As it pertains to film in Hollywood what are the main differences between a producer and a director?

The producer is the one who comes up with the money. The director is the one who actually gives direction to the actors.

@Judi‘s definition is correct, but for a bit more detail, check out these two links here and here.

from my understanding any joe schmoe with money can be a movie producer. all they do is front the money for the production of the movie- hence “producer”. the director is the one who decides on camera angles and if the scene takes are good enough, etc

BUT DO KNOW…that sometimes the producer and the director are the same person. which means they fronted the money for production and also directed the movie.

My mind is F-in blown. I always thought a producer had some hands on creativity like maybe suggestions of style of the film, or theme of the film etc.

I guess I thought too much of a music producer.

I guess Music Producer is on par with film Directors.

it really depends on the person, producing music is much different.

A music producer mixes, records, and sometimes co-writes if needed. he may or may not offer insight on recording methods for best sound, but most likely will not tell them to change certain parts of their song.

however, a major record label might have you make your music a certain way. ive heard of that happening

Plus im sure there have been many producers who say “well ill give you the money for this film if you add this or that”

@_Whitetigress , The producer is the one initially calling the shots, and so has the option of determining the theme and style of the movie. The producer is the one who purchases the screenplay. The producer also has the option of yielding control to the director. Whoever the producers were of Fellini’s films obviously yielded most of the control to Fellini.

The director actually directs the filmmaking. He is in charge of making the actors look good, the special effects work, etc.

The producer is the money man responsible for the budget.

Think of a movie producer as someone who is up in a conference room working deals to find production money, many times hiring the director, and looking over his/her shoulder concerning how the money is spent and which actors they like, or don’t like as preparation begins to make the move.

The director is the hands-on guy who tells the actors, camera operators, and pretty much everybody what to do.

You will always see “Executive Producers” roll by in the credits at the end. These are people who invested money in the film, but after that have little or no say as to how the movie ends up being made….

This is my simple answer, the Director is the one who communicates her vision to the cast and crew, and is primarily responsible for story telling. The Producer looks at the feasibility of executing the story and takes care of things like the films finances, locations, contracts, the films market, etc. – primarily the business side of the film. Both parties are responsible for the final product.

In some cases the producer can have final say and creative input.

Many people know this famous story. When Francis Ford Coppola was directing the original ‘Godfather’ movie, the producers in California did not like Al Pacino as Michael Corleone, and kept pressuring Coppola to replace him.

In a last-ditch effort to keep Pacino, after filming the famous restaurant scene (where Michael kills a rival gangster and the police captain), Coppola sent a copy of the scene to the producers, who said “OK….you’re right….we can keep this guy….”

And as we all know, Pacino went on to have a great movie career.