How did I pick my producing partner for my first feature film?
Good question. I kind of figured it out as I went, to be honest. I’d never made a feature film before, or truly partnered in such a big way with someone. It was new territory.
You might wonder, ‘why do I even need a partner for my first feature?’ The answer is that you don’t really need one, of course. However, I’d strongly recommend it. It is great to have someone to back you up financially, help with the burden of work, and offset your weaknesses with their strengths. I may cover that topic in another article.
When I was considering making my first feature film, there were many unknowns. Despite that, I knew there was one box I absolutely had to check. I definitely wanted a partner to work with, and…
My partner had to have the same values as I did.
That point is what I will mostly cover in this write-up, but first, I’ll explain how I found my producing partner, Joe, and had a sense he might be a good guy to work with on my first feature film.
Joe, myself, and several of the cast and crew on one of the first days of shooting our first feature film.
Work with and evaluate him/her prior to partnering
In the summer of 2015, I met my friend and producing partner Joe for the first time. I had seen him on social media but only saw him as a competitor, honestly. Of course, my thoughts on collaboration before 2015 weren’t very positive. I saw other filmmakers not as potential partners, but as competition, and that’s a topic worthy of discussion in its own right.
In 2015, Joe and I worked together on a feature film being shot in Arizona. I was working as the assistant director and he was the camera operator.
That shoot gave us four solid weeks,12-16 hours a day, to get to know each other. It gave us the opportunity to (at least subconsciously) find the answer to several important questions.
Joe running camera on the set of “Krampus: The Reckoning”, where we first worked together.
These considerations are key to knowing whether someone will make a great partner:
– What is he/she like under duress, when tired, unhappy, and when facing challenges?
– Will they bend, or break?
– Will they rise to the occasion and be a problem solver or a problem causer?
– Will they complain, or do what needs to be done?
– Do they follow through and complete tasks?
– Are they reliable and hardworking?
– If there are communication issues, will they make the effort to work through issues with you, or allow your relationship to fall apart?
– Will they be honest and transparent, especially when it comes to monetary and budget issues?
– Will they stick to their word and adhere to your original agreement, even if it inconveniences them?
I could go on, of course, since there are a million qualities that make someone desirable to work with. Many of these questions will vary based on what you like in a business partner.
One of the main things I was able to determine by working with Joe was whether we got along. Did we enjoy working together enough to tolerate spending the next year or more shooting, editing, tweaking, selling, and delivering this film? After all, that means many, many hours spent working together closely. It means months of decision-making, collaboration, and compromises.
As the saying goes, ‘a business partnership is a lot like marriage’. If you can only stand the person for a few hours a day, that’s a good sign it’s not going to work.
Sure, there are awful people you won’t like working with, but sometimes it’s as simple as a personality conflict. It’s good to work with someone who compliments your weaknesses, but if you can’t find common ground in anything, you may have a hard time reaching consensus on important issues.
Ensure your potential partner has similar principles
It’s incredibly important that a potential business partner shares your values and principles. It’s okay to disagree on some things, of course. But you should agree on the most important issues of morality and behavior that often arise in business dealings.
The bottom line is that if you know what your potential partner’s convictions are, you will be able to better predict their behavior. Will they treat you well, give you the benefit of the doubt, and act in good faith? Or, will they slide on their commitments and twist the meaning of promises when it favors them?
I’m not saying that even a good person and ideal business partner can’t or won’t ever make bad choices. They might fail badly, make a poor judgment call, or act selfishly. We all do, from time-to-time.
I’m also not saying that partnerships based outside these guidelines can’t work, or can’t be pleasant. I’m certain they can. After all, as long as things generally go well, and nothing goes really upside-down, you’ll be fine. However, you run a much greater risk of serious issues if something goes wrong or strays from the original plan. The greater the adversity you face, the more your differences and conflicts will be evident.
Joe and I working on one of the major action sequences in our first feature film.
But life (and people) are full of surprises, and you should always plan for the worst while hoping for the best.
