Meet Your Makers: Peter Carr on The Importance of Having a Plan B
Peter Carr spent twenty years heading up South Africa’s most awarded production company, Velocity Films (1994 to 2014) followed by a three year stint at Bouffant (2014-2017). Under his tenure, Velocity consistently ranked as the top South African film company in the Gunn Report, and he has been five times listed as the top South African producer at the South African Loerie Awards.
He has spent eleven years on the committee of the Commercial Producers Association of South Africa and six years on the Loeries board and committee. Peter has worked alongside most of South Africa’s top ranked film directors and has executive produced some of the country’s most memorable and iconic work. He co-founded Massif in 2017 where he currently presides over five exclusive film directors as executive producer.
LBB> What first attracted you to production - and has it been an industry you’ve always worked on or did you come to it from another area?
Peter> My sister had her own film company when I was a teenager and I started to earn a few extra bucks working on her commercial shoots as a runner or an extra during the school holidays. After high school I had to do two years compulsory national service and managed to talk my way into trading in my rifle for a film camera in the army film unit. I produced and directed a series of magazine programs for troop entertainment.
After I left the army, I worked on about twelve American funded feature films as a first assistant director, which was an invaluable training ground. I then started my own commercial production company and in the early 90’s I joined a reputable Cape Town film company as a director. I enjoyed directing and made a few really nice commercials but it was frustrating.
The flow of good work is so unpredictable and I hated those dry months sitting around and waiting for the next brief to come in. I started to find myself taking on scripts that were not creative, just to keep busy, and so after a few years, I shelved my director showreel and went looking for a more active role in the industry.
LBB> What was your first role in the production world and how did this experience influence how you think about production and how you grew your career?
Peter> Although I had produced a number of commercials for myself and a few good local production companies, it went up a notch when a good friend of mine who was the EP at Velocity Films, asked me to join as a producer in 1994. He teamed me up with an up and coming director and pushed me to become more creative in my approach to the producer process.
Velocity produced the biggest, most creative work in town and were arrogant enough to turn down any script that did not have a potential Cannes Lion written all over it. So it was a huge turning point for me, because I gained instant access to the best in the business and access to producing international work. When I took on the role of EP at Velocity in ‘97, I had gained so much experience in such a short time. I am very grateful to have been given that opportunity.
LBB> How did you learn to be a producer?
Peter> Initially I learnt from my sister. She was thorough, organised and left nothing to chance. She was the first to arrive and last to leave type of person and I came to learn a lot from her work ethic, which earned the respect of those she worked for and gained the respect of those who worked for her. I had also learned a lot by working in various film departments on feature films and getting a good overview of everything that goes into film production.
It’s much easier to produce a film if you know how every department works. It helps you with quoting, with negotiating, advising and how to offer solutions to technical and editing problems. And then of course I learnt from some of the best producers, directors and executive producers in town.
I was fortunate enough to have received so much guidance within a much bigger support structure. Before I was working on one project at a time and suddenly I was thrown into working up to three. It was not uncommon to find myself still in the office when the cleaning staff arrived in the morning as we were dealing with clients at opposite time zones of the world. I lost many a girlfriend because of the hours I worked but it was where I learnt everything about what producing was really all about.
LBB> Looking back to the beginning of your career, can you tell us about a production you were involved in where you really had to dig deep and that really helped you to grow as a producer?
Peter> We were shooting a big project for an American client in Johannesburg. On the third day of the shoot, our camera van was involved in a serious road accident travelling between locations and our camera assistant lost his life. This is probably the most difficult situations one can ever wish to face as a producer.
On the one hand you have to deal with the emotions of having lost a very close colleague and show compassion and respect for a life lost, and on the other hand you have to remain responsible to a client and complete the production. It was not easy and a huge test of my ability to remain calm and work through such a completely unexpected situation as a young producer.
LBB> A good producer should be able to produce for any medium, from film to events to digital experience. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why/why not?
Peter> Yes, absolutely. No matter what the medium may be, the job spec’s and the approach is all the same.
LBB> What’s your favourite thing about production and why?
