Television producers and movie producers are verra different.

As are Broadway producers and music producers.

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So producers are the real world equivalent of a mother or secretary. They do so much everything, nobody can pinpoint it all, but nothing gets done without them?

Television producers and movie producers are verra different.

Allyson, when a writer like David Fury, or Tim gets a production credit, is that somewhat an honorific (or having to do more with payscale than job change)?

As are Broadway producers and music producers.

Are they really different from film producers? I mean, the product is different, so getting it out is different, but is the function itself that different, Hec?

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Also from Wikipedia Executive Producer:

In the production of a television show there may be many executive producers listed. Sometimes it may be a situation not dissimilar to the one listed immediately above for motion pictures: someone with previous involvement with a particular work, a financier of a project, or someone in control of the business aspect of production. Other times it is a celebrity or notable creator who has lent their name to a project but in reality has no input into the production.

In television, however, an executive producer might have more power than any other credited crew member - this is the case with the Show runner. Generally a show runner (still credited as an executive producer) is the creator of a series or an influential staff writer on the show whose role is to guide the overall creative progress of the show's story over the course of a season - they can be seen as the creative director of the show, and all creative decisions from casting to script approval goes through them. Usually, while there may be many producers and executive producers with varying responsibilities on a television series, there are just one or two in the position of show runner.

Television producer (not that informative).

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Payscale, job change, all that.

If they're a consulting producer, they may be someone who pops into the office from time to time and says, "that sucks, this is what you should do."

An Executive Producer goes down to the set when shit hits the fan and says, "okay, you need to go sit down over there and shut the fuck up, and also, no, you can't have a hot air balloon in the third act because this is already 50k over budget and the DGA fines are piling up, jackass."

This is my understanding of things.

However, I could be totally misunderstanding, and maybe they don't call people jackasses as much as I think.

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Are they really different from film producers? I mean, the product is different, so getting it out is different, but is the function itself that different, Hec?

Theatrical producers are similar to film producers, but they're generally either just moneybags, or impresarios. Music producer is an entirely different thing. Some are famous for having a very particular sound (Eno, Spector, Lillywhite, Albini, Dr. Dre) and work with the musicians to get the right performances and sound in the studio.

Ten different music producers would produce vastly different records by the same band doing the same songs.

It's more like choosing a collaboration in the studio. Eno with the Talking Heads was almost like an extra band member.

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I like my explanation better than wikipedia's.

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Oh, you know who knows the answer?

Tim.

Where's he at?

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I like my explanation better than wikipedia's.

Yeah, but you didn't say "show runner." One should say that as often as possible.

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Theatrical producers are similar to film producers, but they're generally either just moneybags, or impresarios.

Only on Broadway. "Executive Producer" on films may be a vanity/money title, but "Producer" is a job title that means you're doing a shitload of work, even if you're not on set every day.

"Associate Producer" on films is the trickiest one, because it's a title that gets handed out as a favor (instead of giving people money), but it can also denote people who are actually doing what the title implies. On student films, "Associate Producer" is equivalent to "food bitch."

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In TV, there's a bunch of different kinds of producers. There are writer/producers and director/producers and non-writing producers and then the line producer. You can always tell who that last person is because their credit is "Produced By."

On the writing side, you start out as a staff writer and move your way up the ranks to co-producer, producer, supervising producer, co-executive producer and executive producer. As you move up the ranks, you get more money but, really, you're supposed to do more stuff. Be more involved in casting, editing, etc. An EP is usually the creator and/or showrunner.

Consulting producer is normally someone who is of showrunner level but isn't the showrunner and, since you're not going to ask them to take a step down in title, you call them a consulting. It almost never means that they're only working there part-time.

Director/producers are usually the people who directed the pilot, helped create the look of the show and are going to be involved with the show on a continuing basis.

Non-writing producers are a mixed bag. Some of them actually work on the show, like Bryan Burk on Lost. Some of them were involved in making the project happen. Maybe they wrote the book it's based on, maybe it's based on their life, maybe they're the person who put the deal together...maybe they made a movie years ago that starred Donald Sutherland and will, now and forever, get a piece of the action whenever someone buys a DVD of the TV show that followed.

The physical production people are, like, the COOs to the showrunner's CEO. If someone decides, "Hey! let's shoot this scene at the Observatory," it's the line producer who makes that happen. They oversee the nuts and bolts of the actual production part.

I think. I wish I could NSYNC this up a little.

ETA: Of course, none of these are absolutes.

EATA: HA! Line producer. I knew I was forgetting the actual term.

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