Filmmaker Eva Contis, who has over 13 years of industry experience, is based in New Orleans and works as the Commercial Director at WAFilms. She studied editing at California State University Northridge. She quickly rose through the ranks to Assistant Editor and Post-production Supervisor. Before beginning to direct, she edited narrative features, true crime, and documentaries. FULL BIO.
Producing requires a lot of work, but in order to receive a “produced by” credit and subsequently join the union, the PGA has a set of duties that determine whether a Producer deserves that credit. Similarly, the Director is granted a set of creative rights by the DGA.
Differences between a producer and a director
The specific job responsibilities of directors and producers depend on the scale of the movies they work on and their individual interests, but both provide general oversight within their fields of expertise. Both positions are naturally leadership positions, so although they can delegate some work to assistants and other experts, they are still accountable for the outcome that their team achieves.
What does a director do?
Producers are leaders who spend their time talking to people and analyzing situations to come up with the best decisions for finishing the movie. Major decisions regarding the overall development of a film are made by the producer, including:
Salary comparison for directors vs. producers
Because some directors and producers receive a share of the revenue from ticket sales, the financial success of a movie can affect their pay. In addition to industry experience, the number of projects one works on, location, and employer can all affect salary.
Matt Alonzo, Film Director Explains Differences Between Director and Producer
FAQ
Is the producer higher than the director?
One position is director and another is producer. In order to realize their vision for a movie or television show, directors are in charge of overseeing the camera crew and the actors. A producer is in charge of managing every aspect of a production, including the budget, staffing, talent, meeting times, etc.
Is the producer the directors boss?
Actually, both the producer and the director are the bosses. Generally speaking, the Producer oversees the business end of producing the film, while the Director is in charge of all major creative decisions.
