Today it has become surprisingly popular and fashionable high-profile title producer. The profession of a producer seems to be incredibly profitable and prestigious, many strive to become them, and individual stars change their producers like gloves, or they are engaged in producing on their own. What is the benefit of an honorary title? Why is being a producer difficult, interesting and dangerous?

Who is a producer?

Producer (from Latin produce - to produce, create) is a trustee of a product, brand or manufacturer. Currently, the high demand for the profession is due to the interest in the implementation creative projects for various purposes. The responsibilities of a producer may include both evaluating the investment in order to increase it, as well as a professional sense of the future popularity of an artist or movie.

Every self-respecting actor or director has a personal producer, which increases the chances of professional recognition in a wide public circles. Today it is impossible to do without the services of a specialist in this field of art: without what the producer does, it is difficult to independently establish the necessary connections and relationships. Only a good specialist is able to correctly assess the potential of an artist, singer or group and apply official duties producer to the fullest. Sometimes, in order to create a masterpiece is not enough. You need business acumen and experience that are inherent in producers.

The role of a producer is not only to accompany his wards on various events, hangouts, organizational functions, these are, first of all, financial investment in the selected product - one or another "star". In the world of show business, producers, like bees to honey, flock to those who want to be promoted, to become interesting to him. First and foremost, the responsibility of the producer is to finance and care for their contributions.

In the entertainment industry and the world of show business, the profession of a producer is one of the most popular and dangerous at the same time. He must determine the payback of the project on his own, with experience and intuition to feel the potential in this or that artist. Each producer is a king and god for his ward, because he opens the world of popularity, fame and success for him. Sometimes, having invested in, the producer achieves unprecedented popularity for his ward.

The financial side of the issue still remains with the producer. This is the main responsibility of the producer - controlling all processes. However, in fact, it is possible to produce not only a star - a singer, artist, actor or dancer. The subject of production can be a brand or a product, but the most important thing in all this is the experience and subtle flair of a specialist.

How to become a producer?

Many people think that there are many advantages and unique opportunities in the role of a producer, but in reality this is far from the case. To become a producer, you should have not only a solid capital, aspiration, experience and a great desire, but also a lot of useful contacts and skills. Otherwise, only failures and financial losses await him. About how to become a good producer, no one can teach or tell, because successful people the secret of their wealth and success will never be shared. Also, the key to achieving certain results is a thorough knowledge of the proposed product, regardless of its type and genus. Sometimes experienced films and achieve success in producing.

In the music or show industry, a producer must be a generalist who is well versed in tastes and modern preferences, since the wrong choice of the object of production can become deplorable.

Many producers are also good sound engineers, organizers and even stylist managers. On early stages the producer must independently assess the person, consider his chances of success, and only then connect all his assets in order to achieve the desired result.

Is it easy to become a producer

If you do not know how to become a producer, then specialized courses and seminars can help. Having mastered the profession, you will be able to independently produce clients in the music, dance, film and show industries. Multidisciplinary experience allows you to monitor the situation from a wider panorama, anticipating the desires of the public and studying all related information as deeply as possible. Of course, you should study to be a producer if you have sufficient capital for investment, business acumen and a high degree responsibility.

You can easily find out where they teach to be a producer, having received an education in accordance with the chosen profile. Job Descriptions Producers also do not exclude mastering an additional profession by actors, screenwriters, directors for independent promotion of projects. By choosing the courses where you will study as a producer, you can a short time learn the intricacies of this type of art, while mastering organizational, directing, as well as camera and acting skills.

What is the core of a producer's job?

To find out what the producer is doing, just look at the degree of payback of the project and the popularity of a particular star. Of course, one cannot do without the personal qualities of intuition and instinct, multiplied by extensive experience. This is what distinguishes the director from the producer - producing involves a delicate calculation of the payback of the project, which is often inaccessible to his creative flight of fancy.

