For anyone interested in becoming a producer, how would you explain this role?
Ben: The role of the producer is really different on lots of different sorts of films around the world at different budget levels. If you're thinking about wanting to be a film producer I think the best way to think of it is the person that gives a film the momentum.
They might be a guy who is really creative who's got a script or an idea. That might be you. That might be a friend of yours. It might be both of you together. But the producer is the person who says let's do it. How are we going to do it? I'll make sure I can get the camera there. I'll get the person there who is going to make sure there's some water so we don't run out and get tired in the day. I'll be the person who says where we're going to be, who's going to get us into the house, how we're going to make it. And that's basically the best way to think about it.
Producers are the people who make somebody else's visions and dreams come to the screen and there's loads of detail behind that. But if you think that you're the sort of person that can bring people together and make something happen then that's the key quality, that's the starting point.
Rory: You're an organiser but you're also a creative organiser so you get to do a little bit of everything which I think is what really appeals to both of us. A scriptwriter just writes the script and the director does quite a lot but essentially they're directing the actors and making sure everything works creatively.
But then within that you've got masses of people in the crew who do a bit of everything and you've got to understand a bit of everybody's job and organise it. But it's not just like being a pure administrator. You've got to have a creative side. So you've got to think about this creative person, what they're doing and basically create an atmosphere in which they can be as creative as possible.