Producers are involved in every department of film making. The most difficult task for a producer is handling people and raising funds. how the producer selects the story and produces the film; In this week's episode of Reel to Real, we will know what kind of challenges a film faces from shooting to release.
We spoke to film producers O Vivek Sharma and Sunil Darshan to understand the entire process of making the film.
A producer is the head of a film The sole responsibility of any film rests with the producer. The work of the producer is not limited to the fund, but the producer is involved in every department of film production.
The responsibility of casting the film rests with both the director and the producer Casting for a film is done by both the director and the producer. However, there is usually a contract between the actor and the producer. The contract mentions that they will be paid roughly before dubbing, but 20% is withheld so that they attend promotional events. The producer also manages the payment of the rest of the crew etc.
The producer gets a share of the excess earnings of the film When films earn more than the price stipulated in the contract, it is called earnings overflow. As the movie RRR earned around 500 crore rupees even before its release and the total collection of the film was around 1100 crore rupees. Apart from the distributor, some part of this overflow earnings also goes to the film producer. The percentage share the producer will have is already written in the contract.
How do producers share in the earnings of films? When a producer sells a film to a distributor, he has 50% ownership rights. If an investor has invested Rs 20 crore in a film, the first will return Rs 20 crore to him. It then gives 50% of the net profit to its investors.
Producers also earn from different rights of films Nowadays there are many rights of films. Films are dubbed in regional languages. Films also have remake rights, copy rights and digital rights. Usually producers earn from theatrical, OTT (digital rights) and satellite rights. Producer sends dubbing rights. Films shown on flights lasting 7-8 hours have separate rights. In this way, 30-35 rights are acquired, from which the producer earns lifetime profit.
However, many things depend on mutual consent. Suppose a film becomes a big hit, the producer decides how much profit he should get. There is such a strong bonding between the distributor and the theater owner that they try to get a small share of the profits from the producer.
Along with the producer, the distributor also suffers If the film flops, the producer loses a lot. Home offices are also sold to recoup investors' money. Many times the distributor also incurs huge losses. Sometimes the distributor buys the film at a higher price, which is not recovered. The theater owner also suffers loss. Many times it happens that if the film does not run, even the AC rent of the theater is not paid.
There is never a fixed amount on a contract The agreement is done on a percentage basis. Accordingly, the distributor gives the profit to the producer. Film profits are shared by a combination of investors, producers and distributors. Suppose an investor invests Rs 100 crore in a film, the producer will first return the capital amount to the investor. The producer will share the profit with the investor from the percentage that the distributor sends to the producer.
Producers are in the worst condition these days Vivek Sharma said that being a producer in today's era is a very difficult job. Earlier it was easy for manufacturers to raise funds. The artists' fees were also not very high. But in today's times the fees of actors are very high. Secondly, artists also impose their demands on producers. Earlier there was no interference from actors or anyone else in the production work. However, now everything is reversed.
In the South, producers restrict actors Producers meet together in Hyderabad and share their experiences with each other. Their producer lobby is very strong. If any actor or actress harasses the producer, he/she is banned. So the actors there are under the control of the producer.
Now it is wrong for stars to seek profit from films Vivek says that these days stars are demanding a share in the profits of films. This is a very wrong practice. If the stars want a share in the profits, they must also bear the losses. The owner of the film is the producer, not the star. Star is the spokesperson of the story.
Shahrukh did not take 25 lakhs from the distributor Shah Rukh Khan's film 'Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani' did not run. The film was distributed by Yash Raj in Mumbai. Here the film made a profit of only Rs 3 lakh, but the film did not run in other centres. Raj Bansal, a Rajasthan distributor, took the film for Rs 25 lakh, but he suffered a loss.
When Shahrukh Khan came to know about this, he did not take 25 lakhs from the distributor. Raj Bansal felt that Shah Rukh was angry. That is why the money was not taken. Shah Rukh explains to him that you are like a member of our family. You should not suffer any harm, I will manage in the next film. After which Shahrukh Khan took Rs 25 lakh more in the film 'Main Hoon Na'. The distributor made good money from that film.
Earlier producers were highly respected Film producer Sunil Darshan said – earlier producers were respected a lot. A producer did not mean only that he was raising funds for films. Producers were involved in every aspect of film production. Now a lot has changed with the advent of corporate companies. Now the stars have started deciding everything.
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
