Television producer

The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking. It is often the Producer who is responsible for the television show's overall quality and survivability, though the roles depend on the particular show or organization.

Some Producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television networks, but upon acceptance they focus on business matters, such as budgets and contracts. Other Producers are more involved with the day-to-day workings, participating in activities such as screenwriting, set design, casting, and even directing.

In television, there are a variety of different Producers on a television show. A traditional Producer is one who manages a show's budget and maintains a schedule, but this is no longer the case in modern television. In fact, nowadays a Producer is almost synonymous with a Writer.

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Types of television Producers

Main article: Television crew

Different types of Producers in the industry today include (in order of seniority):

In live television or "as-live", an Executive Producer seldom has any operational control of the show. His/her job is to stand back from the operational aspects and judge the show as an ordinary viewer might.

In film or video productions, the Executive Producer is almost always given an opportunity to comment on a rough cut but the amount of attention paid to his/her comments is highly dependent on the overall personnel structure of the production.

Writer as "Producer"

Under the guidelines of the Writers Guild of America, script writers in television also tend to be credited as "Producers," even though they may not engage in the responsibilities generally associated with that title.

On-screen, a "Producer" credit for a TV series will generally be given to each member of the writing staff who made a demonstrable contribution to the final script. The actual Producer of the show (in the traditional sense) is listed under the credit "Produced by".

Star as "Producer"

Sometimes the star of a successful television series can have a degree of influence over the creative process. For example, besides his leading role as Jack Bauer in 24, Kiefer Sutherland was credited as Producer during the show's second season, then rising to co-Executive Producer from season 3 to the last few episodes of season 5, from where he was finally promoted to Executive Producer. Mark Harmon, star of the series NCIS, serves as one of the show's Producers. Similarly, Tom Welling, the star of the CW show Smallville, became co-Executive Producer for the show in season 9 and Executive Producer in season 10. House MD star Hugh Laurie became co-Executive Producer for Fox's show in its 6th season.

Some notable television Producers

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.hbo.com/sopranos/cast/crew/david_chase.shtml
  2. ^ http://www.hbo.com/thewire/cast/crew/david_simon.shtml

External links