Watch the exclusive Mr. Media interview with Geoffrey Macnab, co-author of ‘FilmCraft: Producing,’ by clicking on the video player above!
Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of Hollywood producers who could learn a thing or two about their own jobs by reading Geoffrey Macnab and Sharon Swart’s new book… in the NEW new media capital of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida!
Make no mistake: film is a director’s medium.
Film producers? Eh, not so much.
But a director won’t go very far without a good producer. One who knows where to find financing, sure, but has a variety of other out-of-the-box skills ranging from organization, an understanding of legal issues, patience and the ability to see the screenwriter’s vision–usually at substantially less cost.
GEOFFREY MACNAB podcast excerpt: “I’ve just been in Cannes and I’ve seen Harvey Weinstein, who is one of the old breed. He’s still this big presence. Trying to walk through a hotel lobby, he’s surrounded by sycophants and acolytes. He’s got a loud voice. He’s one of the few who possibly conform to what we think of from the David Selznick era, the larger-than-life producer.”
Few filmgoers will be able to mention many producers by name. There are the Weinsteins and Jerry Bruckheimer and, oh, well, that’s all I’ve got off the top of my head.
Reading FilmCraft: Producing by Geoffrey Macnab and Sharon Swart, however, made me aware of some producers I feel like I should know, including Ted Hope, who has produced hits by Ang Lee and Ed Burns, as well as 21 Grams and American Splendor; there’s Jon Kilik, producer of many Spike Lee films, as well as Robert De Niro’s A Bronx Tale and Julian Schnabel’s Basquiat and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly; and Bill Kong, who produced Crouching Tiger, Hidden Tiger.
This is a fascinating book, presented as a well-illustrated series of mini-biographies followed by expansive dialogue directly from the producer’s mouth about how they do what they do.
Geoffrey Macnab Order Filmcraft: Producing from Amazon.com
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