In addition to organizing events, press conferences, parties, shows, the producer is busy controlling all the processes leading to fame and success. So for budding talents creative producer- this is a person who forms the creative component and is able to raise them to the top of Olympus.

Producer or charlatan

You also need to be able to choose a producer, because it’s not worth giving yourself into the first hands that come across. It is enough to evaluate his skills, connections and means. Today in the domestic open spaces there are many who wish to rise at the expense of others, receive fabulous fees and quickly recoup their investments. Fundamental documents are those that an experienced lawyer should look at before signing.

With the development of the film industry in our country, you can increasingly hear about such a profession as a producer. "Who is this?" - any person who is not so deeply familiar with television or show business will ask. This article will answer all your questions about this relatively new profession.

Producer - who is it?

So, a producer is a specialist who is directly involved in the production of the project, solving financial, technological and creative questions. However, our inexperienced viewer, having waited for the end of the film, sees a huge list of different producers and does not understand why there are so many of them, what is the work of each of them. This is not surprising, because this profession began to gain popularity only after the collapse of the USSR, and it is relatively young. So, let's figure out why one film or show has so many of these same producers.

Lead or General Producer. Who is this?

This is undoubtedly the starting point of any film. He deals with financial issues, corrects the director's intentions, approves and selects the personnel and cast for work on the set. IN television projects all these functions are performed by the show producer.

Executive producer

It can be called the main participant in the film production process. Most often it lies on it most of financial problems and legal issues. He is responsible for the costs of wages various kinds of costs. By the way, if they want to draw attention to a future film, then as executive producer indicate a famous person.

Speaking of expenses, one might recall famous movie and at the same time the Broadway musical "The Producers". The bottom line is that his main character firmly believes in the three main, unshakable rules of the producer, the essence of which boils down to one expression: "The producer never invests his own money in the film." Main character trying to prove it to his friend. Of course, in real life often the exact opposite happens.

Associate Producer

This designation can be taken in two senses. First of all, this is a person who is always ready to help the lead producer. He performs a number of his tasks and assignments. Also, do not forget that the film is usually produced by a group of companies, and the head of one of them most often becomes an associate producer. And the head of a larger firm is an executive. Now it is clear that his functions are similar to the tasks of the general or leader, he also hires staff, monitors the progress of work and seeks funds for the creation and development of the project.

Line Producer

He controls the film's budget and sometimes oversees the production process on a daily basis. More often he is not included in the list of the creative team, because he is in charge of on-site management and is involved in the process.

co-producer

This person is both responsible for the budget and influences the selection cast. The co-producer can be the head of the second company involved in the production, or a partner of the first producer. He must also have extensive knowledge in the field of cinema, know the main trends, understand at least a little about marketing, management, logistics. In general, it should be a comprehensively developed person.

Assistant Producer

It is indeed a difficult profession. The producer must be right hand, chief assistant. A person who does not have an unlimited flow of energy is unlikely to cope with this work. After all, the success of the film depends on and quickly solving difficult tasks, that is, on the quality of the work of the assistant producer.

Other types

Music producer - the question, most likely, has already arisen in your head, so we will certainly answer it. This person is responsible for the sound and the musical component.

Also in all this diversity there is a creative producer, who is unlikely to be found in the credits of foreign films. This is easy to explain, because the functions of any professional are not limited to the "dry" solution of budget and financial issues. However, in our country, a creative producer appears in the credits of almost every film.

Here, perhaps, is all you need to know about this difficult profession and its types. Now you know what producers do, and in a conversation with a person connected with the world of cinema, you will not look ridiculous and will be able to answer any question. Improve further!

Now the profession of a producer is in its infancy, the transition from the organizer of production, the director of the picture - to the actual producer, the inspirer of new projects. The minimum function of a producer is to help the director make the movie he has in mind, find money and try to optimize production as much as possible. Many today cannot cope even with this minimum.

