Working With Production

[JBBruno]

Roger and James:

I have been a big fan of your podcast since a director friend of mine introduced me to it a few years ago; so much so, that my enthusiasm in sharing it led a producer friend to gift me REFLECTIONS for my birthday. A seminal must-read for any serious filmmaker, not just DPs.

I’m 68, started out as an AD, then moved to line producer and producer, which I’ve been doing in the indie film space for over 30 years now. The budgets on my projects are no where near the projects you worked on after your early years, but I relate to much of what you discuss.

Line producers are often portrayed as ‘no’ people – and sometimes we deserve it. The UPMs and LPs I knew in my early days were that way, and it definitely bed off on me. However, no one got into film to stop people from creating, and I have been a proponent of John Frankenheimer’s quote, “Our job is to create a space where creative people can do their best work.” That’s my job. Help hire the right people and HELP them to do their job, not tell them why we can’t afford it.

There is, of course, a trade off. I can’t let the film go over budget, but it is my job to make sure departments have the resources they need. It involves a lot of discussion.

I was most impressed in the book that you had a wonderful understanding of the trade-off of time vs money; specifically, investing prep time and money in lighting setups that allowed minimal reset times once everything was set. I’ve always been for that approach, and willing to make the numbers worked.

I must plead guilty in my early 1st AD days of being that guy who kept asking the DP if we could shoot yet while waiting for the right sun or cloud cover, but I’ve learned over the time that it is really something we need to build into the schedule.

You often reference finding solutions that work within the budget (even on films, such as the Bond film, which any of us see as having unlimited budgets!).

You have had producers as guests, and at least one 1st AD as a guest. I would love to hear you have a line producer on to discuss how you approach working with them – if you could get one you had worked with on, that would be even better!

NOTE: One of my dearest friends is a a DP I’ve known for almost 20 years, from when she was a 1st AC. I’m gifting her the book. We have worked together very often, and, over time, have used our mutual respect to approach the challenges that come up in terms of budget. I appreciate the time she will spend shaping the package she needs and working with the vendors along with me to make it fit, and she knows she can always question me when I suggest having to move quicker. We have learned how to be honest with each other with respect being the key, even when it might seem we disagree. I’m sure Murphy’s Law will kick in (“no good deed goes unpunished”) and, one a shoot one day, I will be urging her to find a less expensive or time-intensive solution, and she will point me to one of your solutions in the book. It’s ok. I look forward to it.

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