Producers are responsible for managing the production of music, motion pictures or series. They plan and coordinate all aspects of the production such as the direction, publication and financing. Producers oversee the production and manage all technical and logistic aspects of recording and editing.
ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:
the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.
These occupations require some skills and knowledge of producer. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of producer with a significant experience and/or extensive training.
This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of producer.
Project management: Understand project management and the activities which comprise this area. Know the variables implied in project management such as time, resources, requirements, deadlines, and responding to unexpected events. Marketing principles: The principles of managing the relationship between consumers and products or services for the purpose of increasing sales and improving advertising techniques. Copyright legislation: Legislation describing the protection of the rights of original authors over their work, and how others can use it.
These skills are necessary for the role of producer.
Manage budgets: Plan, monitor and report on the budget. Consult with production director: Consult with the director, producer and clients throughout the production and post-production process. Manage staff: Manage employees and subordinates, working in a team or individually, to maximise their performance and contribution. Schedule their work and activities, give instructions, motivate and direct the workers to meet the company objectives. Monitor and measure how an employee undertakes their responsibilities and how well these activities are executed. Identify areas for improvement and make suggestions to achieve this. Lead a group of people to help them achieve goals and maintain an effective working relationship among staff. Apply strategic thinking: Apply generation and effective application of business insights and possible opportunities, in order to achieve competitive business advantage on a long-term basis. Analyse a script: Break down a script by analysing the dramaturgy, form, themes and structure of a script. Conduct relevant research if necessary. Develop professional network: Reach out to and meet up with people in a professional context. Find common ground and use your contacts for mutual benefit. Keep track of the people in your personal professional network and stay up to date on their activities. Assess financial viability: Revise and analyse financial information and requirements of projects such as their budget appraisal, expected turnover, and risk assessment for determining the benefits and costs of the project. Assess if the agreement or project will redeem its investment, and whether the potential profit is worth the financial risk.
This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of producer. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.
Project management principles: Different elements and phases of project management. Sales activities: The supply of goods, sale of goods and the related financial aspects. The supply of goods entails the selection of goods, import and transfer. The financial aspect includes the processing of purchasing and sales invoices, payments etc. The sale of goods implies the proper presentation and positioning of the goods in the shop in terms of acessibility, promotion, light exposure. Film production process: The various development stages of making a film, such as scriptwriting, financing, shooting, editing, and distribution. Accounting techniques: The techniques of recording and summarising business and financial transactions and analysing, verifying, and reporting the results. Audiovisual products: The different types of audiovisual products and their requirements, such as documentaries, low budget movies, television series, records, CDs, and others. Types of audiovisual formats: Various audio and video formats, including digital. Tax legislation: Tax legislation applicable to a specific area of specialisation, such as import tax, government tax, etc. Financial jurisdiction: Financial rules and procedures applicable to a certain location, whose regulatory bodies decide on its jurisdiction Audiovisual equipment: The characteristics and usage of different tools that stimulate the sight and audio senses.
These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of producer. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.
Plan marketing strategy: Determine the objective of the marketing strategy whether it is for establishing image, implementing a pricing strategy, or raising awareness of the product. Establish approaches of marketing actions to ensure that goals are achieved efficiently and over a long term. Work with motion picture editing team: Work together with the motion picture editing team during post-production. Make sure the finished product is according to specifications and creative vision. Implement marketing strategies: Implement strategies which aim to promote a specific product or service, using the developed marketing strategies. Hire background musicians: Hire background vocalists and musicians to perform on the record. Work with playwrights: Work with writers through workshops or script development schemes. Select scripts: Select the scripts that are going to be converted into motion pictures. Liaise with financiers: Liaise with people willing to finance the project. Negotiate deals and contracts. Attend read-through: Attend the organised reading of the script, where the actors, director, producers, and scriptwriters read the script thoroughly. Manage sound quality: Perform sound checks. Set up audio equipment for optimal sound output before as well as during performance. Regulate the volume during broadcasts by controlling the audio equipment Negotiate publishing rights: Negotiate the sale of the publishing rights of books to translate them and adapt them into movies or other genres. Promote music: Promote music and participate in media interviews and other promotional activities. Calculate production costs: Calculate the costs for every production stage and department. Operate an audio mixing console: Operate an audio mixing system during rehearsals or during live performances. Record multi-track sound: Recording and mixing audio signals from different sound sources on a multi-track recorder. Ensure fulfilment of legal requirements: Ensure that all legal requirements are met. Coordinate activities in audio recording studio: Monitor the daily operations in a audio recording studio. Make sure that persons involved in recording studio activities can produce the desired quality of sound according to customer specifications. Ensure the material is maintained and available. Work with video and motion picture production team: Work with the cast and crew members to establish requirements and budgets. Take artistic vision into account: Take the artistic and creative vision of the organisation into account when selecting a project. Use audio reproduction software: Operate software and equipment that transform and reproduce digital, analogue sounds and sound waves into the desired perceivable audio to be streamed. Identify music with commercial potential: Identify if music has commercial potential or not by listening to demos. Make a decision based on your expertise and market trends. Prepare government funding dossiers: Prepare dossiers to request government funding. Perform project management: Manage and plan various resources, such as human resources, budget, deadline, results, and quality necessary for a specific project, and monitor the project’s progress in order to achieve a specific goal within a set time and budget. Supervise sales activities: Monitor and oversee the activities related to the ongoing sales in the shop to ensure that sales goals are met, assess areas for improvement, and identify or solve problems that customers could encounter. Make film shooting schedule: Decide when the shooting will start on each location, how long it will take, and when to move to another location. Carry out auditions: Hold auditions and assess and select candidates for roles in the productions. Negotiate exploitation rights: Negotiate with the creator the rights to communicate a work to the public and to reproduce it. Search for a suitable location: Search for locations suitable for film or photo shoots. Negotiate with artists: Communicate and negotiate with artist and artist management about prices, terms and schedules. Carry out interviews to select artistic team members: Determine the content, physical and material conditions of the interview. Describe the project parameters. Evaluate personal, artistic and technical skills according to casting requirements, and candidates’ interest in the project. Implement strategic planning: Take action on the goals and procedures defined at a strategic level in order to mobilise resources and pursue the established strategies. Supervise sound production: Supervise the creation of sound and decide which music and sounds to use for the movie and theatre production. Direct distribution operations: Direct distribution and logistics operations ensuring maximum accuracy and productivity. Edit scripts: Rewrite scripts. Change dialogue. Mark scripts with relevant information for post-production. Perform market research: Gather, assess and represent data about target market and customers in order to facilitate strategic development and feasibility studies. Identify market trends.