Speaking cynically, a producer today is the person who gets the money for the film and makes money on its production. This is a vicious practice that is detrimental to our cinema. Producers who themselves come up with a project and lead it from an idea to its implementation on the screen, in Russian cinema- a rarity. Alas, most of our producers simply do not think about end result- for them, it ends with observance of the deadlines for submitting a copy to the archive.

In my opinion, this role is globally exaggerated, because there are ten people in our country in the normal sense of the word. And the rest is just a link between the place where the money is and the unfortunate person who, for the money left after this bundle, must make a movie.

Every second Russian producer, as a rule, finds money in some state structure, gives part of this money for the production of a film, and keeps part of it for himself. I do not want to offend anyone, but the rules of the game, alas, are as follows. The director is responsible for the final result, who is forced to make a movie with a hole in the budget. So the role of a producer is the role of a "hole", and unfortunately very good works often fall into this hole.

In the absence of a logical chain of film industry - from production to distribution - producers are not producers per se, but remain directors of films, and in the Soviet sense. That is, people who receive the budget and master it more or less effectively. Not a single film director at Mosfilm ever thought how many copies of the film would be, how it would be distributed, and, in general, did not really think about where the money came from, because they came from somewhere in Glaucus. The current Russian producer is the director of the 1972 Gorky film studio.

In my opinion, one of the main tasks of a producer is to create a picture that is long and happy life. And we have formed a class of producers who do not make any effort to ensure that the picture, after completion, somehow takes place in the mind of the viewer.

The role is more technical. Little creativity and immoderate appetite for the development of the budget. There are exceptions, but they should be the rule, not the exception.

The role of producers in modern Russian cinema, unfortunately, is almost always provocative. Nobody knows what they are provoking: neither the producers themselves, nor those with whom they work, but they have absolutely provocative tricks and provocative methods. It always ends in terrible resentment of all for all. But this is part of the plan of a global provocation called "producer's participation in the modern film process."

These are not one, but two roles: constructive and destructive. In the first case, the producer solves a whole range of issues, not only financial, but also creative, team. In the second, it destroys projects and human fates. I think that the percentage of those who play a second role is declining today, because after the so-called renaissance of Russian cinema, which they began to talk about ten years ago, many have already burned themselves and realized that producing is a very difficult and very often thankless plowing.

Not everyone fully understands what kind of profession it is. A well-dressed man sitting in an office is a primitive idea. We select literary material, we make a casting, we form a film crew. The producer actively interferes with the author's work. Speaking objectively, according to the law of 1996, formally the subject of production is not the director, but the producer. Ninety percent of the films were made with state money, and the recipient of state support is the producer, not the director.

Majority Russian producers- intermediaries between the source of money and the author, thanks to which there is a so-called dependent model of cinema, in which potential distribution results are in no way connected with the decision to produce films. This "dependent" model allows you to finance the films of directors whose films have repeatedly failed in both wide and limited distribution. Naturally, there is a second category of producers - rather, a few well-known exceptions, whose activities are due to the presence of sentiment in relation to cinema. This is the best, the most educated part film community, motivated by love for cinema, for certain directors, or simply a violent desire to make a high-quality, worthy picture. But in order for these people who clearly fall out of the “dependent” model to be able to work successfully, they must either be part of significantly larger media companies, corporations, or have other sources of income that allow them to take risks and, as a rule, lose money in the production of the type of cinema that they want to do that. There is also a third category of producers - very few, trying to fit into international contexts and diversify the natural risks of the Russian film industry.

In my opinion, Sergei Selyanov says very correctly, who believes that a producer should understand two things - scripting and editing. A producer is a person who must make an informed decision about whether or not to put a film into production. And then he must know and understand how to save what happened. Unfortunately, we can count such producers on our fingers.

I only recently realized that the producers have the same chemical composition like other people. We all want happiness, success, fulfillment. All participants in the film process - from the make-up artist to the producer - have the right to make mistakes. The main thing is that people do together a common thing that they like, and not play some games in their heads, trying to keep up with the rapidly changing reality. The producer should not fight with the director, but help him. It must be remembered that the film is not a by-product of the struggle of two egos, but a collective work.

