What would an ideal producer/director matchmaking service look like?

The continuing exploration of cinema's crucial relationship...

there’s a pattern to all we do

I asked something like “What would an ideal producer/director matchmaking service look like?” recently to my Substack “Chat” group and it clearly struck a nerve.

We obviously can do better at building director/producer teams than we currently manage. Last week, I explored a bit what producers and directors actually want, versus what they claim to want. Care to join me on an exploration of alternative approaches as to how we might build those relationships and perhaps some operational improvements to the process?

First though, we have to agree on the goals. What is it that makes for a good producer/director relationship? Although I think most would say we need to be aligned in the movie we want to make, some have pointed out that creative tension can be a positive attribute as long both parties are headed in the same direction. I don’t think the former negates the latter however — so what do you say? Shall we try to get aligned? Share some goals?

I often say that my goal is to make the best version of the director’s film. I have strong opinions, but I don’t have to be right or even have them embraced – as nice as each can be. As a producer, part of my job is to make sure the director is aware of their choices as well as the repercussion of those choices. Things like time and money limit those choices significantly… obviously. So do things like aesthetics, narrative technique, tone, feel, and vibe too -- but these aren’t things that many directors or producers even discuss for some reason, despite being core to all creative process. And here, just within this paragraph, I think one can see how many creative relationships go wrong. And boy, do they.

Now, recognize something. Depending on how you look at things, I just offered 3-5 crucial steps, and unfortunately many in our field just leap over them. Without going back and reading again what you just read, can you now name all those steps needed to improve collaboration between the director and producer? I doubt most can and that is not a question of reading comprehension – but more a function of our training and prioritization processes. Like most things, we are training producers and directors and how they might best manage their relationship all wrong. And you wonder why we don’t get more movies that are truly excellent?