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<html><head><title>What's an executive producer?</title><map name="toplevel"><area shape="RECT" coords="0,0,99,23" href="/lurk/universe/intro.html" alt="Universe"><area shape="RECT" coords="100,0,199,23" href="/lurk/episodes.php" alt="Episodes"><area shape="RECT" coords="200,0,299,23" href="/lurk/making/creators.html" alt="People"><area shape="RECT" coords="300,0,399,23" href="/lurk/resources/online.html" alt="Resources"><area shape="RECT" coords="400,0,499,23" href="/lurk/reference/episodes.html" alt="Encyclopedia"><area shape="RECT" coords="0,24,499,31" nohref></map>
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<h1>What's an "Executive Producer?"</h1>
<h3>By J. Michael Straczynski</h3>
<p>     Every couple of days, as today, I get one or another message saying,"In this episode, did you have anything to do with, or were you involvedwith...." and it's the script, or an actor, or whatever.  All legitimatequestions.  In thinking about this, it occured to me that maybe it mightbe a good idea to go over what an executive producer actually *does*.
<p>     So file this under "How I Spend My Days," by J. Michael Straczynski,Age 12
<p>     1) I write scripts.  12 the first year, 15 the second.  When you seemy name on a script, every action and dialogue was written that way.  Myscripts are very detailed.  There is very, *very* little improv allowedon the show, not necessarily because I think each word is golden butbecause a changed word can mess up an important sentence that foreshadowssomething 4-6 episodes down the road.  If an actor is having a problemwith a line, which happens occasionally but rarely, and wants to substituteone word with another, somebody comes from the stage to my office, 15 feetaway, and checks to make sure it's okay.
<p>     2) I work with the prosthetics/makeup people in conceptualizingand approving makeups.  I partly sculpted the original version of Delenn'sheadpiece in the pilot.  Prosthetics folks read the script, come up withseveral designs, run them past me, and I approve one or the other.
<p>     3) I work with the costume designers, again with final approval onall elements.  Sometimes if I have something specific in mind, I'll tryand sketch it out.  (I can't draw for squat, and our costume designer findsmy pathetic scribblings very amusing, and...."cute."  I once drew a kittyon the same page as a costume note, just to show her i was improving myrange.  She stuck it on her wall.  Argh.)  Usually she comes up withdesigns, runs them past me, I make some notes or suggestions of varyingcoherence, and she runs with it.
<p>     4) I approve all set designs, and again, once in a while, will getinto the act with a rough sketch of one sort or another.  Any artwork,posters, signage, set dressing, props...all go through my office forpersonal approval.
<p>     5) Along with the director and a few others, I sit in on all castingand have final right of decision, along with Doug, and we rarelydisagree.
<p>     6) I approve all directors and writers for the show, and work withboth.  In the case of directors, we speak about the episode many times,and have "tone meetings" just before shooting in which we go over everypage to discuss the visualization and make sure we're on the same track.I try to slip out onto the set when possible to make sure we're still onthe right track.  If I see something that may not be what I had in mind,I'll either defer if it works, or if I'm concerned, I'll pull thedirector aside for a quiet discussion, and let the director relay mynotes to the actors.  (On the set, there can only be one voice, and thatis the director, in terms of relaying instructions to crew and cast.)
<p>     7) I work with the composer, determining in- and out-cues for music,and where I have something in mind, expressing it to Christopher.
<p>     8) Working with the CGI folks on exactly what given sequences shouldlook like, and how long they should be.
<p>     9) After the director makes his/her cut, John Copeland and I go in tomake the producer's cut.  We sometimes re-edit every frame, or do a lightdusting.  Generally I work more with the character stuff, and he's good ataction stuff (hence my nickname for John, Captain Action).  We sometimesspend as much as two days going over every single frame, to tighten andmake it stronger.
<p>     When you have a crew and cast as talented as we do, a lot of thepreceding stages amount to basically saying "yup" a lot, and in all ofthis, John Copeland is my good right arm; I rely on his judgmentimplicitly.
<p>     (John is also our resident military expert, and he does a lot tokeep us in line with tradition.  I think when the B5 history is eventuallywritten, his importance to the show will really come through.)
<p><hr>
<p>     What's it like for me?  Race to the studio in the morning, run fromone meeting to another, with directors, art department, costume department,prosthetics, grab an hour with the door closed to write my brains out,maybe get onto the stage for 5 minutes to watch a particular delicatescene being shot, race back to more meetings, race off to editing, grabanother couple hours writing, race home, grab a sandwich, write a fewhours, and do BBSing.
<p>     Sometimes, in all that, it's very possible to actually forget what itis you're doing, to forget to *enjoy* it, because you're too much in it("the world is too much with us").  That happens, alas, all too often.
<p>     But every once in a while, one realizes just what one *is* doing,from some comments on the BBS (holy smoke, the episode WORKED!), todays like today, when there's one scene in particular in dailies withG'Kar and Londo, that is *so* perfect, *so* brilliant a performancethat you realize suddenly what you're doing, and what you've touched,and then, for a moment, it's fun.
<p>      Then there's another meeting....
<p>      Well, I figure I'll probably most enjoy all this long after it'sfinished.
<p><hr>Unfortunately, in my case, I'm all over the map, depending on whenmeetings are held...sometimes very early, sometimes later in the morning.I'm usually up until at least 3 a.m. every night of the week, sometimesas late as 4-4:30 a.m., so how much actual sleep I get is a very flexiblenotion.
<p>As for the crew...crew call is 7 a.m. M-F, as a rule.  If an alienis in the first scene, prosthetics crew can sometimes show up as early as6:00 a.m.  Actors and crew actually hit the stage at 9 a.m.  (7-9 is spentbasically waking up, rigging lights, setting up cameras, other stuff.)
<p>We shoot until about 7 p.m., rarely any later.
<p><hr>"You're the writer and executive producer, and also big and tall. Myquestion are, within the limitations of the budget you get, who controlsthe money?  Who has the final say over who to hire or fire, and what tospend money on or not?  Do you control all of that, or do youhavemini-budgets for individual groups and let managers below you handlethe smaller details within?  Can you briefly list the parts of themanagement hierarchy above and below you for, say, 1-2 levels?  Who's yourboss and your boss' boss?  To whom are you the immediate boss and whoreports to them?  Or maybe it's all a very flat hierarchy?"
<p>Doug and I own Babylonian Productions.  Once the budget is allocated byWB, we have full, final and complete discretionary control over it all. Now, if we're going to do something major -- fire or hire a recurringactor or director -- we have to contact our liaison at WB and explain why,and what impact it has on standing contracts.  Once they are brought intothe loop, they generally stamp "okay" on it and we move on.  They only getinto the major issues, not the smaller, day to day things.  
<p>Guest stars: Doug and I have final authority, no need to check with WB;costume designs, sets, CGI, prosthetics...I generally deal with all ofthat, with John Copeland.  John handles a fair amount of this stuff aswell, but if there's any kind of decision that needs to be made, tofinalize stuff, it comes to me.  
<p>And that's really the whole chain of command: me and Doug, then John; andat the approval process for major changes, WB.

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<h5>Last update:January 2, 1997
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