Zahra Dowlatabadi Explains How to Produce Animation

Zahra Dowlatabadi is an animation producer who literally wrote the book - "Producing animation" - co-authored with Catherine Winder and edited by Tracey Miller-Zarneke. In this recent interview  at our sister blog FLiP, Zahra talked about her book and what lies behind a good producer of animation.

You wrote the book "Producing Animation". How did that come about and what made you want to write a book?

Zahra: Producing Animation was Catherine Winder's idea. Initially I met Catherine on the feature film Once Upon A Forest. It was a very challenging production that was animated in five countries. Catherine and I were counterparts as production managers in Los Angeles and Taiwan. At that time the main mode of communication was fax, so often I would come to work to be greeted by a sea of paper.

Our relationship could best be described as contentious. Why? Because unfortunately the production was more about finger-pointing and less about collaborative thinking and action. Catherine and I worked on a number of projects after Once Upon A Forest, and we discovered one consistent problem: on every new production the wheel was getting re-invented, and so we were all paying the price of inept production methodology, over and over again.

We decided to write Producing Animation in order to share our collective experiences, and to offer possible production scenarios that can be tailored for individual projects, ranging from TV series to Direct to Video and feature film releases.


You collaborated with two other writers, Catherine Winder and Tracey Miller-Zarneke. How did you divide up the work?

Zahra: Catherine is truly a visionary producer. I have no idea how she was able to be the president of an animation studio, produce a feature film and, in addition, co-author a book. Much of her expertise comes from her vast experience working on numerous projects for the likes of George Lucas, Chris Meledandri, Peter Chung and Ralph Bakshi - to name just a few. Tracey Miller-Zarneke is a dream editor with exceptional writing skills and enormous patience. We all brought our own particular field of expertise to the book.

Quest For Camelot; "Ruber", voiced by Gary Oldman

You produced the film Quest For Camelot at Warner Bros Feature Animation back in the '90s. How was that experience?

Zahra: I learned a great deal on Quest For Camelot. Much of that experience fueled the writing of Producing Animation. The talent that was gathered for this feature film was truly remarkable and you will find many of the artists on that film continuing to contribute to the animation industry and winning awards - acknowledging their unique skills.

Quest For Camelot was in many ways the same story as Mulan, but it fell short because it lacked an authentic vision. But I remain grateful for having had the opportunity to have worked on the film.



What are the challenges that are unique to a producer, and how do you overcome them?

Zahra: In our book we have an entire section devoted to what makes a good producer. There are many excellent quotes from industry luminaries but one of my favorite is by the writer Dave Reynolds, who worked on Toy Story 2 & 3, and Finding Nemo:

"Having a good producer in animation is like having the greatest sherpa going up Mt. Everest. In fact, a producer once carried me up three flights of stairs after a particularly grueling screening. Little did I know that as he nursed me back to health, that he had also given me two pages of detailed notes on the second act. Now that's a great producer".


 
What advice would you offer to anyone to wants to become an animation producer?

Zahra: Love the process. Dive in and learn as much as possible.


What project(s) are you working on now?

Zahra: I am producing a TV series for Fox 21/Comedy Central at Bento Box Entertainment. The way this production has been set up is similar to walking into a zen garden -- all exquisitely thought out -- and in short, a complete pleasure.


You can buy Zahra's book, Producing Animation, now in its second edition, here, or find it in the library at Bucks. For more on the experience of studying at Bucks New University, come and visit us at one of our Open Days,  take a virtual tour of one of our animation studios, check out what our students think of our course, and see why we're ranked in the top 12 creative universities in the UK. Find out why we're giving free laptops to all our students, and why we give all our students free access to videos at Lynda.com. Also, see what financial assistance might be available to you. Learn which is better for animation, a PC or a Mac? Get hold of a copy of a map so you can find your way around campus, and learn about motion capture at Bucks. And find out about how our online video tutorials work.

