{"id":3353,"date":"2017-10-24T11:00:35","date_gmt":"2017-10-24T15:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/?p=3353"},"modified":"2017-10-23T13:49:29","modified_gmt":"2017-10-23T17:49:29","slug":"jimmy-producer-tales-from-prod-iii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/2017\/10\/24\/jimmy-producer-tales-from-prod-iii\/","title":{"rendered":"Jimmy: Producer Tales from Prod III"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hi everyone! CA Jimmy here to talk about my experiences as a student producer for the FT 468 Production III \u00a0course. It\u2019s the highest level film production class you can take at BU. Each student applies to the class as a different role \u2013 director, editor, production designer, director of photography, sound, etc. (I applied as a producer!). I\u2019m currently working on two <\/span>very<\/span> different films:
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\u201cThe Badge\u201d \u2013\u00a0a drama about a child who idolizes policemen he sees on TV struggling to reconcile his mother’s criminal streak when she takes him along on a drug deal
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\u201cIt Came From Above\u201d : a thriller about a sci-fi geek who is visited by a seemingly docile robot from space \u2013 and the consequences he faces for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
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The process has been very demanding, but also very rewarding. Here\u2019s some of what I learned so far.
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The Producer is the glue of a production<\/strong><\/p>\n

You\u2019re like the shepherd that keeps everyone on the same page, but also an octopus that has eight arms to do different tasks at different times, but also a Nostradamus that can foresee problems in the future and adjust accordingly.\u00a0 The director has the vision and the story, but the producer must facilitate the circumstances for everything to run smoothly. Scheduling, budgeting, securing locations, and casting are all big responsibilities of the producer. There are also many day to tasks like reaching out to actors, arranging a crew, and checking on progress with the director. You should always be thinking a few steps ahead.
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The work will follow you outside the class<\/strong><\/p>\n

80% of the work I\u2019ve done has been out in the field in my own time. It feels great to be professional and achieving stuff in the real world, but \u00a0it\u2019s also been a lesson in time management when you have to balance 12 other credits of an academic schedule (I had to drop my rowing PDP; sad reacts only).
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Email is your best friend and worst enemy<\/strong><\/p>\n

By this point in the semester, my fingertips are just about worn down to the bone. Because it\u2019s the most <\/span>~professional~<\/span> form of communication, you\u2019ll be emailing nonstop to put the project together. Everyone from actors, to production designers, to location owners, to BU risk management, to rental van agencies, and even random restaurants on campus for donations.\u00a0 For funsies, look at the subject lines of the last few emails I sent today<\/span><\/p>\n