Directing vs Producing

Directing and producing are very different skillsets. Ideally they are done by different people, but in the modern media world we are living in, being able to wear both hats becomes increasingly important. They both require a certain amount of creative instinct, but directing has a lot to do with making a million creative decisions in the moment and producing has a lot to do with pre planning so you can make less in the moment decisions that can become costly. When wearing the director’s hat, I make decisions that can cost money. When I wear the producer’s hat, I make decisions that can sometime cost creatively. Together, these 2 hats get the job done. If all the decisions are made from a producer’s standpoint, it will be on time and on budget, but won’t necessarily be the most creative piece of work. If all the decisions are made from a director’s standpoint, it may be incredibly creative but not get done or be really expensive! Both are very important to the process. I much prefer to direct. I have to produce to survive. And because I do both, I can run a team/production and make it happen.

And that’s the job…