Max Howard Teaches our Students How to Produce a Hollywood Movie

Max Howard and Bucks animation students. From left: Felix Deacon, Ellouise Benjamin, James Hatton, Jack Copley, Max Howard, Kalim Momen, Alex Williams, Georgia Nichols, Anton Alfimenko, Ben Gray

Earlier this year Producer Max Howard came to Bucks to talk about how to produce an independent animated film.  He talked in detail about how films get financed, walking our students through all the steps necessary to get a film off the ground and into theatres. With a wealth of experience at major Hollywood Studios, and also with a number of independent animated features under his belt (plus one coming out this year - The Hero of Colour City - there are few producers better qualified to explain how the system actually works.

Good animators are good actors

What does an animator do?
Max himself began his career as a child actor, and he started off his talk by explaining that "all animators are actors". If an animator "does not understand the nature of the performance, then they are not acting". In other words "it’s not just how to move it – it’s when to move it." Common mistakes among rookie animators include "moving the character too much". As Max put it: "a good animator understands when to do nothing".

What does a producer do?
Max went on to ask the question "What does a producer do?" He explained that there are a number of different kinds of Producers. For example:

• Line Producer – this person does the "nuts and bolts" of the production. 
• Associate Producer – This person assists the Producer, or the job title could "be a thank you" to some VIP who helped out with the project.
• Co Executive producer – "who really knows" what this means? Could be anything!
• Executive Producer – This title should really be "non executive" because they may have almost nothing to do with the project at all. Sometimes investors get credited as producers if they put up a bit of cash.

Max Howard at Bucks

Time and Money
Max explained that making films is about managing time and money - this is the vital part of the producer's job. A good producer has to “balance the film’s creative vision with the resources available”. And, of course, there is "never enough time, and never enough money". So, a good producer is someone who gets the balance right. In the end, "it’s how you use the time, and how you spend the money".

The Lion King - oddly unpopular

Some animation history
Max took us back to the second Golden Age of Disney animation, back to the early 1990s in Hollywood. Pocahontas was the next film slated to come after The Lion King, and both films were being made at the same time.  But, curiously, it was Pocahontas that was the popular project among the artists. "No-one at Disney really wanted to work on The Lion King". Why? It was an unfashionable project, just another talking animal movie. Even the composer, Elton John,  was "old, bald and fat". So what made the difference? The opening sequence, The Circle of Life "changed everything". Suddenly everyone realised they had a movie, something that could be a hit.

The Problem of Pocahontas
On Pocahontas, the animators (and the studio) came across an unexpected problem - Pocahontas's hair, which was becoming a character of its own, time-consuming to execute. The animators were spending too much time just animating the hair, and this was busting the budget. Somehow, the studio "had to tame Pocahontas's hair". They never did, and costs rose, but what, asked Max, might have been the solution? Max suggested that the studio "should have pretended that we tied her hair back to show how she was culturally tied back by being stuck between two worlds". This would have solved a technical problem with a story solution. The moral of the tale is this: "when you look at your project, a restriction can sometimes be a way of doing something smart".

Where every story begins

Planning a Feature Film
Max explained that there are "Three things to remember when planning a feature film":

1. Story
2. Story
3. Story.

So, what the "Three ingredients of a great story"?

1. Great story
2. Believable world
3. Engaging characters

Lots of film-makers, said Max, think they can solve the problem of story by "getting themselves a writer". But, he said, it does not really work this way. The process is not so simple. You can’t just “get yourself a writer”. After all, "what will they do? Take dictation?"You have to do the hard work yourself, and figure it all out. But, he added. "Start with a great story and you have a chance to succeed".


Budgets and Money

Max explained that in the "Low budget independent film-making – you must have your planning figured out". People often say that their film is "for everyone", but this is not true. "Animated films are not for everyone". So you have to figure out – "who is your movie actually for?" What is the audience? He then showed us the opening sequence of The Iron Giant – a film Max produced - which introduces all the main characters in a very funny and appealing way.

Watch out for Chinese Dragons

Worldwide Box Office- and the Rise of China

Currently, the worldwide box office for movies is "$35.9 billion". Of this, the USA is one third of that at $10.9billion. This has changed, as a decade or so ago the USA was half of global box office. And things are moving east, and Max predicted that "within seven years, the number one box office will be China".  But, the number of foreign films released in China is limited by Chinese law. In response to this, DreamWorks are "building a studio in Shanghai, to skirt the restrictions on foreign movies in China". In China, explained Max, "you can buy anything, even bootlegs [of movies]. Perfect quality bootlegs".


