So You Want to Be a Producer

by Lawrence Turman

Few jobs in Hollywood are as shrouded in mystery as the role of the producer. What does it take to be a producer, how does one get started, and what on earth does one actually do? In So You Want to Be a Producer Lawrence Turman, the producer of more than forty films, including The Graduate, The River Wild, Short Circuit, and American History X, and Endowed Chair of the famed Peter Stark Producing Program at the University of Southern California, answers these questions and many more.Examining all the nuts and bolts of production, such as raising money and securing permissions, finding a story and developing a script, choosing a director, hiring actors, and marketing your project, So You Want to Be a Producer is a must-have resource packed with insider information and first-hand advice from top Hollywood producers, writers, and directors, offering invaluable help for beginners and professionals alike. Including a comprehensive case study of Turman’s film The Graduate, this complete guide to the movie industry’s most influential movers and shakers brims with useful tips and contains all the information you need to take your project from idea to the big screen.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, Tv

290 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 6, 2005

Reviews

[Jared_b · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't recommend this to anyone who isn't a fan of "The Graduate" or Lawrence Turman because this book isn't really a guide to anything except Lawrence Turman's career. Not much thought or explanation on why or how things happened. It's mostly anecdotal.

[Sarah Shirkey · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a memoir than a helpful guide. Mostly stroking his own ego and plenty of messaging that didn't age well.

[Marco · Rating 4 out of 5]

First book I've read about movies.
Overall I think it's interesting his bio story.
He's good at narrating it and not boring. Some informations are useuful.
I get that many people were disappointed because they thought this would be a textbook guide.

[Austin Storm · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very folksy and anecdotal, but I guess that's a lesson in itself - producers need to be enthusiastic. Not terribly informative. He does one 'case study' of his most successful film, The Graduate, but even that is not very in-depth.

Spends a lot of time encouraging the reader to act with character, and then disclaiming that the way we act is pretty much determined by our early upbringing. He says that throughout the book. Could have used a little editing to give the book more structure.

[Tir · Rating 1 out of 5]

+ its definitely a book
- it is advertised as a guidebook, but it was just a memoir of him.
- felt like an endless name dropping of celebrities and quoting them for simple things (and as Woody Allen said "keep working hard")
- and lastly: He STOLE and HID one of his actresses PASSPORT who was mentally ill and SEVERELY SUICIDAL, in fear that she would try to get out of the UK before filming ended. She DID TRY TO LEAVE but she couldn't, because she didn't have her passport. HE BRAGS ABOUT THIS SMART IDEA OF HIS 3 SEPARATE TIMES IN THE BOOK. Sir that's literally a warning of Labour trafficking

[Taylor Martinez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book I was able to find on producing and it was somewhat helpful. I was really enjoying the first half where he was giving more practical tips and advice rather than stories from his own career. Producing is such a black box sort of job that I'm not sure any book could be a 5/5 for me unless it was a full on memoir. Reading this stoked my excitement to become a producer myself but it's hard to say it was "helpful" because everyone produces and finds their way into it very differently. Glad I read it but it's one I would recommend in very specific cases which for me always results in a 3/5 stars.

[Natalia Baldochi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book for someone who doesn't know what a producer does, how intense and hard their lives can be.
Once I heard: "A producer is the same as a Chef, he knows how to put the right ingredients together." And I truly believe this is the best concept for a producer. He needs to know everyone, finds who had the skills for that specific movie and most of all on a Budget.
It's a fun and enjoyable book, besides the fact that it's not a technique and how to book; the reader will understand what's necessary to be a producer and make choices with that information.

[Alexia Melocchi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have had this book for a while. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to know about the job of a real producer and what it takes to succeed. The producers of the old Studio system were the real deal. The movie THE OFFER is a testimony to that, and Lawrence Truman, the producer of THE GRADUATE, is one of those people. Part memoir, part education with great quotes from other legends of film and television, this book has been in my library for years and is my go-to whenever I feel lost in development hell.

[Lex Hogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insights that gave me a newfound appreciation for the producers in my life. This is less a step-by-step guide to producing and more a heart-to-heart about what producing really entails, what it can do to your mind and spirit, and how it should be handled responsibly. With great stories from producing The Graduate, too!

[Thomas Farmer]

Usually don't seek out this type of books but was repeatedly recommended this. Nothing more than extremely basic information on the industry and personal anecdotes of the author. If I was a freshman in high school, I may have found this slightly entertaining. Slightly.

[Moses Gunaratnam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though it is not a textbook-like “how-to” book, the stories about Turman’s life are quite informative in and of themselves. I never found the book to be boring and I learned that I definitely do not want to be a producer! 7/10

[Mitchell Brhelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent read, but felt like a lot of information I'm already aware of. Plenty of interesting anecdotes, but how do you write a whole book about producing and not include a single anecdote about The Thing (1982), one of the greatest films ever made? Cmon Larry!

[Drew Braaten · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Pros: learned what producing is, what it entails, and inside glimpse into Hollywood (even if it was written 20 years ago)

Cons: some of anecdotes are long-winded and meandering, not narrative

[Marc Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent primer about the movie business, for us book authors who want (or need) to write screenplays.

A somewhat simplistic description of the life of a Producer (albeit from the 20,000 foot level) which gives great insight into the methods behind the craziness.

Highly recommended.

[Reach Ang · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much anecdotal. Was expecting something useful throughout the chapters but that thing was never found.

[mavmavros · Rating 3 out of 5]

- To be a producer is to be an entrepreneur, starting a business from scratch each time you initiate a project.
- A flexible rule of thumb is that you should spend 5% of the total budget for the story rights and screenwriter combined.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lawrence Turman uses lessons from his own career and self-reflection to inform the next generation of producers. His writing has a sincerity and honesty that allows for an easy read. Some things seemed a little outdated, but his case studies I found to be informative. I especially appreciated his Sundance Kid correspondence in the appendix.

[Dori · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very useful book for students and young professional s; it is also funny and a quick read.

[R. Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great resource, though there are TONS of personal anecdotes, so be prepared.