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AD/UPM/TC Meet the Producers Event
by Julie Robinson
photos by Robert Hale
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DGA AD/UPM/TC Council members at the "Meet the Producers" event. - click image for larger view |
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Moderator and AD/UPM/TC Council Chair Kim Kurumada got right to the heart of the matter during the Council's recent "Meet the Producers" event. How do you get the job?
The panel provided concise, corroborative and comforting tips. Keep in mind, all the panelists have heartily paid their dues and several — Mark Johnson and Duncan Henderson — even started as DGA trainees.
One thing all unanimously agreed upon was to keep your résumé short and sweet, one page being the ideal, and tailor the résumé to the job. If you're going after work on a sports movie shooting in Paris, make sure it is evident that you speak French, or that you've worked on other sports movies.
Alan Blomquist, producer of Chocolat and The Cider House Rules, advises knowing how to best sell yourself. If you are both an AD and a UPM, have several résumés so you can submit the one that highlights what the job appears to be seeking.
Recommendations are key, and a word to the wise, don't lie, or for that matter, stretch the truth. It's a small town and references are more often than not checked out. Duncan Henderson, a former Fox executive and producer of Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone, and Blomquist rely on one another for recommendations. Henderson likes to feel secure that the people he hires have a sense of loyalty and that is often found by getting recommendations.
There was no argument among the panel that diversity is still a major obstacle to overcome. Some felt the problem may be that many are more comfortable working with someone they've worked with before, so those in the hiring position need to recognize this and make an effort to give new people a chance.
Diversity should not be confused with quotas however. Charles Floyd Johnson, producer of The Rockford Files, Magnum P.I. and Quantum Leap, said that a good first step when hiring is to be aware of the issue and to try to do something about it.
Johnson also recommended that people should always keep in mind their people skills. He felt, as all the producers seemed to echo, that just because an individual is talented, producers might very well hire someone else who is known to be easier to work with.
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A full house in the DGA boardroom at the AD/UPM/TC "Meet the Producers" event - click image for larger view |
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Producer David Valdes (Unforgiven, The Green Mile) had a lot to say about teamwork. Using a sports analogy, he feels the producer is the manager and the director is the coach with the cast and crew being the players on the field. He urged members to network any chance they have, as you never know where your next job might emanate from, and reminded them of AD/UPM/TC Mentor Committee Chair Randy Turrow's earlier advice for members — get the most they can out of being in the Guild.
Ralph Singleton, whose career includes work as an AD, director and producer of movies for television and features, stressed that members never stop educating themselves, and to learn the areas they don't know to make themselves invaluable.
"Know the person you're interviewing for," UPM and producer Michael Polaire advised. "Know the project, do your research; it's the extra effort that shows you really care and are the type of person that can be relied upon." He added that he's always amazed when some job seekers don't even know how to spell the producer's name that they'll be interviewing for, let alone their credits. "That's a good way to see to it that you don't get the job."
When it comes to money remember, the time to fight for your budget is before principal photography begins. And Blomquist feels that spending less money isn't always the answer. He proved that philosophy by insisting that the seven times Oscar-nominated The Cider House Rules was made in New England instead of, as the studio desired, Canada. This was a fight he had to have — and win — before the cameras started rolling.
Once the cameras are rolling, everyone needs to work as a team. Ultimately, it's all about what's best for the show — TV or feature.
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