Screen producer defines where art meets commerce

As part of his residency at Flinders University, veteran screen producer Tim Sanders will be presenting a free public event at Alere called ‘Art for Art’s Sake… Money for God’s Sake’, exploring the balance of creativity with commercial realities.

The screen industry is changing swiftly – and the introduction of Mr Sanders to teach students in the University’s Screen and Media Studies course underlines the need for more expansive skill sets and commercial sensibilities to meet current demands in the international screen industry.

Mr Sanders, whose 40 years’ work in the screen industry has included production roles on international award-winning films Whale Rider and The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, says his perspective can provide clarity about the current state of the screen industry.

“Show business is bigger and more pervasive than ever. It’s also tougher than ever. Yet, interestingly, there are more opportunities than ever,” says Mr Sanders, who was born and raised in SA and is a Flinders alumnus. “I’m keen to impart some of my experience – especially around the connection between Art and Commerce – to students who are looking at a career in the screen industry.”

Public event

In addition to teaching Screen and Media students and conducting workshops during a three-week residency at Flinders from February 24, he will present the public Question & Answer session at:

Alere Function Centre

5:30pm Tuesday 3 March

Register online

Mr Sanders believes his experience balancing fiscal and artistic aims in screen production is the type of wisdom that screen students need to plug into, especially as the screen industry continues to change at astonishing speed.

“Most change is incremental, but my ability to look back over a 40-year career allows me to see the massive changes this industry has gone through,” he says. “This experience will also enable some predictions of the possible directions for the industry’s future.”

He believes that nurturing adaptable and commercially attuned screen graduates is important for the future of the screen industry to flourish in South Australia. “I was raised in SA and saw the rise, decline and steady rise again of the South Australian Film Corporation. I’ve also seen the establishment of several local production houses – which I believe is the key to having a real industry. Hosting interstate or foreign shows is great at a certain level, but is not necessarily sustainable and does not leave profit behind for future careers and projects.”

Mr Sanders says it’s crucial for screen students to acquire an eclectic skill set that can be applied throughout the world.

“I’ll be exploring both the creative and the business side of the screen industry, hopefully giving students some pointers on what it takes to be a creator in the real world of film and television. If a Flinders student hits the marketplace with some knowledge that the screen industry is about more than filmmakers, they will be ahead of the game. It’s commendable that Flinders has chosen a practitioner from the industry for this role.”

Tim Sanders was among a talented cohort of alumni who featured in 2016’s Flinders 50 Creatives project. His screen production work through more than 30 feature films and major television projects has been recognised with two British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards, an Australian Film Institute (AFI) award, an MTV award and a Golden Globe nomination.

He has worked in the US, Canada, UK, Germany, Vietnam, Philippines, Nepal, Thailand, India, Israel, Fiji and Rarotonga – and in 2014, he launched film production company Field Theory.  Among the company’s first projects are The Guinea Pig Club, based on the revolutionary WWII work of plastic surgeon Archie McIndoe, and The Yarrabah Brass Band, the story of the re-formation of Australia’s first ever Aboriginal brass band.

He believes the pivotal role of a producer in contemporary screen production isn’t recognised by many emerging screen students – yet it is a role that offers great possibility.

“The role of the producer is not widely understood,” he says. “As a producer, you are the leader on a production and take ultimate responsibility for creative, financial and legal matters. While a director plays a hugely important role in aspects of the production, it is generally the producer who finds the project, develops it so that it can be made, arranges funding, supervises all facets of making the film, oversees post production, marketing and distribution of the film, and reports back to key participants for many years thereafter.”

Mr Sanders explains that screen production roles have changed significantly over time. He says that during the Golden Years of Hollywood, between the 1910s and 1960s, a producer was considered the top dog and was often a solo operator because the studio took charge of developing, financing, casting and distribution. A solo producer’s task was mainly to supervise day-to-day making of the film.

“In Australia and NZ we have to cover all the bases ourselves and the resulting job is often too big for one person, so we now see the emergence of Co-Executive Producers and Showrunners. There’s now a lot more people filling these roles in the industry.”

During his residency at Flinders, he will also be meeting people from other teaching disciplines to examine potential collaborations. “Creative Arts crosses numerous borders and there is plenty to explore within this field, but the disciplines of Engineering, Marketing, Innovation, Digital and even Banking and Business all have places in the global screen industry.”

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