WHAT DOES AN ASSOCIATE PRODUCER DO?

WHAT DOES AN ASSOCIATE PRODUCER DO?

Bruce Bisbey

Film producers fill a variety of roles depending upon the type of producer. Either employed by a production company or independent, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting script, coordinating writing, directing and editing, and arranging financing. During the "discovery stage", the producer has to find and acknowledge promising material. Then, unless the film is supposed to be based on an original script, the producer has to find an appropriate screenwriter.

For various reasons, producers cannot always supervise all of the production. In this case, the main producer may appoint executive producers, line producers, or unit production managers who represent the main producer's interests. The producer has the last word on whether sounds or music have to be changed, including deciding if scenes have to be cut. They are in charge of selling the film or arranging distribution rights as well. The producer's role can vary significantly from project to project, based on the circumstances and funding. They generally are in charge of things like hiring staff, creating filming schedules, checking and approving locations, and much more.

Most positions in the film world follow a strict hierarchy and set of tasks, usually because that is how most people understand a film set to work and what the union and legal regulations will allow. An assistant director will work on scheduling and run the set, but will never tell the director of photography what to do. The director will make all the creative choices about the film, but will not do the budgeting because this would interfere with the work of the line producer. Some film jobs, however, are less determined ahead of time and are more up to the interpretation of the specific project. The question "what does an associate producer do?" comes up quite a bit, and the answer is that their specific tasks, payment, and even employer will depend on each project they are working on.

An Associate Producer position can often be an entry level one. Often referred to as the 'AP', an Associate Producer generally assists the producer in putting the TV program or film together. Duties may include writing, editing, organizing scripts, running the teleprompter in news casts, or helping the editor by making beat calls.

An Associate Producer needs good writing and editing skills, and may often be called upon to make simple editorial decisions when editing video by choosing the shots that match the copy. The Associate Producer will generally be required to rewrite wire copy, and may also be responsible for cueing up tapes, and making sure scripts are in order.

An Associate Producer may also pitch story ideas, help guide the editorial content of the program, assist with promotions, handle some bookings as well as manage the growing tape needs on the program. The role may also have the responsibility for assisting with the show's or film's webpage.

An Associate Producers job duties and responsibilities will vary from project to project. Duties may include organizing production personnel, coordinating set construction, operating a teleprompter, supervising lighting or sound plans, editing scripts, or writing news items.

GENERAL THINGS AN ASSOCIATE PRODUCER DOES

The associate producer is still one of the film jobs in the producers department, so it usually works on the overall completion of the film rather than one specific technical element.

The producer oversees the production of the film itself, approving budgets, organizing production, and everything else in this area in a high level fashion. An associate producer is not going to have this kind of power generally, and will often instead work at one level of this organ making sure certain things get done.

An associate producer may only work in the office of the production company overseeing the production and may end up doing several producer functions on several different projects at once. They may also just work on a certain part of the project, such as when shooting on one location during a narrative production or on a certain segment of a documentary film. Perhaps they oversaw the script development, post-production, distribution deals, or some other subset where the producer's department had to be there but the lead producer could not be there. They may even just serve the function of an assistant producer, providing support to the main producers in their jobs.

Whatever the determined role is, the associate producer will not be a full producer and will likely not be a participant in the production, meaning that they will not receive above the line profit sharing. If it is a union governed shoot they may or may not have to be part of the Producer's Guild, but usually an associate producer will not, and will be hired to only do tasks that other union positions do not have to do. Oftentimes, a co-producer will do the same functions of an associate producer, but they are still above an assistant producer on most sets.

FUNDING

An associate producer position is usually separated from an executive producer position, though what an associate producer does may often be similar to what an executive producer does. An executive producer often provides funding, acts as an intermediary for a distribution outlet, or simply did one great thing for the producer. An associate producer will likely do regular tasks, though the title is negotiable. For example, if one individual provides a large sum of funding they may request that they are credited as an associate producer credit so that they add this to their filmography. It is these kind of allowances that make it hard to say what an associate producer will do in a production because it is strictly determined by each situation.

Sources: Google, Wikipedia, Pinterest, IMDB, Shane Burley, Rhonda Callow, Bright Bulb, Media Match, Study, Producers Guild of America, Chegg, PayScale, Creative Skill Set