Well, last week's episode apparently needed quite a few! In fact, just for fun, I counted:
- 1 Line Producer
- 2 Consulting Producers
- 2 Co-Producers
- 3 Producers
- 3 Co-Executive Producers
- 8 Executive Producers
Now, I don't know what differentiates an Executive Producer from a Co-Executive Producer, or a Consulting Producer from a Line Producer, or even how to tell a Producer from a Co-Producer without a DNA test. So maybe every one of them (or every 3 or 8 of them) serves an indispensable purpose without which the show wouldn't be the same, but... gah?
Vicki just informed me that last week's Grey's Anatomy (which I'm currently blogging through, as I normally do) had 15 'producer-types,' spread over the same categories shown above. Of course, it's a medical show, which once again may imply lots of technical details (although, to be honest, I think the writers make most of it up just for ultimate shock value).
Is this the real reason why TV dramas cost so much to make anymore? Or is a producer credit just the latest way studios suck up to talent by appealing to their egos?
2 comments:
"I don't know what differentiates an Executive Producer from a Co-Executive Producer" etc.
IMDB's glossary entry is somewhat helpful. I'm still not sure of the difference between Co-Executive Producer and Executive Producer, but I think it's similar to the difference between a Vice President and an Executive Vice President at a more typical business. (And no, I really don't know what distinguishes those either.)
I don't think all 19 producers are necessarily active on each individual episode, but for a show like CSI there are a lot of things to account for: every episode is shot on multiple locations, has multiple guest actors (more than the average, I'd guess), a varying amount of special effects work, set construction, filming permits, etc. Also, I'd be surprised if their contracts didn't state that they'd be credited for every episode in a season, regardless of the actual episodes they worked on, which is the same as any of the regular actors.
By the way, for comparison, a show like Babylon 5 had only four producers at any one time, three of whom were involved in day-to-day operations and one---to my understanding, anyway---who was essentially the "money guy". (Of course, B5 is regarded as being exceptional in most of its production aspects as well as dramatically.)
Also for comparison, a random movie often has seven, twelve, or more "producer types". That 120-minute flick is the rough equivalent of three TV episodes, except it's filmed and produced over the span of several months rather than just a few weeks. Nineteen producers for twenty-two 42-minute episodes---that's seven feature-length movies!---each filmed over two to two-and-a-half weeks, really doesn't seem like that many.
Good points, Peter. I checked the next episode of CSI and it did, indeed, have the same list (for the most part) so that probably explains why it's so long. Still kind of annoys me that the "production credits" now take up about 2 - 3 minutes at the start of the ep (rather than being stuck at the end where no one really watches) but I guess that's part of the deal.
Post a Comment