Producing for the Screen

Producing for the ScreenBy Amedeo D'Adamo232 Pages - 17 B/W Illustrations Producing for the Screen is a collection of essays written by and interviews with working producers, directors, writers, and professors, exploring the business side of producing for film and television.In this book, over 30 industry professionals dispel myths about the industry and provide practical advice on topics such as how to break into the field; how to develop, nurture, and navigate business relationships; and how to do creative work under pressure. Readers will also learn about the entrepreneurial expectations in relation to marketing, strategies for contending with the emotional highs and lows of producing, and money management while pursuing producing as a profession.Written for undergraduates and graduates studying filmmaking, aspiring producers, and working producers looking to reinvent themselves, Producing for the Screen provides readers with a wealth of first-hand information that will help them create their own opportunities and pursue a career in film and television.Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION: WHAT IS PRODUCING? CHAPTER 1: GETTING STARTEDTHE CURTAIN-RAISER: FINDING THE FLAME, FANNING THE FLAMEAn interview with Lianne Halfon By Amedeo D’AdamoMOVING TOWARDS A CAREER: WHAT ARE THE DOORWAYS?JUMPING INTO LOW-BUDGET PRODUCING: THE WRITER AS WEB-SERIES PRODUCER: DRIVING THE INDEPENDENT WEBISODEBy Lydia YeomanWATCH YOUR METRICS, CHANGE YOUR WORK, AND JUST KEEP PRODUCING! A QUICK GUIDE TO PRODUCING FOR YOUTUBEAn interview with Bruna Capozzoli By Amedeo D’AdamoCASE STUDY: THE SMALL PRODUCTION COMPANYAn interview with Graziano Chiscuzzu of 5e6STORY PASS: HOW TO HELP A WRITER MOVE FROM A PITCH OR STORY IDEA TO A FULL STORY: PART ONE– CHARACTER AND CHARACTER ARCSBy Amedeo D’Adamo CHAPTER 2: STICKING IT OUTSTORY RADAR AND GENIUS-SPOTTING: ON WORKING WITH DIRECTORSAn interview with Jack LechnerWORKSHEET: TEN STEPS TO PRODUCING YOUR FIRST FEATURE: YOUR INITIAL PRODUCING PACKAGEMEDIA LABS: THE NEW DEVELOPMENT DEAL: A WAY TO CREATE BUZZ, RAISE YOUR PROFILE, NETWORK AND IMPROVE YOUR STORYBy Gabrielle Kelly"ARE WE ALL MAKING THE SAME MOVIE?": THE DIRECTOR-PRODUCER RELATIONSHIPAn interview with director Adam Salky, head of the AFI’s directing concentration By Amedeo D’AdamoKNOW YOUR PRIORITIES:THE ART OF THE BUDGET: WHERE TO SPEND, WHERE TO SAVEBy Peggy RajskiWELCOME TO POST-PRODUCTION: HOW TO WORK WITH THE EXPERTSAn interview with Niko RemusTHE COST OF DISTRIBUTION: HOW TO KNOW WHAT YOU WANTBy Avril SpeaksSTORY PASS: HOW TO HELP A WRITER MOVE FROM STORY TO SCRIPT: PART TWO– CHARACTER OBJECTIVES AND RELATIONSHIPSBy Amedeo D’AdamoGOING ’ROUND THE TABLE: STICKING IT OUTA conversation on dealing with rejection CHAPTER 3: FINDING SUCCESSWHEN GOVERNMENTS GIVE YOU MONEY TO MAKE YOUR MOVIE: COMPARING THE US AND EU PRODUCING ENVIRONMENTSAn interview with Nevina SattaFINDING YOUR AUDIENCE: CREATING THE WRITER-DIRECTOR-PRODUCER TRIANGLEAn interview with Roshi NedjadGETTING THE BEST FROM YOUR TEAM: HOW DO YOU COLLABORATE?: THE 2-TO-1 RULE FOR ARTISTIC COLLABORATIONBy Amedeo D’AdamoON BEING FOCUSED, HONEST AND PREPARED: HANDLING THE COMPLICATED DYNAMICS BETWEEN PRODUCERS AND DIRECTORSAn interview with Joost de Vries By Amedeo D’AdamoWHAT KIND OF PRODUCER WILL YOU BE? ON ISRAEL’S CO-PRODUCTION LANDSCAPEAn interview with Katriel