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What does a producer do, exactly? And why are there so many different types of producers in film, TV, and video production? Do you know the difference between a producer and an executive producer? What about a co-producer, associate producer, or TV producer? Some of the differences might not be very clear, but it's important for anyone in the TV and film industry to know who is typically responsible for what. In this guide, we'll explain all the different types of producers and their roles. Let's begin.
What is Video Producer?
A Video producer is someone who starts, organizes, oversees, and manages the making of movies, TV shows, web series, and commercials, among other things. Producers can work for themselves or for a company that makes these things. They are part of every step of making something, from the idea to the finished product. This includes managing money, people, and all the different jobs involved.
In today's world, where many people can share their work, there are more jobs for producers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics thinks that the number of jobs for producers and directors will go up by 12 percent from 2016 to 2026. That's faster than the average for all jobs in the country.
The Various Types of Producers
Executive Producer
An executive producer, often called EP, is the top boss who watches over other producers when making a movie, TV show, web series, commercial, or play. The executive producer can work alone or for a studio, people who provide money, or companies that distribute the work. Their job is to make sure the project finishes on time, doesn't spend too much money, and meets the agreed-upon quality standards. In TV, an executive producer might also be the person who came up with the idea and wrote the series.
Co-Producer
A co-producer is someone who works together with another producer on a project. Also, the co-producer title can be given to important people like a camera person, a department leader, or an actor. Even if they don't directly make the project, they help pay for it by being part of it, providing equipment, or offering their services.
Line Producer
If you want to know what a line producer does, here's the deal: A line producer is in charge of everything that doesn't include the main folks like producers, directors, writers, and the main actors.
They can hire the crew, take care of the money stuff, and more. So, if you need someone to handle the money side of showbiz, a line producer is the one to go to. On really big productions, there are unit production managers (UPMs) who handle each department, but on smaller ones, the line producer might take care of things like the art department.
Also read: Top 10 Animated Explainer Video Production in 2023
Associate Producer
An associate producer, also known as the 'AP,' is a producer who works under another producer. What the associate producer does can change depending on the project. They might do things like organize the production team, help with building sets, run a teleprompter, manage lighting or sound plans, edit scripts, or write news pieces.
An associate producer may not always be part of the Producer's Guild (PGA) and is usually hired to do things that other union workers don't have to do.
Field Producer
A field producer is someone who goes to the place where a movie is being made with a crew. The usually work on documentaries or movies that need a lot of extra footage. For example, think about a movie studio making a documentary about hawksbill turtles that are in danger. The filming team might go to where these turtles live near the Solomon Islands in Oceania to get extra footage of them in their natural home. A field producer often goes along with the filming team to make sure the filming goes well.
The field producer might also be in charge of doing and watching over interviews that happen on location. Using the same example, a field producer could help other people in the filming team by doing interviews with scientists and people who care about the environment. They might also teach and help the people being interviewed so they feel good about answering questions and talking on camera.
Supervising Producer
A supervising producer is usually one step lower than the executive producer. They might have a bigger part in what happens every day when making a movie. They watch over the other producers who are working on the movie from the start to the finish, including getting ready and finishing up. Supervising producers give advice to other producers on what to do during different parts of making the movie.
Production Coordinator
A production coordinator is a person who takes care of production assistants. They put together the film team and make sure everyone knows what they have to do. This helps the teamwork better, following the main producer's lead. If there's a unit production manager on the film set, the production coordinator usually reports to them.
Segment Producer
Segment producers work on TV programs like morning news shows. They make different parts of the show, like the cooking or local news segments. Usually, they write stories they're told to by their bosses, the Executive Producers. The Executive Producers get their stories from news sources like CNN.
Creative Producer
In the advertising business, like at creative, digital marketing, or branding agencies, a creative producer is in charge of coming up with the ideas for advertising campaigns. These campaigns might include videos, but not all the time. It can be a little confusing because some agencies use the term 'creative producer' for their project managers.
Also read: How to Get Clients for Your Video Production Business
Integrated Producer
An integrated producer isa person who usually works for one film studio. They help the studio tell people about its movies and what it stands for. They handle creative projects and make the studio's brand and how it looks to people. They might organize creative projects to help folks find out about a movie and want to watch it. Some things an integrated producer does are making the studio's website, creating things like posters, doing email marketing, and writing stuff. The main aim of an integrated producer is to make marketing things that go well with the movies the studio makes.
Digital or Web Producer
The digital or web producer is in charge of making stuff for a company or clients to put online for their marketing. This could be making a website and getting people to help, making videos and writing stuff for the website, or anything else online.
Visual Effect (VFX)Producer
A visual effects producer is a person who looks after the schedule and money for the visual effects part of a movie. They often work with the production designer to make sure the visual effects team adds things that show what the movie wants to say. These producers know about many kinds of visual effects, like green screen, fake makeup, stop-motion, special camera work, painting on pictures, digital mixing, computer-made images, and more.
A visual effects producer can help visual effects artists pick the right effects to finish scenes quickly. They also make sure that the effects look real and fit the movie. If some effects are too hard or costly, this producer can suggest using different ones.
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