"It's a given that a good producer has to be able to balance financial and creative issues. Some attributes tend to be inherent in certain people–talent (along with the ability to recognize and nurture talent in others), the ability to manage complicated people and a complex process, and the ability to keep learning (especially with the rate of change in technology). A good producer respects the audience and the genre of any given project. I think the biggest differentiation is the degree of what I'll call the "sane passion" a person brings to the process. The drive to keep making it as good as it can possibly be, down to the very last detail, is what really separates the good from the merely competent. Never settle for "good enough" unless time or money forces you to move on."



"An air traffic controller with a sense of humor!"



"A good producer is one who anticipates and plans, protects both the creative vision and the artists, and delivers on time and on budget. They also need to be excellent plate-spinners, fire-eaters, and circus ringmasters, with an inherent ability to herd cats."



"Simply put, a good producer protects the vision of the director while respecting the limits of time and money. He or she must be willing to fight for the best interests of the film, with the studio if need be, from the moment pre-production starts all the way through the film's release and initial runs. There are so many ways to screw up a movie, and the best producers are those who can both anticipate problems and yet not panic when the inevitable surprises occur. The best producers walk the tightrope between art and commerce, understanding that ultimately the best show is the best business."



"Acting as a producer puts you in a very delicate position. On the one hand, the artists see you as someone enacting the studio's agenda to deliver the project quickly and cheaply. On the other hand, the studio executives may view you as the person spending money liberally to indulge the whims of the creative staff. In my experience, a good producer knows how to handle the production needs so that he or she is not perceived as an instrument for either camp. Most importantly, he or she must remember that the meaning of the title of producer is someone whose job is to produce a film, not to produce money.



"A great animation producer is someone who protects the vision of the movie and supports those who are pouring their hearts and souls into its creation."



"After surviving five years as a production assistant in feature animation, I have a certain perspective on the whole process, particularly in regards to the role of the producer. Now I've seen producers come and go (literally) and I'll tell you it's not a job for the weak. Usually the producer is automatically seen as the bad guy on the film (this designation isn't given to the director(s) until after the final color stage). I personally don't think the producer is a bad person, they're just an easy target. When things go wrong, whether it's no food for the overtime crew or the wrong color pencils for the dropout color, the producer is usually the one that catches hell. This makes perfect sense, since the producer is the highest "exec" directly associated with the film. The opportunity to complain to this person is like having one's own bitch-session with the gods. I mean, you're actually allowed to complain to someone that makes ten times as much as you and can fire you at the blink of an eye. Because of this, it's very important that the producer be very visible and accessible. That they have an "open-door policy" that allows anyone from the PAs to the ink and paint crew to vent their gripes without repercussion."