What are some values to look for? Here’s a few things you might consider:
– Commitment to fulfilling promises and obligations
– Operating with honesty and transparency
– Ability to be humble
– Willingness to be open and consider other ideas
When it comes down to it, if you know that your partner will strive to do what is right and honest for both of you, things are likely to shake out okay, even if everything goes to hell in a handbasket. That’s a person worth investing time in, a person you can count on, a person worth partnering with, and a person you can make a film with (and have a good time doing so).
A word on helping maintain a good partnership
Finding the right person to partner with is great. It makes things safer and more enjoyable. It lays a wonderful foundation for a partnership. However, there are a few things that I would suggest doing to lay things out straight and maintain a good relationship with your fellow producer.
Create a contract or agreement. This often-spoken bit of advice is a good one. The painful truth about contracts is that at an indie level, with shoestring budgets and little money all around, the reality is that no one can really afford to enforce their contract by suing the other party. That’s why finding someone who you know will treat you right is so important. But once that is done, it’s just as important to lay out the details between the two of you.
Why? Because when you don’t have to worry about dishonesty, what’s left is forgetfulness and miscommunication. Good people can forget what they promised. They can also have misunderstandings as to intent. Even a very simple agreement between the two of you will act as a reference throughout your project.
You can always go back to it one of you forgets – ‘ah, that’s what we agreed on. It’s been 6 months, so I forgot about that bit.’ If you lay things out clearly, you can refer to it to clarify what the original plan was. Check out a book I recommended here called “Clearance and Copyright”. This is a great start to learning about contracts.
Establish clear goals. This is something you can actually lay out in your contract, but it’s a good idea to set out goals, regardless. If one of you has wildly different expectations as to what will be done with the film, or what the end-result of distribution will be, it could become a conflict down the road. It’s best to clear those things up at the beginning.
It can also help stave away disappointment if you set realistic goals. For example, I produced my first feature film with my friend Joe. Because we knew that our desired end-goal was to have a completed feature film and to get a distribution deal, we weren’t devastated when the film’s distribution didn’t garner it much money (and certainly none that came back to us).
We had anticipated that might happen. We were a little unhappy at first that it didn’t do better (but we got over it).
Communicate constantly and openly. This is very important. Just like any other relationship, effective communication will make everything go smoother. In particular, you should make sure to say the things that need to be said but are uncomfortable. You can approach it softly, with tact, but if there’s a serious issue (either with the direction of the film or your partnership) you should address it. Don’t allow it to fester.
Do what you say you’ll do. The bottom line… if your producing partner can’t trust that you will do what you say you’ll do, the relationship will fall apart. Trust is paramount. However, I don’t just mean sticking to your word. The other important thing is that you do your absolute best to never drop the ball. If you have a particular task to take care of, your partner is trusting that you will take care of it.
If you are having trouble or think you won’t be able to get something done, make sure to communicate that to your partner. If you drop the ball (especially if you don’t tell them what’s going on) they may have to look over their shoulder and wonder… ‘is he/she going to actually handle that?’
Identify roles and responsibilities clearly. If you do so, you will be able to easily tell if someone has dropped the ball. This creates accountability. In addition, when you and your producing partner understand who is meant to do what, there is a lower chance of stepping on one another’s’ toes.
There are many things you can do to maintain a good working relationship, so these are only a few.
Here’s how you pick a producing partner
1. Work with and evaluate him/her prior to partnering. Remember, a business partnership is a lot like marriage.
2. Ensure your potential partner has similar principles. When it comes down to it, if you know that your partner will strive to do what is right and honest for both of you, things are likely to shake out okay. Try openly discussing this point with them.
3. Life (and people) are full of surprises. Therefore, you should always plan for the worst, while hoping for the best.
After you’ve found your awesome teammate…
1. Create a contract or agreement.
2. Establish clear goals.
3. Communicate constantly and openly.
4. Do what you say you’ll do.
5. Identify clear roles and responsibilities.
It isn’t easy to find good people to work with, so keep your eyes peeled. If you want to make a movie, I wish you the best of luck. You never know if you can unless you try.
