I secretly wanted to be an actor growing up. I think all kids see a movie and say, "I wanna be that guy!" I envisioned myself growing up to be a Power Ranger. Then, I went to film school and said, "I want to be a director!" It's a sexy, famous, flashy-sounding job. I wanted to be like Steven Spielberg, who directed my favorite movies like Jaws and Hook. Then it was, "I want to be a writer and have my ideas be told on screen!" Like Tarantino, and that didn't happen.
Now, after years of being inundated by commercials since I was a child, I became a commercial producer (Explainer video maker), a job that requires a filmmaker's brain in a businessman's body. I can imitate the voice of so many commercials from my youth; breakfast cereals, the ice pops, and so on. But wait! wait! wait!. What does a Movie Producer do?
I'm going to lay out the problems a producer (me) has to resolve
what kinds of different brain patterns in required
utterly love being a producer first.
So the thing with a commercial shoot there is no reshoot days. No makeups. It was too expensive. Your client and every person on the payroll are relying on this to work out exactly on the day of.
Actors: We need them to show up, look and act the part, and perform. I'm looking at resumes, pictures, and videos of the actors' previous work. We like them and The client has to approve them. The client approves them.
What wardrobe can they bring?
Can they get to our location?
Will they be professional?
Does any of their agents need extra paperwork or clearance, or anything like that?
Actors in a commercial or any explainer or demo video need the same consideration as a Hollywood moviemaker does.
Cinematographer: This person is in charge of what the movie/commercial looks like. They want more light and more crew because they're trying to make your client's vision come to life. But, the budget can't afford all of the equipment and crew.
What creative solution can you do to make the cinematographer happy so he can do his job best? Find a happy medium to make all parties work properly.
Budget: Everybody gets paid, and the client overspends. This is a finite resource you must make sure that is being managed the right way. Also, you can't spend more time than what you're being paid for because then you will take away time from other clients who need your time as well. Although it mostly depends on the client's needs while shooting a commercial video.
Storyboarding: Drawing up a picture of every shot of the movie/commercial before it even happens. This is done so no time is wasted and no guesswork needs to happen on the day of the shoot. This can be revised almost 7 times.
Does the client approve?
Can the cinematographer execute it?
Does the client's client approve? (Yeah, it's like that.)
Location: Some of the questions come to mind at first:
Does it have the right look for the shoot?
Can it be transformed?
Does it have access to plugs and outlets in the wall?
Can the crew park easily, if not what can be done?
It requires a creative filmmaking brain in an entrepreneur's body. Whereas a director and actor can lose themselves inside the shoot and focus on just what's going on in front of them, the producer must navigate this world and see all parts of the equation to make this happen.
Why I love being a producer: So when I first got into filmmaking, I wanted to be an actor, a director and a writer. But, life gets in the way and I didn't get a chance to do any of those jobs as much as I'd like. But with being a producer, I get the chance to make as many commercials or product demo videos as I want and put myself into any role I'd like. Sometimes I get to direct, write, and even act. I also like that it's my job to run around the world and talk to people and get them excited about making videos for their businesses or in general. I get to deal with the money and be in charge of the whole operation. It's fun, exciting, stressful, confusing, as well as rewarding and a blessing.
Many actors work as waiters while they try to achieve their film dreams, I could have technically done the same. But I chose the hardest path possible, making sure I learned every type of skill I could from business to different lens types. I'm super proud of my journey and I'm looking forward to taking the next steps.
I'm so curious about learning about the ins and outs of your/career choice. Can you write your article, talk about what your job is, what are the challenges, what you like about it, and how it fits into who you are as a person?
Please tag me, I'd love to hear more. And if you need any advice on where this can go for your branding, I would love to help you tell your own story in this way.
Happy writing,
Andy Mizrahi
PS. We make awesome videos for businesses, Facebook ads, animations, and many more.