Even at the Sixth Congress of the Union of Cinematographers in 1990, it was said that in the new economic conditions, cinema must inevitably become a producer, while the producer must become an agent of the viewer. This did not happen: basically, producers serve that part of the audience that has the lowest tastes and expects only entertainment from the movie. The government, having washed its hands of it, has already nurtured a generation of American cinema viewers. I would like a producer in Russia to realize his role as a cultural trailer, to take care of the fate of culture. In fact, we bury a hen that is capable of laying golden eggs. But there is another side - a generation has grown up that understands cinema in a purely Hollywood way: they understand what Transformers is, what Avatar is, and you can’t force them to watch Road Check. This proves the success of all "Yolok". I believe that today there is no state policy in the field of cinema. But I hope that this policy will still be born with the help of filmmakers in the very near future. The producer must realize that cinema is part of the culture and not just a business. At the same time, strict examination is necessary not only when choosing a scenario that receives state funding, but also after the end of production: how the money was spent, why it was not returned. As harsh as it sounds, but further fate director or producer should develop depending on the results of his activities.

This role largely depends on the scale of the producer and the scale of the director. Big directors in our country produce themselves, they are looking for a producer, whether famous or not, who would deal with the production issues of the project they invented. We very rarely have producers who are the authors of the project, although, of course, there are such figures. Even Sergei Selyanov, one of the best Russian producers, does not influence such a master as Alexei Balabanov - rather, on the contrary. That is why every self-respecting director has his own production company. We have hundreds of production companies, which indicates the weakness of the production business. I think the first figure in the film industry in Russia continues to be the director.

A producer is no different from actors, directors, and other people. From the police, for example. All people who live in our state are forced to accept the rules of the game that it imposes. And producers are no exception. The distribution of independent films is almost dead, and there is little chance for producers to remain free creative individuals. Producers-thinkers, producers-inventors will be less and less. Recently conducted a study of the ratings of the main Russian channels: the first five places were occupied by telemovies. And this means that the purchase prices on the channels will soon fall, and the last loophole that allowed the producer to recoup the investment - the sale of TV rights - will close. Therefore, there is no fatal role of the producer in what is happening, he is the same hostage of time and circumstances, like all of us.

In Russian cinema, the profession of a producer is still being formed. It is pointless to consider the problem of the producer outside the problem of the formation of the director's professional qualities. None of the professions of cinema is associated with directing as much as the profession of producer.

Srdjan Sarenac is a film and television director, producer and screenwriter with fourteen years of film production experience in Serbia, Bosnia, France and Croatia. He studied at film schools in Serbia, Spain and the Netherlands.

In November 2013, within the framework of the Listapad film festival, a master class was held by the Serbian documentary filmmaker Srjan Sarenac, who, using the example of his latest successful project “The Village Without Women”, spoke in detail about the strategy of independently finding a producer and financing to implement his idea. FESTAGENT publishes the most important and interesting parts of the master class.

About the film "The Village Without Women": fundraising - 2 years, shooting - 2.5 years, post-production - 6 months. The film went to 54 festivals and received 14 awards. Film distribution in Bosnia, Croatia and Mexico, shown on 17 TV channels. The film's budget is 200 thousand euros (from 3 producers and 6 TV companies).

“If you want to follow my path, you need to speak English well,” the director noted at the very beginning of the master class.

Why does a director need a producer?

The cinematographer is just one person, and the producer most often has a company that can help raise the money. And that's the main reason a director needs a producer. The director can receive money from the film fund only for writing the script.

What topics are producers interested in?

Producers may be interested in any projects that reach the international level, in universal topics. For example, my film tells the story of three lonely men who live on top of a hill. They are desperate because they are not married. And a person from any part of the world can watch a movie and say, "Yes, we also have single men who need wives."

How to find your producer and establish contact with him?