The Business of Animation
Animation is big business. Even though it constitutes "just 7% of all releases worldwide, it generates  15% of all box office revenues". In other words, animation punches above its weight. Of course, it is "harder for independent animated films" than for big studio releases, but even so "life is easier for an independent animated film than it is for an independent live action film." And, the good news for animated film-makers is that the "barriers to entry for animation are much lower than they used to be". Even student film-makers have access to "low cost hardware", and "off the shelf software". Nowadays, "it’s about the talent, not the studio".


How a film gets made:

There are three main stages to production:

1. Development – how long is a piece of string? This stage can take a long time.
2. Production
3. Distribution – This is "often the hardest bit". You (the film-maker) "must understand how this bit works", else you will court disaster.

Max Howard talks to our students

Development - what is it?

1. Screenplay- your story. The key bit.
2. Visual Development - what is the Style of the film?
3. Schedule - how long will it take?
4. Budget- how much will it cost?
5. Casting- who will be in it?

It's all about the acting. Photo: Wikipedia

How do actors get into the character?
Max explained that each actor has their own way of getting into the part. For example, "Judi Dench starts by buying the underwear she thinks the character would wear...but she won’t tell you what it is". Other actors "find the shoes". Alex Guinness used to "go to the zoo and watch animals walk". Other actors ask "What foods do their characters like/dislike?"


The secret of reading screenplays:
Screenplays are "hard to read", even for experienced film-makers. They are, in fact, "not designed to be read". A common mistake with a screenplay is to make it "read like a novel? Is the writer telling you what the character is thinking? ". If so, this is an error. A screenplay is "designed to be heard and seen, not read". So what is the solution? Max suggests "do a radio play. Read it out loud together. Cast it among yourselves." Best of all, this is "a great time for the director to work with a group of actors. It's a great way of understanding the text."

How much will it cost?

How do you figure out how much your movie will cost?
You have to base your Budget on the Screenplay. You have to ask yourself:
How many:
1. Locations
2. Characters
3. Props
4. Visual Effects
A good producer will add all these elements up and cost them out. You have to "break the script down into sequences, and create a rating system – which shots will cost what?". You have your  "A, B, and C shots". In effect, you create "a Quota system". And you must ask "How much animation per animator per week?" Also, you have to ask, "How many retakes will the director get?". You must make the weekly production quota, and the quota must be realistic.


Some terms defined
1. "Above the line" – producer, director, writer, talent, composer
2. "Below the line" – production, post production. That's the rest of us.


Kinds of Production
Max explained that there are "3 types of production":

1. Good, 
2. Fast, 
3. Cheap.

And as a producer you get to "pick two".


Pre Production
Pre-production includes doing Visual Development, of "Vis Dev". You will also so "Scratch voice recording". Animated films like to "cast famous actors". The reason for this is "part marketing, partly because they are really good". But, the problem is, there is generally "no chance to rehearse". Each actor tends to record the lines by themselves, in the booth.

Action! Photo: Wikipedia

Production.
By the time your animatic (storyboards filmed and timed out sequentially with sound and music) is done, explained Max "you have really made your movie. The director could go home …almost". But there are choices to be made. What kind Production do you want? "CGI? 2D? Stop Motion?". There are many styles to choose from.


Making the weekly Quota
This is vital and it is "all about good management". You have to "Manage, manage, manage. The big problem on a film is ...no work. If there is proper inventory, you will be fine. Manage the inventory and the productivity targets can be achieved." Every producer's nightmare is artists sitting around with nothing to do, burning hours and getting unhappy.

Once your picture is in production, it should be "a time and motion study." You must deliver your quota each week, on time. But remember when you plan your shots out that the "Quota is not the same in August, or a bank holiday weekend". Some weeks you will come up short because your artists are away. Should you "Close over Christmas?". Probably, yes. In the end "your schedule must be realistic."

Remember: The Producer's job is to "balance the film’s creative vision with the resources available. Its how you use the time and how you use the money you have. You must expect the unexpected. Shit happens."


