It’s been a busy fortnight! Learnt a hell of a lot! reconfirming my thoughts on the role of a Producer.
This post in a nutshell: Metaphors, the art of (the not to be feared) presentations – stand tall, and get used to it. Excitement; to be bouncing thoughts and ideas off of like-minded Film and culture lovers!

Herding Cats.
Sculpting Jelly, Steering Water.
No these are not project ideas. (Although, is it just me, they sound kinda fun?!) They are metaphors to help describe the job of a Producer.

What is a producer & what do they do?
My notes from the sessions, with Sarah Ellis, Digital Producer a the Royal Shakespeare Company. Tom Metcalfe, producer at REACT. Katherine Jewkes, Digital Associate at National Theatre Wales. & Kim Plowright, producer & new media consultant for Channel Four, Hide&Seek and Storythings.

• A Producer thinks of ideas and how to do them.
• A Producer questions the creative (who, what, why, where, how)
• A Producer mixes: Magic & logic
• A Producer deals with a project’s overview and also its detail.
• A Producer is all and also speculative. 

A Producer should:

• Know their strengths and weaknesses and what they can ask others to do.
• Remind themselves why they are doing the project.
• See potential in artists.
• Be able to navigate and negotiate by asking why?

Some key quotes and thoughts:

• It is nice to converse with people who know, and also open in knowing, what (film, event etc) you are referring to!
  
• Making your audience to froth*
  *Immediately give a excited personal account of the event etc.
• Digital is not just an nice thing to add at the end, and if you have the budget for it. It should be considered as an element similar to lighting, props etc, that is used to tell the story.

Audience:

• Analyse your current audience.
• Don’t assume you know what your audience is going to do.
• Stats are good evidence for help with future funding.
• Empathy – with your audience, understand the audience that you are producing for.

Pitching and public speaking workshop – Stand like a superhero & you will feel like a superhero (who can give that presentation!) Don’t believe me? sounds ridiculous? honestly if you need a confidence boost, just try it. Stand slightly wider than hips width, chest out, hands on hips, gazing diagonally up & left. What I have discovered: We all have concerns over public speaking! We have different ways of presenting – all in all – what came across to me was – unique individuals with evocative ideas – that I wanna work with! and I feel privileged that I get to.

Hurah! I am on the BFI sci-fi strand!
I am thrilled to be part of this project! I see it as a chance to utilise and adapt my study of film, and be in discussion with committed and genuinely interested individuals. Stemming from our pitches, there has been some of creative thinking around the intended film screenings. In our discussions we have been opening each others eyes, (metaphorically of course. ew, gruesome), to different films, points of view, challenging each other to suss out, a intended plan for content. It really is lovely hearing everyone’s insights, which convey that we all really care about the project.

….so far we are approaching the project with caution, with ideas about how to go about it all.
I think this is to perhaps stop us, being over-excited, and not allowing that to get in the way too early!? (rest assured we all are very excited for this project to take shape, and I have been frothing about it to friends and family and anyone who will let me.