This Tour Life: Trying to describe and explicate [to a non-touring person] what a Production Manager does is a lot like trying to explain the role of a Producer on a movie or TV show. It’s not as black and white as many of the other titled positions on a tour. I am going to exercise some liberties with this article and presume that the vast majority of you are in the industry, or at least mildly familiar with the industry.
8 comments:
I like this person. The methods of preparation and looking at the big picture at all times is exactly the care and concentration that a production manager should always have, at least that's my opinions. One of the striking things about this article is when they talk about giving the crew as much information as possible ahead of time, which I am a strong proponent of. For me personally, it's a method of covering your ass- if you write it all down and send those emails, no one could ever say that they were in the dark. Also, when you are diligent and transparent about the information you do know as a production manager, it makes everyone else around you more forgiving to the mistakes, the stuff you don't know, and the surprises that come up. I think that getting used to looking at the long run is great practice to just start thinking like a production manager, and once you do get into the position of a production manager, you realize, that's all you do, just with different types of information.
I really enjoyed reading this article because it gave me a huge insight as to what I would love to do in my career. Entertainment tour management is one of the coolest jobs in the profession that I cannot wait to pursue. Reading about all of the duties that falls under this production manager’s schedule is so hectic and fun to read. My favorite part of reading this was about the aspect of communication that goes into the job. The communication with technical vendors, keeping up-to-date paperwork, and most importantly, with your crew. Ending the article with the note of self-care when it comes to food and keeping your crew happy with food is something I think is SUPER important. I got to be an apprentice SM on an opera once and the crew was hangry and it was the most unpleasant experience ever. So I will definitely make note of everything this article says.
Articles that try to explain the work of anyone in this industry are always super interesting. Because for some reason people are always so fascinated by the work of these ‘mysterious’ backstage people, especially roadies in a rock and roll setting. And for some reason, people in this industry in our positions love to talk about themselves. Unendingly. Usually without prompting. It’s an industry that’s very education based at best, self centered at worst. So to hear how this person has tried to convey what a touring production manager does in such a concise way is both refreshing and incomplete. I think this article really did simplify what the job was, but left out what are probably some major components. The information on vendor selection was helpful, but a little too specific to their situation. The advice on food however, was important. Not for your career as much as your life.
Most of the touring I did was without a dedicated production manager, and we undoubtedly needed one. The duties described in this article were split between the Director of Production, whose attention was always pulled in a thousand different ways by the other shows he oversaw, the Production Stage Manager, who (besides all the things a stage manager has to handle) was also responsible for wardrobe, and me. We always got everything, or at least everything important, done, but the system added a lot of individual and interpersonal stress to the situation. Production managers are crucial for greasing the wheels, making things happen, and solving interdepartmental issues. When a piece of equipment fails on the road, the department head can hand the problem to the production manager, who can find a local replacement and get the broken unit out for repair, and the department head can keep their day (and their expensive local crew) moving.
Most of the touring I did was without a dedicated production manager, and we undoubtedly needed one. The duties described in this article were split between the Director of Production, whose attention was always pulled in a thousand different ways by the other shows he oversaw, the Production Stage Manager, who (besides all the things a stage manager has to handle) was also responsible for wardrobe, and me. We always got everything, or at least everything important, done, but the system added a lot of individual and interpersonal stress to the situation. Production managers are crucial for greasing the wheels, making things happen, and solving interdepartmental issues. When a piece of equipment fails on the road, the department head can hand the problem to the production manager, who can find a local replacement and get the broken unit out for repair, and the department head can keep their day (and their expensive local crew) moving.
I use to always get confused about what the difference between an stage and production manager are, but it’s fairly simple. I also wondered if it was necessary to have two positions that seemed so similar but in actuality are not. Because of school and experience, I now always would like to be a production manager on top of a stage manager. I think it’s important to understand both because production management deals with other real life things other than theater, so it’s multiple lessons wrapped in one. Being a PM, I feel like, entails more responsibility because you’re not running a scene, or a specific rehearsal, but an entire production which is keeping track of the multiple departments and abundance of crew working on the show. I know whenever I go into a crew call, in the beginning the production manager is always the one to organize everyone and give them specific crew heads. So I feel like PM is more stressful than SM but also stage management can be stressful in its own way.
It is interesting to read individual experiences in the world of management. This particular author emphasised how much individual experiences may vary and I wonder to what extent your average production manager would agree or disagree. I enjoyed the use of a multitool as a graphic. The image was simple yet very descriptive of how the author sees their job. Personally I have never truly been engulfed in the world of production management, but I felt the article more served as a tips and tricks article than a overall summary. In theory the job of a production manager seems very intangible, but in reality this article convinces me it is anything but. I felt many pieces of the article were too specific for a general overview of a production manager. One section I thought was extremely relevant to many parts of theatre is keeping everyone informed, people don’t like waiting, but they like it even less when they don’t know why.
This is a super helpful post for someone who’s interested in production management. There really is no standard job description, or one that is extremely vague, for any job in the management section. I love hearing about specific tasks and responsibilities that managers are given, as it helps me prepare for what types of jobs I might have in the future and what skills I need to procure now to advance my knowledge of the field. I think production managing is amazing. I love multitasking and coordinating with people and helping others coordinate with each other. I think the most important skill is being able to advocate for others and help them figure out exactly what they need to do. Basically, making schedules and plans and organizing processes to help the other departments run smoothly. I like the idea of not really being in charge of any one thing but just helping everything. The organizational skills needed for this job seem intense, but probably some of the most applicable skills to any aspect of life.
Post a Comment