Things to avoid
Try not to:
1. Introduce new hardware
2. Create new software
Why? because "Production is not for beta testing". The risk of failure is too great.


Post Production:
Post-production includes "Scoring, ADR, Sound FX, Do we have Foley at Bucks?" (No). Max explained that "Sound is so underestimated. You can add 30% to your film with great sound". Also, "Don’t make it [the sound] too cartoony". It should be the "same as live action".


Deliverables - what are they?
Deliverables include "all the elements that the distributors needed". They will want "Different file formats. Separate files. List of requirements…." All this can be exhausting. After all, "it’s the end of the production, and everyone is tired". But it still has to be done.

Distributors like QSRs (Quick Service Restaurant)

Distribution
This bit is hard, and too often overlooked. Without distribution, no-one will see your film. Max asked "What is your USP (Unique Selling Point)?". This is important for distributors.  Also, do you have a "QSR" on board? That is to say "A Quick Service Restaurant". McDonalds can shift Happy Meals for you, and this will help with distribution. 


Things you need to get distribution:

1. A "Locked" screenplay (no revisions allowed)
2. Foreign dubs (ie translated into foreign languages)
3. Press junket- press packs, Q&As, champagne for journalists.
4. Premiere. A big, glossy, opening night.

How Distribution works
Cannes is still the centre of the movie business where distribution is concerned. Max "goes to Cannes to buy and sell movies. It starts on a Wednesday, and finishes 10 days later on a Sunday". His latest film "Colour City" is currently being sold, "but not by Max". It is a "USA/India co-production".

There are "four big sales markets: Cannes, Toronto, AFM, Berlin".


What are Pre-Sales?
Pre-sales are all about "Trying to raise the money to make the movie". If you can get distributors to "pre-buy the film", then "upon delivery, that money becomes due". The good thing about this is that you can then go to "certain banks who will let you borrow against the pre-sale, perhaps 80% of the pre-sale". This then gives you the cash to make the film. The bank "does not care how good the movie is"; they "just want to know that you have a pre-sale".

A completion bond co

Also, "you need a completion bond", that is to say an insurance policy to insure your film. There are "only 2-3 companies, who do this, and they all know the business very well". The cost of this bond is "3-4% of  your budget". Typically it amounts to "several hundred thousand dollars".

The trouble with bonding your movie is this: Each week, you "must file a report to the bond company". This involves taking a look at the "Schedule –vs- Actuals". Any difference between the two "must be articulated". And, if "you can’t articulate why…then the film gets taken away from you".

On The Thief and The Cobbler, where the Completion Bond Company ended up taking over the film, The Bond Co "thought the reporting was fictitious". In the end, "they finished the movie", much to the detriment of the film.

In other words, once your movie is bonded, "you have someone sitting on your shoulder". Worse, "if  you are late…you have ogres on your shoulder". Max "hates going down this route".  In the end, "Financing is always a challenge. Raising money is the hardest thing to do".


Final Thoughts:
According to Max, film-making is all about preparation. As he put it "If you fail to prepare, you will prepare to fail". So, to re-cap, you need:

1. Great Script
2. Great Designs
3. Gifted Crew
4. Realistic Schedule
5. Accurate Budget
6. Stable Pipeline

But then, there will always be the unexpected. Max quoted Pablo Picasso as saying: “If you know exactly what you are going to do, what is the point of doing it?" 

Pablo Picasso: Creating the Unexpected

Finally, remember that modern audiences are impatient. "You have to engage the audience super fast – you have ten minutes maximum to get their attention". As for how a film will do, it's just a numbers game, and you can tell very quickly how it will do.  After all "We know on a Friday night how much money a film will make, within 10% of its final box office".

---Alex

For more on Producing Animation, follow this link.

What Does a Producer Do, Exactly?

Jeffrey Katzenberg - the uber producer

What does a producer do, exactly? This is an important question for anyone who hopes to go into the entertainment business. Here at Bucks we teach students to animate. We teach art, design, computer skills, everything you need to become a digital artist. But we don't teach producing. As a result, most of our students have only a slender grasp of what actually is involved in producing a project. Arguably, we should teach producing. After all, when you go to the movies and watch the credits, there seem to be a lot of producers. And also sub-species of producer. Like associate producers. And executive producers. And line producers. And creative producers. And what do all these titles mean anyway?

