The producers recognized on Variety’s 10 Producers to Watch list offered a look at the changing film industry during a panel in partnership with the Bentonville Film Festival, where Variety’s Carole Horst led the discussion on the challenges of producing and how independent films are evolving.
Producers don’t play just one role in the filmmaking process. Apoorva Charan (“Take Me Home”) began the panel by sharing what the job entails, which includes reading scripts, seeking talent, raising financing, hiring crew, strategizing distribution and supervising production and budgets.
Producers are partners to the directors, Emily Korteweg (“Splitsville,” “The Last Fix”) said, and it’s the two of them who see the bigger vision of the film.
“To produce, you kind of need to know and understand all aspects of production, from soup to nuts,” said Matthew Miller (“Tony,” “BlackBerry”). “You’re basically getting a group of people together and making something out of nothing, and you’re generally the first person to show belief in this filmmaker, in this script, in this idea.”
Overseeing the filmmaking process includes tackling several challenges, and it’s important to keep an open mind, Charan said. While working on “Take Me Home,” Charan shared they would come up with scenes and rewrite the script on the same day of filming, so relying on a set routine and expectations would hinder the process.
