What Do Movie Producers Do, Anyway?

Do you have a question for our culture writers and editors? Ask us here.Q: Why do the Oscars honor producers when a movie wins best film? What did they do exactly?You’re confused for good reason: Producers themselves have a hard time describing their job.“I do the impossible for the ungrateful,” one cracked when I asked.“You can learn it, but you can’t teach it,” another told me, referencing something the pro wrestler Maurice “Mad Dog” Vachon used to say about his profession.

One longtime producer advised me to abandon this assignment entirely.“Forget it, Jake — it’s Chinatown,” he said, using the classic movie line to sum up how difficult it is to demystify the work.Such drama queens! Fine, conceded: Producing is a complicated, underappreciated job.

But there are a few ways to think about the gig that help explain why producers — and not, say, directors — receive the best picture Oscar.What a producer is, and isn’tFor the purpose of this discussion, toss out anyone credited on a film as an “executive producer” (someone who plays a big role early on, usually by securing funding and crucial rights).Only people credited as “producer” ultimately have the chance to win little gold statuettes.Producers shepherd films from inception to screen.

They identify film ideas, sometimes by reading books or news articles, and work with writers to develop scripts.They woo directors.

Some secure funding and help find the right leaders for various departments — casting, production design, wardrobe.Producers also oversee budgets, location scouting and scheduling.

They consult on marketing campaigns once a film is complete.“Everyone produces differently,” said the producer David Hinojosa, a best picture nominee last year for “Past Lives” whose recent films include “Babygirl,” an erotic thriller, and “The Brutalist,” an epic immigrant drama.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your b...