Guy de Beaujeu (Hn 85)

On being an independent film producer. My first piece of advice is choose a different career, BUT, if you really want to…..

How you got started in your career?

I wanted to be a writer but didn’t feel this was an ‘acceptable’ or realistic way to earn a living, so I went into PR and advertising. I had an early mid-life crisis in my late 20s, chucked in my job and decided I’d make movies after all. I moved to Bristol, set up a corporate and training video business and started writing short films and then shot my first low budget film in the city. I became a producer by default – I raised the finance ergo I was the producer. The first proper film set I went on was the one I had helped finance. 

The qualifications and experience required

Tenacity, self-belief, control-freakery, compassion, empathy, ability to be both a team player and when necessary, a lone wolf. Decent understanding of law and accountancy is useful. As is an understanding of how the film business works in its entirety. You need to be an optimist, be prepared for abject failure, deep lows, occasional highs and a peripatetic income stream (trickle might be a better expression). There are no real rules or career progressions to be an independent producer, which is both a blessing and frustrating. Work with an old hand, voraciously consume information about the wider business, create an eco-system, start as a runner and bug the producers about what they do. Seek out irresistible ideas and scripts and be brave enough to pitch them, well and with belief. Don’t be timid.