Despite the big range of titles, there is typically only one producer on a project. That is to say, there is just one person who organises and runs the project, is responsible for it, and really gets it done. That person is the real producer, and they will work night and day to bring the project to life. These people are usually a blur - literally - because they are doing so many things at once that their feet barely touch the ground. They are, it goes without saying, energetic and well-organised people. They are also problems solvers. If anything goes wrong on a production (and things go wrong all the time), it is the producer who is expected to solve it.

But what about all the other titles? How many different kinds of producer are there, and what do all the different titles actually mean? See below for our handy guide.

1. Line Producer
On a big project, the line producer is the person who actually handles the day-to-day running of the operation. The line producer is in effect an operations manager, organising everything from the renting of premises to making sure that employees get paid, to making sure that deadlines get met. The line producer is a very busy person, who will often have help from...

2. Associate producer.
On a really big production,  the line producer may simply be too busy to handle everything that comes up, and they may delegate many day to day operations to an associate producer. The associate producer helps to tackle every day tasks that the line producer is too busy to deal with.
 
3. Executive producer.
As with so many things in Hollywood, the name is misleading. The role should really be described as "non-executive producer". Executive producers are usually people who were instrumental in getting the project made in the first place (such as the person who originally optioned the rights to the book that the film is based on), but then passed on the baton to someone else. An executive producer could be a powerful actor's agent who helped package the deal, or even a famous actor who wants a producer credit. The key point to remember is that Executive Producer is just a title. You might work for a year or more on a film and never meet them, because they often just aren't that involved, or aren't involved in a day-to-day way.

4. Visual Effects Producer
The visual effects producer, as the name suggests, produces the visual effects on a movie. They will make budgets, and project-manage the creation of digital effects. They are in reality line producers who specialise in visual effects work.

5. Production Manager
On a big movie, the production manager helps out the associate producer and producer to get the project done. They are typically responsible for deadlines, scheduling and keeping each shot on track. For an artist, this person is often your first point of contact if you need something done in a hurry.

6. Production Assistant
The production assistant is a dogsbody, a kick-me-in-the-backside downtrodden underling, a glorified runner who does the bidding of all the other production folk. They work long hours, running errands, getting tea and coffee for ungrateful clients, and ordering pizza for an even more ungrateful crew. You may pity their overworked and underpaid lives, but do not despise them. The job may be gruesome, but the canny and the talented often rise swiftly through the ranks.

Production assistants often emerge on the next project as production managers, association producers and even producers. Production Assistant is a tried and tested route to the top. So be nice to them - they may well be employing you in a few years time, and they are far more likely to retire to a villa in the south of France than you are. Kick them when they are down and they will remember - and pay you back one day.

7. Creative Producer
A producer who describes themselves as a creative producer is staking a claim to creative ownership of a film. They are in effect saying "I may not be directing this film, but I might as well be". Producers like Disney's Don Hahn, with a long string of box office hits behind them, have earned the right to steer the ship creatively as well as financially.

So there you have it. Now you know what these titles mean, and you can explain it all knowledgeably in the pub to your less fortunate comrades. Needless to say, the smaller the project, the more these various jobs tend to be covered by fewer people, or even by just one. If you're working on your own personal project, you will end up wearing every hat on the production.

---Alex

(Editor's Note: for more on producing animation, see our post on what a visual effects producer does. Also see our rules for making group projects a success. Also don't miss our post about finding your first job in the animation industry.)

Steve Burch on Producing Animation

Steve Burch

On Monday 31 March we are fortunate to have Steve Burch visit Bucks for a lecture and workshop on Producing Animation. Steve has 26 years experience in the industry, having worked on 11 animated features in Hollywood and Europe including Brad Bird’s modern classic The Iron Giant. His roles have included Special Effects Supervisor for Dreamworks and Warner Brothers feature films. Steve has worked with three Oscar winning directors and has produced and directed many commercials and animated shorts.

