How I became a film producer

This tale doesn’t begin with the words “I had a million to spare”, nor a hundred thousand or even ten thousand floating around. Things don’t work that way.
A film needs business calculation, true. It’s got to have a defined budget and some prospect – no matter how distant – of making gains. Yet if you equate gains with turning a monetary profit alone then again you’ll be mistaken. They might also include building up or reinforcing the producer’s image, and even the discussions your work triggers. It all stems from the assumptions you have made. But there is one thing you must know: what you want to achieve. This is crucial for the plan.

I started with videos illustrating my music. A modest beginning, but I have very fond memories of it. If not for that first step, I would quite certainly not have decided to participate in further – and larger – film productions.
The milestone came with the Screen & Sound Festival. The idea itself was unusual and inspiring – to see music. To put visual effects on top of the sound, so that they created a new artistic quality. The participants presented works so fascinating that they stuck with you and literally, almost physically, drew you into the world of the image. That may have been the time when I first really knew that I belonged there, and that I had a message to share.

I was lucky to meet friendly people and excellent professionals in the film world. I found it a great experience and a lesson: the actors were always dedicated, yet never focused on themselves to a degree that might cause conflict on the set. I’m fully aware this is not always the case, yet the great artists I’ve had the opportunity to work with were down-to-earth people who heeded the arguments and could be persuaded that certain options were the best to follow.
The feature films noticed, talked about, and acclaimed with awards, and the short Hycel – The Dog Catcher had a shot at an Oscar nomination. Yes, I feel proud and satisfied. That was good work. I will certainly return to cinematic productions to feel that warm thrill of unique emotions they bring. For nothing provides them in the intensity offered by the cinema, irrespective of whether you’re sitting in the audience or working in the whirlwind of production.
I am attracted by the very process of making the film. From the moment when I decided to become an independent producer, I have been part of the creative core. A far greater responsibility than coproduction, with much more numerous and difficult duties, yet coming with a greater satisfaction from the final result. The selection of cinematographers, sound engineers, and actors, as well as working with screenwriters and the director – it’s like building a huge edifice from multiple elements.

A producer must not only be a great organiser but also a decent psychologist.
You need to spot the promise of stardom in someone, and carefully observe their behaviour and instincts. A true stage presence is not about ego and putting on airs, but is ready for hard work, failures, and all the hardship that work on a piece of music or film entails.
This is precisely what struck me in Oktavvia, a singer with whom I have already produced four music videos.

As life decreed, Italy became my other homeland, and it was there that we shot the videos for Funny and Summer Heat.
Italy obviously means beautiful landscapes for sets and perfect lighting. Yet there were also other arguments in favour of producing there. Not least because, thanks to the right contacts and acquaintances, cordoning off streets for this or that production was never a major problem.
The set is where you actively look for new solutions. The script is modified more often than not, which requires extra needs and extra funds, not accounted for in the original cost estimate. You need to be flexible and take decisions quickly. The final effect always soon gives an indication of whether you made the right choices.
All the cogs in this machine must turn efficiently, and it’s the producer who is responsible for all the elements communicating and fitting together. He must know how to handle a range of matters, scout for and find suitable shooting locations, deal with the head of the catering company, the police chief and the mayor, and finally, pay the invoices. It is his duty to make sure that all the cast and crew cooperate without a hitch. Everyone present on the set – director, camera crews, extras, stunt performers, make-up artists, dancers, and actors – must feel that the production is taken care of. The greater the comfort of the people on board, the smoother and faster the production. And time is money.
Dozens of people work from 4 am to 9 pm. Day in, day out. But when they see the commitment of the person responsible for overseeing the project, and the purpose behind it, nobody even remembers to grumble about lack of sleep or to become tired or discouraged. What counts for everyone is the best final effect, because they all feel it is their shared creation.

Oktavvia proved not only a gifted performer but also a deeply empathetic person, bridging the distances in no time at all. There was no sign of any barriers on the set. Nothing of the “I am the star, and you are a dancer, extra, or food delivery guy” style. We managed to create an atmosphere of not only understanding but also honest friendship. A smile, a kind word, and a nice gesture don’t cost much and can work miracles. All you need is to take that one step.

A characteristic feature of our times is easy access to sound and image recording gear and technologies. We all have them at our fingertips.
Somebody once jokingly suggested that I do a reality show with a camera following my every step, recording every moment of my own and my family’s life. A joke is a joke, and it can make you smile. However, in all seriousness, I believe that the camera needs to be left to the cinema, and let life follow its unrecorded track. For life is meant to be lived, not produced.