Film Co-Producer

A Film Co-Producer works on a film set, under the direction of the Producer. However this is a rather ambiguous title, as there can be several very different types of Film Co-Producers.

Most commonly, a Film Co-Producer acts either as a second Line Producer, or as a higher-up Associate Producer. Other times a Co-Producer can be a representative for an investor in the film, and on a fourth film set the Co-Producer could be a Writer who optioned the rights to their novel to have it produced. Thus at times the title connotes responsibility, and at other times it is largely honorific.

Your specific duties will depend upon the type of Co-Producer you are, but in all of these types you will need to be on location everyday, overseeing the day to day of filming and keeping on top of the film’s budget.

While on set, you usually help track how much gets spent and on what, ensuring the movie doesn’t go way over what investors agreed to spend. Although your job doesn’t have much creative input, in this way you get some artistic sway (as in: “renting an elephant costs too much, find a different way to get the same effect”).

Sometimes the responsibilities of a Co-Producer include helping to raise money, supervising post-production, or hiring heads of departments and other needed crew members. Whatever your particular role is, you’ll have a lot of clout in how the film is made.