26 Sep Producer’s Guild Issues Code of Credits
The Producer’s Guild of America, a non-profit trade organization, with 8,500 members, and which represents, protects and promotes the interests of all members of the Producing team in film, television and emerging media, recently issued a comprehensive Code of Credits which seeks to define who gets what credit on a production. https://producersguild.org/code-of-credits/ The Code meant to provide a means to negotiate appropriate producing credits and terms.
The guidelines cover productions in Feature Films, Animated Feature Films, Documentary Feature Films, Short Films, Scripted Episodic Television, Non-Fiction Television and Special Event Television. They also address credits in Digital Short Form Media, Immersive Media, Special Venues and even Video Games and Transmedia projects.
In Feature Films, the guidelines distinguish Produced By and Executive Producer, and also describe how Co-Producer/Line Producer credits may differ in description of services from an Associate Producer. It also addresses Production Managers, Production Supervisors and Production Coordinators. As to postproduction the Code describes the characteristics of each credit for Postproduction Supervisor, Coordinator, and Producer, as well as for Visual Effects, the Producer, Associate Producer, Production Manager and Coordinator.
This article will not summarize the entire code. However, the differences between Executive Producer and Producer, as well as Co-Producer/Line Producer and Associate Producer are worth discussing briefly.
The Produced By/Producer credit is for the primary producer, who is responsible for the origination and or management of the picture’s production and delivery. This involves personally making regular, continuous and substantial decisions regarding creative, production, budgetary and legal concerns in a constructive and responsible manner.
The executive producer credit may be accorded to the primary producer if that person takes on the obligations described in the preceding paragraph. If the EP is not the primary producer, then the EP is one who advocates or champions the property in the early phases toward manifestation of the production, including securing financing during the early stages, assuming risk before attracting financing entities in later stages, plus either a) securing financing of at least 25% of the cost of the picture, or b) making a significant contribution to the development of the literary property such as by securing the underlying rights. The PGA suggests that a Financier, Sales Agent, Completion Guarantor, Distributor, PR person or other executives are not entitled to an EP credit. The PGA specifically states that the EP credit does not apply to someone who only provides or arranges financing and has no managerial or creative duties on the production, other than monitoring their investment.
The line producer/co-producer reports directly to the primary producer on the film. This person has primary responsibility for the budget and logistics of production from pre-production through completion of production . All below the line department heads report to the Co- Producer /Line Producer. A Unit Production Manager or UPM is prepared to prepare the production boards and the budget, and he may or may not be the UPM for the production himself.
The Associate Producer is tasked with one or more producing functions, typically performed by another member of the producing team. This credit is granted sparingly, at the discretion of the primary producer, but is not to be granted to someone functioning primarily as an assistant.
Hopefully the full panoply of guidelines will help reduce credit disputes.
(Image is from Freepik.com.)