Peter> I love that no production is ever the same. Each job comes with a new set of challenges that you have to figure out each time a script lands in front of you. I still love the challenge of finding solutions to the crazy creative demands, which usually come with impossible budgets and deadlines. It’s always so rewarding when you finish a piece of work that people love to watch.
LBB> How has production changed since you started your career?
Peter> It’s changed a lot. Besides the technical advancements in equipment and editing etc, the biggest changes in production is the amount of red tape involved. It is much harder now. Everything requires a permit or a separate insurance policy or requires another specialist on set to check and oversee everything we do. There’s more co-ordination and checks and balances required.
On the business side, clients are much more involved in the process than they used to be. Cost controllers have taken over a large part of the agency producer role and creative decisions are no longer made by directors and creative directors alone. There are a lot more subjective opinions that a producer has to carefully manage.
The world has also gotten smaller. We used to produce one big ad for one medium to flight in one territory, whereas now we’re making one ad that needs to work on various platforms in various languages, and in various formats. It’s stifled the ability to produce a singular narrative and the budgets are watered down to accommodate a more diverse client base.
LBB> And what has stayed the same?
Peter> It was, and always will be our job to provide the client with production value. There is a budget and a deadline on every job and it will always be our job to deliver on that.
LBB> What do you think is the key to being an effective producer - and is it something that’s innate or something that can be learned?
Peter> Besides the obvious need for good production management skills, good, clear communication is essential. I do think it can be learned, but there is a certain innate personality that is required. One needs to be calm, deliberate and effective in making decisions. You need to be able to take responsibility for yourself, those you employ and the decisions you make.
If you fear failure or worry about what people think about you, producing may not be for you.
One might assume that a production manager will naturally move up into becoming a good producer, but that’s not always the case. Some PM’s are just damn good at organising but not so good at tolerating a difficult client. It takes a certain personality to be able to be able to combine these two important traits as a producer.
When people respect you, you’ll get a whole lot more value from them. Many producers that I have worked for in my early years enjoyed the superiority and liked to bang fists on tables. That doesn’t work. Be approachable. Have an open-door policy.
LBB> Which production project from across your career are you most proud of and why?
Peter> Many years ago an exciting young ad agency, Net#work, secured Investec as a client. Investec was a new South African investment bank at the time and they wanted a powerful campaign to launch the brand. We were shown an amazing script and our director at Velocity, Keith Rose, pitched a massive treatment to shoot this in China. But it required three times the budget, and it took all of my negotiation skills to convince the money men at Investec to sign it off.
This commercial was a great success and it started a whole new trend in the production of commercials in South Africa, particularly in the investment banking sector.
Allan Gray, Coronation Fund, Prudential and other large banks immediately responded by producing a wave of big, brave and brilliant campaigns over the next few years and which continued over the following decades. That one ad brought a lot of attention to South African Advertising. I was proud of being a part of that.
Another was a project we shot for Virgin Atlantic when they launched in South Africa. Same ad agency. They sent me a script with a laughable budget. But it was a ground-breaking idea because it involved a scene of two guys kissing each other which was not something any client would dare attach to their brand back in those days.
I met with the agency and agreed we’d shoot it with one of our new directors for the little money they had. Richard Branson attended the viewing in person and all eyes were on him after he’d watched it. There was an awkward long silence in the room after it was played. And then he started clapping. The ad went on to win the Loeries Grand Prix and launched the a very successful career for the director. That was a proud moment.
LBB> And in terms of recent work, which projects have you found to be particularly exciting or have presented particularly interesting production challenges?
Peter> We recently produced a TVC for Checkers, a local supergiant retail store, which was a lot of fun to make. It entailed working with Miles Fisher, Tom Cruise's body double. Dean Blumberg was the director and he pitched an awesome rendition of the famous Cruise films to feature in the commercial. It was a challenging project but was a lot of fun to produce.
Dean also recently completed a great ad for Capital Legacy, which we’ve just heard is a finalist at the One Show Awards.
LBB> Producers always have the best stories. What’s the hairiest / most insane situation you’ve found yourself in and how did you work your way out of it?
