Executive producer

Last updated

Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties).[ citation needed ] In films, the executive producer generally contributes to the film's budget and their involvement depends on the project, with some simply securing funds and others being involved in the filmmaking process. [1] [2]

Contents

Motion pictures

In films, executive producers may finance the film, participate in the creative effort, or work on set. Their responsibilities vary from funding or attracting investors into the movie project to legal, scripting, marketing, advisory and supervising capacities. [3]

Executive producers vary in involvement, responsibility and power. Some executive producers have hands-on control over every aspect of production, some supervise the producers of a project, while others are involved in name only. [4]

The crediting of executive producers in the film industry has risen over time. In the mid-to-late 1990s, there were an average of just under two executive producers per film. In 2000, the number jumped to 2.5 (more than the number of standard "film producers"). In 2013, there were an average of 4.4 executive producers per film. [5] One reason for the increase in executive producers per film is the desire to spread risk, whether due to increasing cost of film making for larger budget films, often met by multiple studios banding together, or alternatively the need to attract multiple smaller investors for lower budget independent films. [6]

Television

In television, the executive producer credit is often applied to individuals who are involved with the production in a hands-on capacity; an executive producer usually supervises the creative content, plans and schedules the filming with the producer and team and may be involved in the financial budgeting of a production. Some writers, like Aaron Sorkin, Stephen J. Cannell, Tina Fey, and Ryan Murphy, have worked as both the creator and the producer of the same show. [7]

As in film, executive producer credits in television are also commonly applied to individuals who are involved in the production in a more hands-off capacity, such as the owner of the show's production company. [8] [9] In the case of multiple executive producers on a television show, the one responsible for day-to-day production is usually called the showrunner, [10] or the leading executive producer.

Music

In recorded music, record labels distinguish between an executive producer and a record producer. The executive producer is responsible for business decisions and more recently, organizing the recordings along with the music producer, whereas the record producer makes the music. Sometimes the executive producer organizes the recording and selects recording-related crew, such as sound engineers and session musicians. [11]

Video games

In the video game industry, the title "executive producer" is not well-defined. It may refer to an external producer working for the publisher, who works with the developers.

For example, in 2012, Jay-Z was announced as executive producer for NBA 2K13 . His role consisted of appearing in an introduction, picking songs for the game's soundtrack and contributing to the designs of its in-game menus "and other visual elements". [12] [13]

Radio

An executive radio producer helps create, develop, and implement strategies to improve product and ratings. [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Film crew</span> Group of people involved in some phase of the making of a film

A film crew is a group of people, hired by a production company, for the purpose of producing a film or motion picture. The crew is distinguished from the cast, as the cast are understood to be the actors who appear in front of the camera or provide voices for characters in the film. The crew is also separate from the producers, as the producers are the ones who own a portion of either the film studio or the film's intellectual property rights. A film crew is divided into different departments, each of which specializes in a specific aspect of the production. Film crew positions have evolved over the years, spurred by technological change, but many traditional jobs date from the early 20th century and are common across jurisdictions and filmmaking cultures.

Producer or producers may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Record producer</span> Individual who oversees and manages the recording of an artists music

A record producer is a music recording project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions: ensuring artists deliver acceptable performances, supervising the technical engineering of the recording, and coordinating the production team and process. The producer's involvement in a musical project can vary in depth and scope. Sometimes in popular genres the producer may create the recording's entire sound and structure. However, in classical music recording, for example, the producer serves as more of a liaison between the conductor and the engineering team. The role is often likened to that of a film director though there are important differences. It is distinct from the role of an executive producer, who is mostly involved in the recording project on an administrative level, and from the audio engineer who operates the recording technology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay-Z</span> American rapper and businessman (born 1969)

Shawn Corey Carter, known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. Known for his involvement in the creative and commercial success of numerous artists, he was named the greatest rapper of all time by Billboard and Vibe in 2023. He is the founder and chairman of entertainment company Roc Nation, and was the president and chief executive officer of Def Jam Recordings from 2004 to 2007.

A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, directing, editing, and arranging financing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DJ Premier</span> American record producer and DJ from Texas

Christopher Edward Martin, known professionally as DJ Premier, is an American record producer and DJ. He is considered one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time. He was half of the hip hop duo Gang Starr—alongside the rapper Guru—and presently forms half of the hip hop duo PRhyme, together with Royce da 5'9".

A showrunner is an established writer and the top-level executive producer of a television series production, who outranks other creative personnel, including episode directors, in contrast to feature films, in which the director has creative control over the production, and the executive producer's role is limited to investing. The role of showrunner is not present on all television series, especially outside the US; this article describes the nature of the role where it is present.

A television director is in charge of the activities involved in making a television program or section of a program. They are generally responsible for decisions about the editorial content and creative style of a program, and ensuring the producer's vision is delivered. Their duties may include originating program ideas, finding contributors, writing scripts, planning 'shoots', ensuring safety, leading the crew on location, directing contributors and presenters, and working with an editor to assemble the final product. The work of a television director can vary widely depending on the nature of the program, the practices of the production company, whether the program content is factual or drama, and whether it is live or recorded.

