of Zurich, and with his wife Nevina Satta he designed and ran both the University Feature Development Lab and the University Doc Lab for the Locarno Film Festival. Together they also co-founded The Traveling Film School, a non-profit organization that provides free film and theater training to children in underdeveloped regions; it has built small tuition-free film schools in Cameroon and Sardinia. His book Empathetic Space on Screen (2018: Palgrave Macmillan) is about how character is expressed through production design, cinematography, and soundtrack. His features have been seen in festivals such as Rome, Miami, Austin, Torino, and others.
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