Filmmakers I Admire

The first Producer I became familiar with in terms of his portfolio of projects was Jerry Bruckheimer who has produced such films as Flashdance, The Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, Confessions of a Shopaholic, King Arthur and National Treasure. Under the Disney banner his general genre has been family-friendly adventure. His films have become modern classics and, unusually for a Producer, his is a name that the general public will know.

However in terms of someone closer to where I'll likely find myself as a Producer, a production company whose slate I admire is Kudos Film and Television. They have brought a high production value to match that of US shows to British TV with series such as Life on Mars, Hustle and Spooks as well as the kid's TV show MI High.

A filmmaker I appreciate, although more as a director than a Producer is Peter Weir, director of The Mosquito Coast, The Truman Show and Dead Poets Society. His style drama with strong character elements and few digital effects but also a strong philosophical element, often referencing Freudian and Jungian psychoanalytics. In this interview he discusses his style of story-telling. At approximately 3:30- 4:00 Peter mentions the influence of silent films on him and specifically the use of a long shot and the way comedy is played out in a wide shot.

In Wife and Husband (2014) we attempted to use similar techniques; using body language as much as dialogue to tell the story and using a single wide shot, particularly in the kiss scene to create comedy.

Tim Bevan is a Producer with Working Title, one of the largest British production companies and he has credits on almost every major British film in the last 20 years.

In the video, linked to below, Tim Bevan talks about some of the structure of Working Title and points out that it's CEOs in the UK and USA are both women. He advises on the devilment of a slate of ills which are being developed simultaneously, as a guard against some of the risks of filmmaking, which is that there are no rules about which films will succeed and which will not; this is how he has such a large list of credits to his name.

Tim Bevan on the Structure of Working Title

What I have not yet found is female Producer role model, although I know there are many great ones working in production companies large and small I haven't yet found one who's career has been an immense inspiration to me.


Bibliography
Interview: Jerry Bruckheimer on His New Paramount Deal (2013) [online] last accessed Tuesday 16th December 2014 at: http://variety.com/2013/film/news/interview-jerry-bruckheimer-on-his-new-paramount-deal-1200926578/

Kudos Film and Television IMDb profile [online] last accessed Tuesday 16th December 2014 at: http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0239144/?ref_=fn_al_ch_1

Peter Weir IMDb profile [online] last accessed Tuesday 16th December 2014 at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001837/?ref_=nv_sr_2

Tim Bevan IMDb profile [online] last accessed Tuesday 16th December 2014 at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0079677/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cr2

Wife and Husband (2014) [Film] Directed by Chrissie Wood, UK, Sheffield Hallam University