Steven has also worked closely with Pixar’s Oscar-winning Brave director Mark Andrews, creating workshops and lectures for students whilst a senior lecturer at Glasgow School of Art’s course in Digital Culture.

Steve will be coming to Bucks on Monday 31 March at 2pm to host a workshop on producing animation. Here at Bucks we teach digital art, computer skills, art, design and film-making, but we don't teach animation production - and we should. Anyone who has ever worked on a group project knows how vital it is to develop a successful work flow - a knowledge and understanding of the management of a digital pipeline is something that every digital artist should have.

Steve said "I’m really excited to be able to give a talk to Bucks New University. I regularly read the Bucks Animation Blog and think it’s a great resource for all animation and visual effects students. I’m looking forward to leading a talk and a brief student workshop that is aimed to enable students to help focus on how to develop their personal interests as well as to acquire practical skills that will be useful for the rest of their creative careers.”

Come along at 2pm on Monday 31 March in G1.13, where Steve will be hosting his workshop on "Producing Animation". All students are welcome.

---Alex

(Editor's Note: For more on how Bucks is helping our students to succeed in the animation industry, read this post on finding your first job. Also check out what studios look for in a great demo reel, hear what London's Blue Zoo has to say about finding work, and take a look at this video by Sony Pictures Animation. You can also watch Alex's ten minute video on creating a great reel, and read this post on the perfect demo reel. Also, check out our guide to animation careers here, and also take a look at this map of digital studios - a great place to start your search for work in the business. Learn the nuts and bolts of freelance life by reading our guide to invoicing clients, and our guide to putting together a great CV.)

What Exactly Does a Visual Effects Producer Do?

Here at Bucks we teach the craft of animation and visual effects. One thing we don't teach (but perhaps should) is how to be a producer. Producers are vital to any production. They are organisers, leaders, people who make stuff happen. While the rest of us collect a paycheck, producers are out there beating the pavement, pitching, bidding, and raising money.

Below is an interview with VFX Producer Martin Gabriel, reprinted from Alex's blog FLIP. It's one of FLIP's most popular posts ever, probably because it explains the workings of a job that is, to non-producers, somewhat mysterious. So, if you've very wondered how the VFX industry really works, read on, and get educated.


Martin Gabriel is a visual effects producer with a long list of successful feature films on his resume, including Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,  X-Men, The last Stand, and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. He also worked on the TV series Band of Brothers and The Prisoner. In this interview Martin talks about what, exactly, a visual effects producer does, and how a vfx film gets put together. In short - how does the industry really work?

Tell us about your job. What do you do, exactly?

MG: The simple answer is - project management. But, as the VFX industry has not evolved a standard protocol for dealing with clients , the exact meaning of the term "visual effects producer" can vary widely between projects and facilities. Ultimately, you are the person responsible for bringing in the project on schedule and within budget so that the facility can - hopefully - make a profit.

How do you get started on a project?

MG: The starting point can be discussions with a client over what type of FX are needed and how that can be achieved. This will always be with a VFX Supervisor who can provide the technical and creative know-how, and at this stage the Producer's main task is to ensure that the suggestions remain within the bounds of what is definitely achievable with the timescale and budget involved and to make clear to the client what they need to be doing when the principal photography [the live-action shoot] takes place.

The client may or may not have their own VFX Supervisor and, since it may not be possible to attend the shoot, it pays to stress the importance of key objectives to be met in camera to enable the manipulation of the image in post to the standard the client is aiming for. You have to be a diplomat at all times and this means sometimes having to say no in a way that makes it clear that you are being helpful.

The client may send a script and/or a VFX breakdown and ask you to bid for the work. In doing this it is crucial to specify the limits both of what they and you will be providing and the determining factors which make that work possible in post-production. As the final version for the client usually details the price per shot, you need to break out as a separate item the cost of anything which works across a number of shots.

You may find that you inherit a project with a bid already in place and accepted by the client so you need to examine everything with a fine tooth comb so that you know what could be a problem and to raise that with management before the work begins. If you don't say anything the assumption is always that you have agreed to everything and this is a hazard that you constantly have to be careful of.

What about the live action shoot? Does the VFX Producer get to go?

