“Courtney? Is that you?”


Scott here.

You want to know what it is like to produce a web series/TV series/movie/covert spy mission? It’s kinda like living on the space station.

As the moment gets closer, a funny thing happens. Everything else in your life recedes into the background. It’s like you’re suddenly living in a bubble, and any moments you can spare to spend time with friends and loved ones become all that more cherished.

It means that many nights your head hits the pillow and your first thought is, “Man, I really shoulda done that (fill in the blonk) today.”

More people arrive on our hypothetical space station every day. This week alone we have punch up writing sessions, make up tests, a whole art department has materialized out of nowhere, interns are to-ing and fro-ing.

On the plus side, we got to meet with an amazing artist today to help us with our logo and various bits of art we need done. His name is Christopher Yao, and his first solo book is coming out. You can check out some of his work here.

So, here’s how the evenings this week break down, for everyone keeping score at home;

Monday

Punch Up Room

Tuesday

Art Department Meeting

Wednesday

Punch Up Room

Friday

Punch Up Room

Saturday

Punch Up Room

I have a pretty good idea of what many of you are thinking, especially you fellow canucks. Monday is Labour Day, a paid day off for most people that means only one thing – a long weekend at the cottage. And then working Friday evening and the following Saturday? “I like my Saturdays,” you feel like telling me.

Yeah, I hear that sort of thing a lot from people. Often people who want to “break in.” But that’s life on the space station. (See how I did that there? Bring that back around?)

Weekends, friends, trips to the cottage all recede into the glowing memories of happier times that you hope to find your way back to some day. (Which is weird, because the single greatest goal of everyone working in film and TV in Toronto is buying a luxury cottage. To be fair, that’s everyone in every job in Toronto.)

People sometimes are confused about the job description of a producer. We all know what a director’s job is – to have a brilliant, unique vision and to impress everyone all around him with how brilliant it is. But what makes a producer a producer?

Give up? A producer is the person who never goes home at 5.



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  1. #1 by Courtney - September 4th, 2010 at 06:05

    *Likes this post* :)

    I do often feel like I’m on the moon, and I’m still trying to figure out what a producer does…
    So far, my best answer is usually “everything” or “what don’t they do?”
    To update the schedule.. its actually:
    Friday work night, Saturday punchup room, Sunday location scout, THEN monday punch up, tuesday art mtng…

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