The following may seem obvious to some, or for that matter a soap box, but then again it may not—the reality is whether your a producer, a director, a screen writer or any other fundamentally crucial craft in the business of film making, and you want to be in the top 5% of successful professionals, you need to know your craft and know it well. In fact not only should you know your craft, you should go out of your way to at least understand the other fundamental roles key to bringing a film to fruition.
Why? Well first of all, understanding the other roles around you will help you not only appreciate their positions but also help you work with them better and in a more cohesive way. Likewise, if they are of the same mindset, then they also will appreciate the trials and tribulations of your role. If you’re having a bad day, unable to meet a deadline, or trying to make a deadline, then both they and you will understand each other’s points of view, which will make the frustration not appear to be as apparent, and you both will be able to offer some valuable help that will get the job done better and more efficiently.
Imagine that you are a producer dealing with a director with a problem on set or in the edit suite, being able to understand their position, and making constructive creative comments will usually win your points. What about if the roles are flipped, and you are the director in discussions with a producer, you might just be more understanding to the reasons why the producer isn’t letting you “run amok” with the stock, or why they’re saying no to the helicopter shot, thus making you more constructive with your decisions and sensitive to things like cost limitations.
It really doesn’t take much effort to be informed about the fundamentals of other peoples’ roles; there is a plethora of books, courses, and freely available knowledge on the web for those who truly care about doing the best job they can, and interacting with their colleagues in an efficient and understanding manner.