Eat national registries with lists of producers. In addition, there are always producers at film festivals (they come along with films), at film markets - in search of distributors for their films. It is very important to know which producer is needed for your film. Therefore, before contacting anyone, it is worth finding out what films he has produced before and whether this is right for you. For example, you will not offer a documentary to a producer who works with horror films. Also, don't pitch your low-budget documentary to someone who only works on big-budget projects.

Contact the producer: write a letter or arrange a meeting. Of course, if he doesn't answer the e-mail, it's worth calling and making sure that the letter has been received. It is important that you be able to say in one or two sentences what kind of film you want to make (logline). Tell us a little about yourself, your previous works. It is also worth sending a synopsis (no more than one page). Some producers receive up to 200 emails per day (including from your competitors). Therefore, you need to be brief enough so that the producer understands whether he wants to do this project. If needed Additional Information he will ask about it.

When meeting with a producer, it is important to tell him about the essence of the project in 5-7 minutes. Before the meeting, you should know the answers to 3 questions:

• Why do you want to make this film?
• What do you want to tell people with this film?
• Why does it have to be you?

What does a producer think about before meeting with a director?

• Is this story unique? Have you ever worked with this topic, is there something similar?
• How big is the budget and is it possible to finance the project? If the budget is too big or too small, then you have contacted the wrong person.
• Do I need to find co-producers for the project? If you can find funding from one source, don't make things difficult for yourself. "Village without women" was financed by 3 producers and 6 TV companies. In order to make any decision, I needed to get the approval of all the people involved in the project.
• Are competitors working on a similar topic? For example, in 2014, the anniversary of the First World War. Accordingly, there will be at least 30 documentaries about this theme.
• Why would anyone invest in this film?
• Similar titles and the success of these projects: films on a similar topic with the same budget. Were they successful?
• Do I really want to spend the next 3 years with this director?
• What happens if I can't raise money for the film? Will it ruin my reputation?
• Who will reimburse me for all expenses if the project is not implemented for any reason?
• Isn't the director an ordinary egoist?
• Will the director be able to meet the deadline and is he willing to compromise?

What does the director think about before meeting with the producer?

• Does the producer understand the story I want to tell?
• Will he be attentive to the project and will he devote enough time to it?
• Can he finance this film?
• This producer is fair man or not?
• Will he stick to the deal?
• Does the company run by this producer have any problems?

Director and Producer Decide to Work Together: Like a Long-Term Marriage

• Get ready for both the good and the bad times
• Relationships should be built on trust: honesty and openness
• The producer and director must understand that each party is doing everything possible to ensure that the project takes place
• If you get angry, it's better to wait and answer the next day

First important agreement: Option agreement
The Option Agreement is the first contract between a producer and a director. In it, the director agrees that the producer can use the film idea for a while. Typically, under the terms of the agreement, the producer has 12 months to raise funds to finance the film and purchase the rights. If in 12 months he does not find money for the project, then all rights are returned to the director.

If the producer does not yet have the opportunity to buy the rights, but he still wants to work on your project, then you can give the project away for free. It all depends on your choice. For example, the producer of my next film couldn't buy the script. We agreed that both work for free for 6 months, and if he can find money after the expiration of the period, then we continue cooperation.

Project development (development): script and trailer

Development is the process of writing and rewriting a script before delivering the final version. During this time, the director needs to shoot a trailer. The producer calculates the budget and tries to finance the film.

How to find money to create a trailer? It is on the trailer at the initial stage that an important part of the budget goes. Neither TV companies nor movie funds believe the script, they believe in the trailer. You can look for money through national or international film funds (see useful links).

After creating a trailer, you drive to

The scandal surrounding the film premiere: in the credits of the film "Give me Moonlight"The names of the director and the author of the script are missing. But the name of the producer is

After the premiere of the film "Give Me Moonlight", which took place on October 11 in the Moscow cinema "Art", the audience was in some confusion - the names of the director and screenwriter were missing in the credits. It turned out that the "parents" of the tape, shortly before the premiere, abandoned their "film child" due to creative differences with the film's producer, Igor Tolstunov.

