Episode 9: The Producer's Eye: How Thinking Like a Producer Makes You a Better Director

The same year a short film I produced was nominated for an Oscar, I directed my own short film. It didn't get nominated. For years I thought that was just bad luck. It wasn't. I was living too much in my producer head as a director — and not enough in the creative choices the film actually needed.In this episode, I break down what a producer actually does at every stage of a film, why the best directors I've ever worked with can hold both jobs in their head at once, and how learning to think like a producer — even a little — makes you a stronger director. I'll share stories from my own career, including watching David Fincher and a first-time indie director handle the exact same studio situation in opposite ways, with very different results.In this episode:What a producer actually is — and the three things it's commonly mistaken forThe one or two elements every film has that a producer must protect, no matter the costThe questions a producer should be asking at development, production, and post-productionWhat happened when I directed my own short film with too much "producer brain"David Fincher vs. a first-time director: two approaches to managing the studio, and only one that workedA simple habit for developing your own producer's instincts, starting with how you watch other people's filmsWhy you should lean into your strengths instead of fixing your weaknesses — and find a partner who covers the restFor the companion piece to this episode, head to hollywoodfilmcoach.substack.com.