What Does a Movie Producer Do?

by Michael Dance

Overview

Screenwriters and actors have clear-cut jobs: They write movies or act in movies, respectively. But there's an aura of mystery surrounding producers. Why are there sometimes so many credited? What's the difference between a "producer" and a "line producer" and an "executive producer?" The confusion arises because "producer" is a broad term, and there aren't clear-cut crediting rules as there are for screenwriters, actors, and directors.
Rule of Thumb

In general, while the director is the boss of the artistic side of the movie, the producer is in charge of the business side--the production, budget and scheduling. The producer also tends to be the person who kick-started the project and turned it from an idea into an actual movie-in-the-making.

Line Producers

Line producers are what many people think of when they think of a producer. Line producers are on set during filming, overseeing the day-to-day schedule and budget.
Executive Producers

Often, executive producers provide funding (either in part or in whole) for the film but do not whatsoever participate in the making of the film. Other times, a celebrity will simply attach his name to a project in order to help it gain better recognition, or because that celebrity's production company helped finance the film. That's why you'll see Quentin Tarantino's name on the "Hostel" movies even though he had little to do with them, or why Tom Hanks was credited as an executive producer on "My Big Fat Greek Wedding."
Director/Producers and Writer/Producers

Often a director or a writer will take a producer credit if she helped get the project off the ground and participated in more aspects of the project, such as coming up with the idea, supervising the script, finding the budget or casting.
Co-producers and Associate Producers

These are the most slippery titles. A co-producers can be anyone from a minor financier to a day-to-day production supervisor (usually in larger productions) to the producer's best friend. An associate producer could be a consultant on the film, a financial contributor or a representative of the main producer.