What I Really Want to Do Is Produce: Top Producers Talk Movies and Money

 

Helen de Winter has worked in production and post-production on independent and studio feature films, and freelanced as a script editor for UK and US producers. She produced her first acclaimed short film for FilmFour and BBC Films and has since produced several others.

"De Winter, an aspiring film producer, interviewed 21 successful film producers working in England, Hollywood and New York to discover what they do. Her aim is to clarify a job title that defies a one-size-fits-all definition. While some compare the position to being a cheerleader and psychoanalyst, the more practical aspects include developing material, budgeting, financing and distribution. De Winter casts a wide net on moviemaking—from Lawrence Bender working on Quentin Tarantino's stripped-down Reservoir Dogs to the lavish James Bond franchise overseen by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. James Schamus, who has worked on 10 Ang Lee pictures, likes to be involved in the creative process; others see their talent as convincing people to give them money. De Winter's definition of a producer is the most poetic: turning money into light . . . the advice of Bob Shaye, producer of the supersuccessful Lord of the Rings trilogy, is best: If someone wants to be in the movie business, they should just get up and do something."—Publishers Weekly

Helen de Winter has worked in production and post-production on independent and studio feature films, and freelanced as a script editor for UK and US producers. She produced her first acclaimed short film for FilmFour and BBC Films and has since produced four others.