Produce or else
PGA issues guidelines for film credits
The guidelines -- in the works for a year and kept under wraps until now -- are being distributed today to studio heads and reps from Hollywood's talent guilds. The proposed rules come close to culminating a long-standing effort by the guild to reduce the burgeoning number of producers' credits.
The issue has been much debated in recent years, a period when actors' managers, partners, uncredited writers and, at least in one instance, a star's hairdresser, have been listed as producers.
Titles carelessly bestowed
In many cases, the "producer" has never set foot on the set. Some companies give producers' credits to studio execs as a matter of course. And directors often demand an additional credit as producer, even though many do not perform a producer's duties.
"It's time to put an end to it," said Thom Mount, president of the PGA, whose producing credits include "Tequila Sunrise" and "Bull Durham." "We want to put the community on notice that we intend to do something about this and that ultimately we want and expect their support."
The support seems to be there -- at least in principle. A list of more than 500 producers who more than a year ago signed a statement saying they approve of the effort includes Paul Aratow, Lawrence Bender, David Brown, Denise Di Novi, David Foster, Kathleen Kennedy, Michael Mann, Lynda Obst, Irwin Winkler and David L. Wolper.
Panel to be appointed
The guild has set up a 15-member Producers Credit Board, which, once it becomes a going concern in about three months, will appoint an anonymous arbitration panel called the Claims Review Committee, similar to the Writers Guild of America's system.
The guidelines -- a copy of which was obtained late Wednesday by Daily Variety -- set out the board's requirements for granting producing credits on motion pictures, and a means for adjudicating disputes.
In addition to the five-producers limit in the main title (which does not apply to line producers), additional credits may be granted only in the end title roll, but no more than eight producing credits will be listed in total on any given picture. (Many pictures in recent years have had 10 or more producers' credits, among them Paramount's "Face/Off.")
In addition, the maximum number of people who may be credited within each producer category are: three producers; two executive producers; two co-producers; and two associate producers.
Josh Kramer, who with Mount co-chairs the Producers Credit Board, said that a survey of PGA members last fall showed that their highest priority was to solve the problem of blossoming credits.
Action needed
"Having come up with the rules that we think are appropriate, we're circulating these to the studio heads and the other guilds to see if we can get some sort of consensus," said Kramer, who is also an associate director on the PGA board. "This particular issue rose to such a level that we felt something needed to be done, not only for Producers Guild members but for all producers working in the industry."
Kramer, who produced "Death and the Maiden" and "Night Falls on Manhattan," both with Mount, acknowledged that for the time being, the guidelines are voluntary, "but we're hoping to find a set of rules that the industry can adopt."
About three years ago, Arnold Kopelson, Richard Zanuck, Robert Rehme and other producers drew up a draft list of guidelines to limit producers' credits. The guidelines were circulated and discussed for some time, but nothing concrete came of them. The new document includes elements of the previous effort.
Under the plan, producers' credits would be limited to: "Produced by..."; "Executive Producer"; "Co-Producer"; "Associate Producer"; and "Line Producer."
Producers must produce
Among other guidelines:
- Producing credits will be accorded only to persons who have actually performed the producing function associated with such credit. For example, a writer performing script development functions will not be deemed to have performed the producer development component, and a manager will not be accorded producing credit for providing the services of a star, or for negotiating the sale of a book or screenplay whose author he or she represents;
- For the purposes of receiving a credit, a film's producer is the individual "who bears primary 'producing responsibility' " for a picture, including the "creative producing component" and/or the "managerial producing component," in the guidelines' words. Producing tasks include selection of a director and principal cast, writers and key technicians; preparation of a budget and shooting schedule; and negotiating budget problems among studio, financial and key creative team members;
- A co-producer credit will be accorded to a person who "performed substantial producing functions (but was not the primarily responsible individual) with respect to a creative producing function, or who was primarily responsible for one or more managerial producing functions;"
- An associate producer credit will be given to persons who "independently performed a limited number of producing functions, under the direct supervision and control of the producer." Such credits "will not be granted to anyone performing duties that are typically undertaken by assistants to producers, nor will an associate producer credit be given to persons performing producer-type services for people other than the producer";
- Under the proposed system, the PGA's arbitration panel will consist of four people -- three voting members, each of whom is to be a professional producer who has received credit as a producer on at least two motion pictures in the previous five years; and a fourth, nonvoting member who will also sit on the Claims Review Committee.
"There has been a consensus for many years at all levels of the industry -- within the ranks of the producers, and to a certain extent in the DGA -- a feeling that something needs to be done to address this problem," Kramer said. "Our attempt is simply to come up with a concrete plan to do so, and one that we can put into place after all these years of talking about it."
