Becoming a Producer

¶ … producers are your inspirations, and why? Two producers who are an inspiration to me are Danny De Vito and Harvey Weinstein. Danny De Vito began working in Hollywood as a comedic actor but has parlayed his acting success into a successful and courageous career as a producer, where he produces both popular movies and champions smaller, independent films. As a producer, De Vito is not afraid to take risks, and the result is an interesting, varied body of work.

I admire many of the movies he has produced, including "Garden State" (2004), "Pulp Fiction," (1994), "Reality Bites" (1994) and "Man on the Moon" (1999). I also admire De Vito for his opposition to the popular Hollywood belief that looks are everything. De Vito and his wife Rhea Perlman have spoken out against Hollywood's obsession with youth and beauty, insisting they are proof you don't have to be beautiful to succeed in the business. Although both their looks are unusual, the two, who have been married for 30 years, have become multi- millionaires.

De Vito's production company, Jersey Films, is a force in Hollywood, and although I have no acting aspirations, I look to him as a model of unconventional success. Another producer I admire is Harvey Weinstein, who has changed the face of modern film. He was also involved in the classic "Pulp Fiction," and built Miramax (along with his brother Bob) into a Hollywood powerhouse from the founding of their small company in 1979. Weinstein isn't afraid to disagree with people, and he stays true to his own creative vision and instincts.

Weinstein has the type of uncompromising attitude I admire, and I think this is a quality that is key to a success career as a producer.

Weinstein is responsible for many movies I admire, including "Smoke" (1995), "The English Patient" (1996) and "Good Will Hunting" (1997)." Why do you want to be a producer? Unlike being a director, who focuses on the look and execution of a film, or an actor, who brings a character to life in the film, a producer has an impact on all parts of a film, from the conception of an idea to the placement of the film in theaters.

Being a producer is the best way to have a creative and economic impact on the making of a film. Producers are involved in every part of the filmmaking process, and in a sense, they are key to fueling the creative process. Producers solicit scripts, pay money for them, gather talent to execute them, and essentially bring entertainment to life and life to entertainment. Producers are very hands-on during the filmmaking process, meeting daily with writers and directors to make both large and small decisions on the film.

Even before production begins, producers are instrumental in finding projects and deciding which films should be made. As a producer, I would read many movie scripts from aspiring and established writers, read books by new authors, distribute notes to writers on improving scripts, and look for projects to get off the ground. In the creation of new projects is where I, as a producer, would have the most impact.

By seeing my pet projects through from beginning to end, I would have the opportunity to make my creative visions become realities. Eventually, when I make a name for myself as a producer, I can broker a deal with a studio to create my own production company. Ideally, this company would be initially located on the lot of a major studio, and I would oversee a small staff of development executives and assistants to help me with my film projects.

Why do you think you have what it takes to be a producer? I would be a successful and innovative film producer for a number of reasons. First, I have an extensive knowledge of film history and modern trends in film. It's important to know where film has been and where it's going in order to make films that not only appeal to audiences but also have something interesting and insightful to say. Film is an important medium because it has so much power.

We are entertained when we go to the movies, but a smart producer also understands that films have the power to influence thought and change lives. I hope to make movies that do all of these things and more, and the first step is to understand what has been done before in film. I also have a definitive creative vision about the types of movies I would like to see made. I think there is too much tendency to take the.