[3] These activities culminate with the pitch, led by the producer, to secure the financial backing that enables production to begin.
[9][10][11] The producer also gives final approval when hiring the film director, cast members, and other staff.
[14] A producer will also approve locations, the studio hire, the final shooting script, the production schedule, and the budget.
[17] Producers also oversee the film's sales, marketing, and distribution rights, often working with third-party specialist firms.
Whereas the executive producer focuses more on budgeting and predicting the views of the higher authorities in the wider company; trying to ground the showrunner's vision to tangible limits.
[citation needed] A line producer manages the staff and the day-to-day operations and oversees each physical aspect involved in making a film or television program.
[18] Considered executive employees in regard to the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 in the United States, producers represent the management team of production and are charged by the studios to enforce the provisions of the union contracts negotiated by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) with the below-the-line employees.
Still, during the mid-1930s, it took over all contract negotiation responsibilities previously controlled by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
[19] Today, the AMPTP negotiates with various industry associations when dealing with union contracts, including the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), the Directors Guild of America (DGA), and the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).
[20] In 2012, the AMPTP negotiated over eighty industry-wide union agreements on behalf of 350 studios and independent production companies.
[22] In December 2021, global unions filed a report titled Demanding Dignity Behind the Scenes to attempt to end the "long hours culture" of the television and film industry, citing in part that abuses increased in 2021 as the industry attempted to recover lost time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The unions supporting the report make up over 20 million television, film, and arts workers worldwide.
[30] While education is one way to begin a career as a film producer, experience is also usually required to land a job.
Internships are a way to gain experience while in school and give students a foundation to build a career.
Many internships are paid, which enables students to earn money while gaining hands-on skills from industry professionals.