The film was already difficult to be born: filming began back in 1998, and the tape was ready for distribution only in the spring of this year. Nevertheless, "Give me moonlight" even before the release of the screens caused real hype. After all, the film has become latest work in the cinema of Nikolai Eremenko. The tape contains almost mystical shots, in the style of "déjà vu": Eremenko grabs his heart and asks to bring validol. The movie ends well. In life, alas, no ...

But it was not the film itself that turned out to be much more interesting and significant, but the sharp conflict that arose between the director Dmitry Astrakhan and the producer of the tape Igor Tolstunov, as a result of which the credits were "cleared" from several names - an unprecedented case for our cinema. Despite this, the name of the director is guessed from the very first frames. Astrakhan did not betray himself and made the film according to his favorite recipe: a little humor, a little tears, a little hope. But if in his previous works ("Everything will be fine", "You are my only one") on-screen laughter and tears splashed out on the viewer in absolutely equal, as if mathematically calculated proportions, then in "Moonlight" the author's rhythm was broken - sometimes the viewer simply lost: cry for him or laugh. Who violated the author's style? Director Astrakhan believes that this is the work of producer Tolstunov, who remounted the tape to his taste.

Perhaps, for the first time, Russian cinema was faced with a question formulated in an absolutely Western way: who is the most main man on film set- the director who creates the film, or the producer who will subsequently have to sell this film on the film market?

Russia: list of victims

Conflicts, now and then arising on the set, will always exist. But with the arrival of domestic cinema private capital, when working on a film with enviable regularity, tension began to grow between the most important instigators of the film process - the director and producer.

In Soviet times, the functions of the producer were performed by the state. Arguing with him at that time was "unfashionable": the film could be put on the shelf, released for hire in a limited number of copies, deprived of the authors prestigious awards and the thirteenth salary. And to announce publicly that the director refuses his work was pure madness. After the collapse of the USSR, cinema became not only an art, but also a kind of business. Today, after so many years, many of our respected filmmakers have not been able to realize this, and even more so to accept that they are entirely in the power of the producers and that the edited and sounded film does not belong to them, not to the state, but specific individuals who financed its production.

Perhaps the most famous conflict between a producer and director in Russia is connected with the name of Yuri Kara, the author of the sensational films "Tomorrow was the war" and "Thieves in law". After Kara completed work on his version of The Master and Margarita, where he invited the actors beloved by the people to act, producer Vladimir Skory, a former major in the OBKhSS, "took" the picture from him. It turned out that the hard work of hundreds of people was in vain.

In numerous interviews, the director complained about the "treacherous" producer and appealed to the public. Did not help. Then Yuri Viktorovich went to court, but this step did not return the film to him. The producer was not satisfied with the editing of the film, and now he is trying to find a director who will completely recut the tape according to his wishes. Been looking for almost 10 years...

An even more interesting, one might even say mystical, story happened to the popular actress Vera Glagoleva. About ten years ago, Vera Vitalievna decided to try her hand at directing and made the film "Broken Light". But shortly after filming ended, her producers disappeared along with the picture. Movie not found yet...

Glagoleva at one time told reporters that the Edelweiss film company took over the work on "Broken Light" and the producers swore an oath to not interfere at all in creative process, which in itself is unique for cinema. And then the company allegedly broke up: at first the company changed its name, then completely disappeared into thin air, not leaving Glagoleva even a single copy for non-commercial shows. Why didn't the producers release the movie? There is no unequivocal answer to this question, one can only assume that the picture fell victim to commodity-money relations that are fundamentally new for Russia. Remember the 90s: the film could be left on bail, sold for debts, in the end, simply destroyed as unnecessary ...