MG: You may be called on to attend the shoot along with the VFX Supervisor and others from the facility. This enables you to ensure that everything is shot as per the requirements of the production or, if this does not happen, to provide the studio with a new anticipated cost for the work based on the fact that the footage is not as stated in the original bid documents.

The same thing often happens with turnover [photographic plates that will need VFX work done] that arrives from an unsupervised shoot. The trippiest thing about being on set is when you are called upon to give advice about something that is being shot and you realise that hundreds of people are looking at you to tell them what to do next.

The Cinesite VFX team hard at work in LA. From left, VFX supervisor Matt Johnson, Managing director Courtney Vanderslice and VFX Producer Martin Gabriel. Photo by Alex Williams

How do you manage the budget?

MG: At the bidding stage and throughout the project, there needs to be both an internal budget and a schedule. The budget is something that management usually create with the Producer in attendance. This introduces new constraints on the management of the project in terms of the number of people available to undertake the work in the time available and from this you can construct a schedule showing each of the units of production (modelling, animation, lighting etc) and how they inter-relate. Ideally, the number of people in the team lines up with what you know is needed but there are often pressures from above meaning that your dream scenario is just that - a dream.

OK - so the studio sends you the plates from the shoot - what now?

MG: Once the turnover is in, the work needs to be assigned to the various team members and the flow started. It helps to have already completed and tested all of the 3d and other assets using test plates you have requested from editorial so that the shot work can begin in earnest. What you absolutely don't need at this stage is somebody telling you that an important aspect has been overlooked and they need another couple of weeks of development time.

Once shot production is underway, the Producer needs to be managing the information flow and of course it helps to have a good team of coordinators who know what they are doing. It is really important for those people and anybody else on the team to be flagging difficulties they are encountering at the earliest possible moment.

An ancillary role of the producer involves having enough knowledge of systems generally to be able to undertake discussions with both the Technical Services department and management to see that unnecessary bottlenecks are dealt with using the technology rather than seeing people waste their time on manual workarounds.

How do you manage the client's expectations?

MG: All the time, the Producer is also having to report to the studio on the progress of the project. This is where the lack of a standard protocol is often sorely felt. Different studios have different ideas about the formats for reporting. They are often very old school (e.g. relying on Excel spreadsheets), can be specific to the person you are dealing with and can mean manually filling in several separate spreadsheets every week, some of which may contain the same information. This is when you can often see the VFX Producer looking a bit drawn as they have spent the entire day typing in dates and re-jigging the schedule to fit the format they have to use for that project.

For example, the progress report can specify exactly when tracking (or any other part of the production process) is started and completed, when versions are going to be available to the client and even (bizarrely) a prediction of the date the shot will be approved. The studios often seem to think that extensive reporting of this kind ensures that the project is being managed correctly, but the vagaries of production mean that you are often making a good guess rather than an exact prediction - and this often leaves the production facility as a hostage to fortune.

You can be assured that no matter how many additional shots are presented to the client on a given day beyond what the schedule stated, they will focus on the one that didn't make it and want to know why it has all gone horribly wrong. Report generation can be the worst thing about the job. Some reports are frankly nonsense and seem to come from a culture of inventing things to fill somebody's time, especially as you rarely get any feedback on the data provided. Progress updates can be generated automatically by several means. In this day and age, having to fill in a spreadsheet manually is an inexcusable waste of time.

Throwing the VFX Producer in the pool of the Sunset Tower Hotel can be an important part of the production process.

What part of the job do you enjoy the most?

MG: The best bit about producing is working with a team of highly skilled and creative individuals who enjoy what they are doing and whose work you are proud of. It's great when you can see the work in progress and view the shots in dailies but often the demands on your time - from both clients and management - mean that days or weeks can pass by when you never get the chance to see anything. Which is a real downer. There is never enough time to cover everything. You always feel slightly anxious that you have missed something important.

I have met many decent and generous hearted people in this business but also, unfortunately, some deeply unpleasant individuals who make no secret of the fact that they are there to make your life as difficult as they can. You have to be polite but firm in refusing to be coerced into giving the client stuff for free and ensuring that they pay an overage for work that turns out to be more complicated than originally specified.