Schory By Amedeo D’AdamoSCREEN PRODUCING "DOWNUNDER": THE MEDIA-PRODUCING LANDSCAPE IN AUSTRALIABy Ian DixonWORKSHEET: TAKING CHARGE OF YOUR MARKETING CAMPAIGN: WHAT ARE THE MARKETING HOOKS OF YOUR FILM?By Amedeo D’AdamoGOING ’ROUND THE TABLEA conversation on coping with risk CHAPTER 4: GETTING AHEADTHE PATH INTO THE STUDIO: GOOD DRAMA MAKES GREAT HORROR, AND OTHER TIPS ON MOVIEMAKINGAn interview with producer Jason Blum By Chris GreenESCAPING THE ALAMO: HOW DIRECTORS SURVIVE PRODUCINGAn interview with Director Kimberly Peirce By Amedeo D’Adamo"AHIGH CALLING IN A LOW PLACE": ON RUNNING A STUDIOAn interview with Thom Mount By Amedeo D’AdamoPRODUCER TIPS: FINDING YOUR AUDIENCE: A SHORT PRIMER ON MARKETING DEMOGRAPHICSBy Amedeo D’AdamoNATIVE AMERICANS STORM THE SYSTEM: A PRODUCER’S APPROACH TO RACISM An interview with Patricia Gomes and Ian SkorodinBy Amedeo D’AdamoNAVIGATING THROUGH POST: FINDING THE CREATIVE PINCH-POINTSAn interview with Polly Duval By Amedeo D’AdamoSTORY PASS: "WHAT WAS THE NAME OF THAT SHOW AGAIN?": DEVELOPING TITLES THAT SELLBy Amedeo D’Adamo CHAPTER 5: STARTING AGAINTHE WRITER-PRODUCER IN TV: COMBINING LUCK, PREPARATION AND OPPORTUNITYAn interview with Miranda Kwok by Amedeo D’AdamoCASE STUDY: THE SHOW-RUNNERS OF SPAIN: HBO’S PATRIA AND GLOCAL PRODUCINGBy Itxaso del Castillo Aira, Marian Gonzalez-Abrisketa and Andoni Iturbe TolosaSTORY PASS: WHAT IS STORY TONE? HOW CAN IT BE GUIDED AND DEEPENED IN PRE- PRODUCTION? : A TECHNIQUE FOR PRODUCING YOUR PRE-VIS SESSIONSON CASTING: "NEVER CAST ONE CHARACTER AT A TIME"A short conversation with Lianne Halfon(Producer, Ghostworld, Juno, Perks of Being a Wallflower, Young Adult )"ALWAYS COME TO THE TABLE WITH SOMETHING" : THE ART OF NEGOTIATING, HIRING AND HANDLING PEOPLEAn interview with Carolyn Pfeiffer By Amedeo D’AdamoASSOCIATE PRODUCING AND POST SUPERVISINGAn interview with Mary PrendergastCASE STUDYProducing in the green economy: Emellie O’Brien builds a company where before there was nothing but wasteGOING ’ROUND THE TABLE: A CONVERSATION ON REGRET CONCLUSIONRECOMMENDED READING AND RESOURCESINDEX Author BiographyAmedeo D’Adamo currently teaches in the Directing discipline at the American Film Institute and filmmaking and producing at Universita Cattolica, Milan: he is also the Lead Teacher for the studio-funded Native American Feature Film Writers Lab in Los Angeles. He was the Scientific Director of the EU-funded Feature Development Program Puglia Experience (2008–2011) and the founding Dean and then President of the original Los Angeles Film School, where he also co-created and ran the Feature Film Development program. He has also taught at many universities and labs including Royal Holloway, Universita Svizzera and the University of Zurich, and with his wife Nevina Satta he designed and ran both the University Feature Development Lab and the University Doc Lab for the Locarno Film Festival. Together they also co-founded The Traveling Film School, a non-profit organization that provides free film and theater training to children in underdeveloped regions; it has built small tuition-free film schools in Cameroon and Sardinia. His book Empathetic Space on Screen (2018: Palgrave Macmillan) is about how character is expressed through production design, cinematography, and soundtrack. His features have been seen in festivals such as Rome, Miami, Austin, Torino, and others.