One of the most recent conflicts in this area occurred in the painting "In August 44th". Producer Vladimir Semago dismissed director Mikhail Ptashuk (Sign of Trouble, Politburo Cooperative, Imagination Game) and edited the film himself. as a director he is absolutely not satisfied. Interestingly, in this case, the producer was an ex-deputy of the State Duma, a successful businessman. But how objective can he be when making this or that decision regarding filming, editing, dubbing? .. One well-known cinematographer at the festival " Kinotavr "confessed to the author of these lines:" Purely humanly, Ptashuk, of course, is a pity. But he himself signed a contract with the producer. And this contract can no longer be changed. It remains only to advise other directors to be more prudent in the future ... "

And the most recent scandal. Producer Valery Todorovsky dismissed director Igor Apasyan, director of the TV series Maroseyka 12, which has sunk into oblivion. Todorovsky instructed Apasyan to prepare a pilot series new painting"Line of Destiny" After viewing the materials, Apasyan was fired, and director Dmitry Meskhiev was hired to work on the series ("Over dark water", "American", "Mechanical Suite").

By the way, against the background of such producers as Vladimir Skory and Vladimir Semago, Valery Todorovsky and Igor Tolstunov look like professionals, because they are engaged in cinema as a business, and not as a hobby. Todorovsky is a producer of RTR film projects (as a director he staged "Country of the Deaf"). With the direct participation of Igor Tolstunov, the head of the NTV-Profit film company, The Kazan Orphan, The Thief, Mama, Lunar Papa, East-West were released. These and many other tapes by Tolstunov the producer have received numerous awards both in Russia and abroad. From this we can at least draw the conclusion that they are accountable for their actions, and their claims to the directors, at least, cannot be ignored. For the good of the cause.

Abroad won't help us

You can often hear in the film crowd: "This is possible only in our country. In Hollywood, directors are insured against producer arbitrariness!" The facts say otherwise. Almost the entire century-old history of the "dream factory" can be seen as a permanent war between producers and directors. In America, with its age-old legal culture both sides of the film process pray only for a contract. If the director does not fulfill his obligations or violates the rules stipulated in the contract, the producer has the right to terminate the contract.

Even in Russia, they are well aware that Andrei Konchalovsky was suspended by the producers from working on the film "Tango and Cash" with the participation of Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell. Why? Yes, because the opinion of the director Konchalovsky was fundamentally at odds with their opinion. As a result, another director finished the picture instead of Andrei Sergeevich, although Konchalovsky's name was kept in the credits, since it was he who shot most of it.

Another very typical example. The painting "Gone with the Wind" is rightfully considered a classic of world cinema. At the same time, few people know that as many as three directors had a hand in working on it. The first, George Cukor, was fired by the producer only because he was unhappy with the quality of the partial footage. The next director invited to the set, Victor Fleming, soon ended up in the hospital with nervous breakdown. Sam Wood was called in to replace him. After some time, the director's chair was again taken by Fleming, who had left the hospital.

It is possible that then in the local press, journalists presented the conflict on the set as an arbitrariness on the part of producer David Selznick. But history itself dotted the "i" - in the end it was the producer who was right, under whose strict guidance a film masterpiece was created that won the hearts of millions of viewers and brought millions of dollars to the creators.

When today's world famous actor and director Dennis Hopper pre-cut his film "Easy Rider", it turned out that it lasts about four hours. Then it was possible to reduce it by an hour, but this option did not suit the producers either. They almost forcibly sent Hopper to rest, while they themselves took up the cuts. The result was an hour and a half film, which did not prevent him from becoming a cult film.

If the director still wants to avoid the producer's "arbitrariness" and present to the audience exactly his hard-won creation, he has only one way: to invest his hard-earned money in the project or to attract investors on his own, thus combining producer and director functions.

Alas, practice shows that a talented and world-renowned director often turns out to be completely untenable in the production business. Suffice it to recall how Kevin Costner lost millions of dollars on his own projects, for example, on the film "Water World" that failed at the box office. Or famous director Francis Ford Coppola, who invested a lot of his own money in the production of "Apocalypse Now". The film is rightfully considered a classic of world cinema, but it failed at the box office.

