Don't get bogged down by "titles". I do low budget movies and I always have a "producer". That's what I call the person in charge of all the non-creative stuff. Scheduling, calling people, making sure the food gets to the location, making sure we have permission to USE the location - that kind of thing.

As the director, I'd rather not deal with all that so I bring in someone to to it for me. I call that person the producer. If you don't need that person, or if you are doing it all yourself, then you don't need a "producer".

Sometimes the person putting up the money is called the Executive Producer. Sometimes the person or group or company putting up the money doesn't take a title at all. Sometimes a person calls themselves and Executive Producer because they own the location, or let you use their editing equipment, or provided food for the cast and crew.

If you want to call the person giving you money towards the film the executive producer and they agree, then you can do it. "Titles" and credits are pretty flexible.

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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)

Low-budget producers are good to have and hard to find... particularly if you want a producer who'll actually do their job :). I've ended up producing all but one of my movies, even the ones that nominally had 'producers' to do the work: I hate doing it, but the movies just wouldn't have been made otherwise.

In my experience any low-budget producer who can actually do the job tends to rapidly move up the food chain. There are far more aspiring directors, cinematographers, etc, than competent producers.

I had a producer on part of my movie. He got the locations and permits and insurance for shooting on campus. Supplies lighting and sound equipment for the first half of the shoot, set up the auditions. He created a lot of heartburn for me but also solved numerous problems so I can't complain.

I handled the scheduling and everything else which is where the heartburn came in. Do we have the location? Do you answer your emails or phone? argh.

It's a trade off creatively because I wasn't 100% happy a few of the locations he got, but I doubt I could have done better, not without spending a lot of money. And finding a place where you can flash guns in the suburbs without any hassles (or permits) was pretty valuable as well.

I've got a half dozens Associate Producers on my film as well. These are people that secured a single location or a dozen extras when we really needed them. More of an honorary title though.

RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA

thanks for all the input. wha ti got from this is that low budget producers are needed if the director doesnt want to do all of the "back room" work so to speak. if im wrong let me know

Once a Shotta always a shotta.
Movies are the motion of words.
Flying Buddha Productions, LLC.
flyingbuddhaproduction?gmail.com

horrorfilmer - all that back room work needs to be done. Even on low buget movies. If the director does it then he is the producer/director. But it all still needs to be done.

So yes, a producer is needed.

=============================================
The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)

that works cool thanks for all the help

Once a Shotta always a shotta.
Movies are the motion of words.
Flying Buddha Productions, LLC.
flyingbuddhaproduction?gmail.com