A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of video production on a television program. 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 directing.

Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screenwriting, casting, pre-production, shooting, sound recording, post-production, and screening the finished product before an audience, which may result in a film release and exhibition. The process is nonlinear, as the director typically shoots the script out of sequence, repeats shots as needed, and puts them together through editing later. Filmmaking occurs in a variety of economic, social, and political contexts around the world, and uses a variety of technologies and cinematic techniques to make theatrical films, episodic films for television and streaming platforms, music videos, and promotional and educations films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Benioff</span> American writer and producer

David Friedman, known professionally as David Benioff, is an American writer and producer. Along with his collaborator D. B. Weiss, he is best known for co-creating Game of Thrones (2011–2019), the HBO adaptation of George R. R. Martin's series of books A Song of Ice and Fire. He also wrote 25th Hour (2002), Troy (2004), City of Thieves (2008) and co-wrote X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Production company</span> Company or studio that produces media

A production company, production house, production studio, or a production team is a studio that creates works in the fields of performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, comics, interactive arts, video games, websites, music, and video. These groups consist of technical staff to produce the media, and are often incorporated as a commercial publisher.

Television crew positions are derived from those of film crew, but with several differences.

A music supervisor is a person who combines music and visual media. According to The Guild of Music Supervisors, a music supervisor is “a qualified professional who oversees all music related aspects of film, television, advertising, video games and other existing or emerging visual media platforms as required.” In the musical theatre industry, a music supervisor is often responsible for managing a team of music directors working on any number of musical productions. In visual productions, the music supervisor usually works with the directors, writers or producers to choose which songs are best suited for the scenes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Morrison</span>

Christopher "MINK" Wingfield Morrison is a British American film director, writer, producer and comic book novelist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Mill (company)</span> British VFX production company

Technicolor Creative Studios UK Limited, doing business as The Mill, is a British VFX production company and creative studio headquartered in London, England, with three offices in the United States, three others in Europe and three in Asia. It is owned by Technicolor Creative Studios. The Mill produces real-time visual effects, animation, moving images, design, experiential, and digital projects for the advertising, games, and music industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">On to the Next One</span> 2009 single by Jay-Z featuring Swizz Beatz

"On to the Next One" is a song by American rapper Jay-Z, released as the fourth single from his eleventh studio album The Blueprint 3 on his Roc Nation label, also released as the fourth single in the United Kingdom after "Young Forever". It was released on December 15, 2009. The song features additional rap vocals and music production from producer and rapper Swizz Beatz. The song contains a vocal sample of the words "under the spotlight" as well as a background synthesizer sound from the live version of Justice's song "D.A.N.C.E.".

<i>NBA 2K13</i> 2012 basketball video game

NBA 2K13 is a 2012 basketball video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K. It was released on September 19, 2012 for the Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii and Xbox 360. A version for the Wii U was also released as a launch title in North America, and in December for the PAL region. Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers, Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls are the cover athletes, and they are all shown in dunking positions. NBA 2K13 is the successor to NBA 2K12, succeeded by NBA 2K14 in the NBA 2K series and is the fourteenth installment in the 2K series. The game was executive produced by rapper Jay-Z, who designed the game and curated its soundtrack. It is also the fourth and last NBA 2K game to be released on both the Wii and PlayStation Portable, the only installment available on the Wii U, and the last to be available on pure handheld systems.

"Stress" is a song by French electronic music duo Justice, the tenth track on their debut studio album Cross. A music video for the song, directed by Romain Gavras, was released on 1 May 2008 through the website of American rapper Kanye West. The video, which was subject to severe criticism, is notable for its extremely controversial content, which includes scenes of gang violence performed by young teenagers across Paris. The song itself received positive reviews from critics.

References

  1. "What is an Executive Producer?". WiseGEEK. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  2. "Executive Producer". CareersinFilm.com. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  3. "Executive Producer (aka Executive in Charge of Production)". Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  4. Russell, Jim (9 March 2013). "What is an Executive Producer?". The Program Doctor. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  5. Follows, Stephen (17 March 2014). "How many movie producers does a film need?". Stephen Follows Film Data and Education. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  6. Bailey, Jason (8 August 2016). "Why Are There So Damn Many Production Company Logo Animations Before Movies?". Flavorwire . Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  7. "Frequently Asked Questions - Producers Guild of America". Archived from the original on 7 April 2010. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  8. "Executive producer in the film and TV drama industries". ScreenSkills. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  9. August, John. "Producer credits and what they mean" . Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  10. "There can be multiple executive producers on a series, but the one in charge is called the showrunner" . Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  11. Discovery Channel (3 January 2011). "What does a music executive producer do?". Curiosity . Archived from the original on 10 April 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  12. "Argent said Jay-Z's influence would be felt immediately in the game, starting during its video introduction. Jay-Z also handpicked the game's soundtrack". CNN. 1 August 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  13. "Jay-Z NBA 2K13: Rapper Announced As 'Executive Producer'". BBC News. 2 August 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
  14. "Executive Producer". Radio & Television Business Report. 6 November 2017. Archived from the original on 25 March 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2018.