The conflict that happened between Dmitry Astrakhan and Igor Tolstunov is, in fact, a precedent that transfers the relationship between a producer and director in Russia to a fundamentally new commercial, creative and ethical plane. And yet, who will be right in the end: Dmitry Astrakhan, who decided to take such a drastic step, or Igor Tolstunov, who did not give up his positions? Only the viewer can give an unequivocal answer, because the success of a particular picture is indicated by only one criterion - box office receipts. If "Give Me Moonlight" pays for itself in film distribution, if the television business is interested in it, if it brings real profit, then all questions will automatically be removed - it will be Tolstunov who is right.

What if the movie doesn't pay for itself?

Andrey Tumarkin

PRODUCER

PRODUCER

We are responsible to the viewer

General Director of the NTV-Profit film company Igor Tolstunov:

The film "Give Me Moonlight" was very difficult for us in general. At least because of the default, which accounted for the main shooting in Minsk. In any case, it's hard to finish a picture if more than three years have passed since the first day of shooting. Now to the point. The production company is an intermediary between the director and the audience. We work according to the scheme: money - cinema - viewer - money. People who come to the cinema and pay 100 - 250 rubles for a ticket, thereby reimburse the costs of film production. "NTV-Profit" is responsible to the viewer for the quality of the product. This is where the problems arose. We invited Astrakhan to present us the picture in the montage in which he sees it. But after viewing the first assembly, we had complaints about it. The authors agreed with our comments and promised to change something in the film. But all this took a painfully long time, with long interruptions and persuasion, since in parallel Astrakhan was already engaged in other projects. Sometimes the situation reached the point of absurdity: Astrakhan was sitting in the next editing room, working on his new project, and he did not have time to go into our editing room or the recording room. It turned out that a group consisting of a sound engineer, composer, producer was sitting, trying to remake something in the picture, and then Astrakhan came and accepted the job. In my opinion, this is not entirely correct.

In short, one day we reached a dead end, met with Dima and offered him, in our opinion, a universal way to solve the problem. He is preparing his version of the picture, and we are preparing ours. Then we anonymously show both versions to the experts, and the one that collects the most positive comments will be released for rent. At first, Astrakhan agreed to this proposal, but then refused, saying at the same time: "If you do not agree with our version of the picture, Danilov and I will remove our names from the credits." Well, this is an inalienable right of any author.

- That is, the contract concluded between the director and the film company was not violated?

We have the following written in the contract: "The director submits the company for approval final version film, and the company accepts this editing. "That is, accordingly, the company may not accept this editing. Which happened in our case. And since we have the right to involve third parties in the work under the same contract, we attracted them and released film on screens.In fact, we always warn the director about this clause in the contract in order to avoid further mutual accusations. It must be said here that many creators read contracts very inattentively, and then scream as if they were deceived.

- Is this the first precedent of such a plan in your company?

No, creative conflicts with the authors we have more than enough. It always happens in the movies, it can't be otherwise. But before the situation with Astrakhan, there were no such precedents. It's good that we parted with Dima quite calmly, without tantrums. Will I invite Astrakhan for new job? I'll be honest: first I'll look at the pictures that he will shoot after working with us. And then, what if he himself does not want to cooperate with us? ..

Incision 1

DIRECTOR

Let's see what the audience has to say

Stage director Dmitry Astrakhan:

What to say now, apparently, I did not think very well when I signed the contract. Because I never concluded them, because I worked with private investors. We discussed how much and how long the picture should be taken. And they, as a rule, did not interfere in further work, they trusted their director.

- So why did you then sign a contract with Tolstunov?

It seemed to me that there would be no disagreement between us. But when it came to mounting and musical arrangement, the position of the leadership of NTV-Profit has become completely biased, unshakable: "Only we know how to make the picture better!" You see, the choice of a producer is an extremely responsible issue. But the choice of the director is a serious matter. And if you have chosen a director, you must trust him. Only in this case you will achieve the desired result.