Position:Home>Theater & Acting> In movies, what are the roles of the Producer and Director?

Yes, their roles are quite different in TV and film, but that producer title you see on TV is more than just a producer!.!.!.

In films a director has enormous creative control and is responsible if the movie is going over budget and off schedule!. But the producer can help or hinder the director, and many producers are quite creative with financial solutions to creative problems!.

But essentially, the director is the captain of the ship and sets the tone for the entire production!.

In TV, the writers are in charge!. The writers are also given producer titles, like Executive, Co-Executive, Associate, and Consulting producer!. The person who gets the "produced by" credit is the person who is really producing the show -- arranging the schedule, booking the crew, taking care of payroll, all the nuts and bolts and behind the scenes details of making TV!.

In most TV shows, the director is hired on a per-episode basis, and changes every week!. So they come and go, while the writers and producer are there every week!. In other words, the writers know the show better than the directors! (In contrast to movies, where the director knows the movie better than anyone else!.)

In fact, in the business, TV directors are called "traffic cops" because their job is primarily to keep the set moving, keep on schedule, and get the shots the writers want!.

There are some notable exceptions!. Jimmy Burrows directed pretty much every episode of "Will & Grace," and has executive producer credit as well!. The guy knows funny, and is in high demand, especially for pilots!.

So, you're right about your hunch, except that the producers you see in TV who are in control are really the writers (with producer titles)!. It's only the writers who can create that content week after week and year after year!.

An example of the difference: on a movie set, the director can change a line of dialogue any time he wants to make the scene better!.

In contrast, I was on the set of "Desperate Housewives" and they wanted to change a line, which meant a phone call to the producer/writers for approval (who aren't on the set that much cause they're busy writing the next episode)!. It makes perfect sense because who knows the show better -- a director who's worked on a few episodes or the creator of the show who lives and breathes it!?

I don't know about you, but I'm calling the writer on that one!.

This is not to diminish the role of the TV director -- believe me, the writers love it when a director enhances the scripts and allows the actors to be their best!Www@QuestionHome@Com

---

---

the director, directs and the producer produces!.

directors have the most creative control!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

---

---