Peter> There are many stories - but one that I still have a good laugh about happened sometime in the '90s, when I received a call from the creative director of our top ad agency demanding that I make my way urgently over to the edit suite where we were having a client approval.
On arrival, I found our film director spread-eagled on the couch, drunk as a skunk, telling the room full of clients that they dare change one shot in the edit. I think he said, "over my dead body". I sheepishly carried him out the room only to be thrown a flurry of sluggish uppercuts and left hooks, which thankfully missed their target.
A successful film, a bunch of flowers and a promise that boozy lunches would be forbidden by the company did help us get briefed by them again.
LBB> What are your personal ambitions or aspirations as a producer?
Peter> Over the years, I have found it incredibly rewarding finding and helping talented young people find their way and make their way up in this industry. I’d like to find more time for that, particularly in helping those who had more disadvantaged backgrounds and those who don’t have access to opportunity.
At Massif, my partners and I have applied a model where all the directors own part of the business and I’d like to teach that to others. I’ve learnt that when everyone owns a stake, then everyone contributes to the work and the success of the business.
And I still aspire to win that ever-elusive Cannes Grand Prix.
LBB> As a producer your brain must have a neverending "to do" list. How do you switch off? What do you do to relax?
I love designing, building or renovating homes. It’s creative and follows the same principles of production in respect of budgets, schedules and use of good subcontractors, except that I am the client and the producer. I also play golf every weekend. It’s when I can switch off my phone and keep in touch with my friends outside of the industry. In my early days of production, I lost touch with so many friends and I later realised how important it is to find time to maintain a healthy balance, otherwise this job will consume you.
LBB> Producers are problem solvers. What personally fuels your curiosity and drive?
Peter> Producers and directors are sometimes too quick to give a reason why they cannot do a project, be it because of time or money, but I like to encourage positive thinking and proactivity.
Before being too quick to turn it down, look for ways that can work, especially if there’s a good idea in the offering. Offer a solution, even if it’s not acceptable to the client, but at least show that you have had an open mind or opened up some lateral thinking to make it work. Go back to the client with what is possible and not what isn’t. It’s amazing how often it works out.
LBB> What advice would you give to people who are interested in becoming a producer?
Peter> It’s a stressful job that is demanding of your time, so be sure you are prepared for the personal sacrifices that comes with it. Be sure you have strong negotiation skills and have the ability to calmly manage conflicts and find resolutions.
Everyone looks to you when things go wrong and you have to deal with it and not pass the buck. Work on your diplomacy skills because you have to please a lot of people all the time. Don’t take on anything you are not ready for. Spend time in the water during your production development phase because experience is everything. Learn as much as you can about everyone’s role in every department and if possible get experience in other departments to understand how things work from the bottom up.
Never be afraid to ask questions and admit if you don’t know something. Learn about equipment and spend time in edit suites. Knowledge is everything.
LBB> From your experience what are the ingredients for a successful production?
Peter> Films are made during pre-production. One hour wasted on the shoot because of bad planning can be very costly and can make for embarrassing situations. From the get-go focus on what is most important to the project and work outwards from there. Surround yourself with the best possible team.
Experience counts. A good experienced crew and having a good editor involved early on, makes your job a whole lot easier. Sometimes paying more for better people will save you more and allow the director to make a better film.
And always have a plan B!
LBB> What’s the key to a successful production-client relationship?
Peter> Never overpromise. Always overdeliver. Manage expectations. Communicate. And make sure the coffee on set is good! I always remind my team that most of their next jobs will come from previous clients. Be sure they remember the experience so that you’re top of mind for the next one.
LBB> Producers are naturally hands on - they have to be. How do you balance that in the more managerial role of an EP?
Peter> I do not like to over helicopter parent my producers. I hire them because they’re good at what they do and I need to trust them. They only need to keep me informed of what’s happening and know that I am on call to advise or deal with any tricky situations. I like to focus on managing the directors in terms of marketing and of course making sure the company is well managed, leaving the producers to focus on the detail of each job at hand.