I have found that the people who are most skilled at what they do are generally the easiest to deal with, precisely because when you discuss something with them it is clear that you both know the score. The shouty ones are usually trying to hide a lack of deeper understanding of the issues.

What kind of people become visual effects Producers?

MG: VFX Producers come from a variety of backgrounds. Mostly the training involves simply rising up through the ranks, starting off as a runner or Production Assistant and learning as you go along. They thing is to become familiar with the various processes involved. The more computer literate you are the better. You must be methodical but also realistic enough to know that the schedule may change tomorrow. The main thing is to understand that you cannot possibly micro-manage everything, so you need to be sufficiently knowledgeable about the way things are done to know that somebody you trust is taking care of each separate area - and will tell you if they are feeling uneasy.

Most producers have a particular area they like to play special attention to which they feel is critical. People often think I have an editing background because I am a bit obsessed with making sure the line up [the frame-by-frame record of what is to be done] is completely accurate.

A good vfx Producer should be calm but equally have the strength of character to be able to remind management that the reason things may have played out in a less than perfect way is exactly what you (and the other senior team members) said would happen if nothing was done to address a structural problem - often one that affected previous projects. You do need to find a way of speaking truth to power or your team will be spending much of their time fixing something that ought not to have been broken.

I think it pays to have had experience of the world of work outside VFX so that you don't fall into the trap of thinking it is completely unique. VFX does share many characteristics with other types of project, and the failure to systematise adequately has been just one of the many reasons that have led to the current crisis in the industry. I am hoping that this can change and that in the future more consideration will be given to the accumulated wisdom of very skilled professionals who collectively know how to create more efficient pipelines. It is a tantalising prospect.

Seven Rules to Make a Group Project Work

Group projects always sound like a great idea, in theory. In practice, things rarely go to plan. Why do they go wrong?  Usually it's due to a lack of individual responsibility. Everyone in your group will tend to think that, where there's a job to be done, someone else will do it. The result is paralysis - nothing happens.

This is a problem for all group projects, and students film projects are no exception. So, save yourself some pain and heartache by following this step-by-step guide to making a group project work. These are the rules to live by.

Rule 1 - Make sure everyone has a job for which they alone are responsible

At a minimum, you will need to decide who is responsible for the following jobs: Producer, Director, Art Director/designer, Writer, Editor. If it's a CG project, you will need a digital supervisor as well. Each role must be filled by one person (never divide roles) who is responsible for this part of the project getting done.

Someone must be King. Or Queen.

Rule 2 - Decide who is the boss

Film studios, even small ones, are not democracies. Someone must be in charge. On any film project there are usually two people in charge - Producer and Director. Each job is different.

1. Producer. It is the Producer's job to organise the show, to set deadlines, to make sure deadlines are met. The Producer is organiser-in-chief, the project manager. 
2. Director. The Director's job is to provide creative leadership. The director must make the key creative decisions, working with the rest of the group, coming up with fresh ideas, inspiring the team. The Director is problem-solver in chief. 

Rule 3 - Set deadlines.

Without deadlines, projects don't get done. When will the script be done by? When will the mood boards be done? The storyboards? The animation? The final edit? The Producer must make a spreadsheet (learn to love Excel, or Google calendars) so everyone knows what the schedule is. Without a schedule you will struggle to get anything done.


Rule 4 - meet your deadlines

Deadlines are there for your own protection - you must make them on time or your project will hit trouble. Treat deadlines with respect. Meet them every week. Be disciplined.


Rule 5 - Have a plan B

If someone on your team isn't working out, replace them. You cannot have a smooth running machine with components that cannot or will not work.  If any individual won't deliver, replace them or do their job yourself. Nothing must stop the train.


Rule 6 -  Know how films get made. 

Understand how film-making works. Every project starts with a script, closely followed by visual development, storyboards, animatic (usually with voices, music and temp sound effects), then animation, lighting and rendering (if it's CG), post production (eg final sound design), and final output. Watch this film here to get you started. Know the process thoroughly and don't try to re-invent the wheel.

The cartoon at the top of the blog is from www.origami.com. For more on Group Projects, try this link.

---Alex