Chelsea Morgan Hoffmann

Big thanks to Chelsea Morgan Hoffman who spoke to us about what she has learned following producing her first feature, September Says with Element Pictures.

The below interview has been edited for clarity and length.

 

Q: What’s exactly involved in the role of producer?

The role of producer isn’t easily definable…

For me, the role changes from production to production, and also from person to person – there are different types of producers depending on what role needs to be filled.

I tend to fall under more of a “creative producer” umbrella, which is to say I work closely with the writer(s) and director(s) in a dramaturgical sense, as well as the pulling together of the various creative elements, and also as a consistent voice to advocate for the project throughout its lifespan.

My role for September Says, for example, started early on when Element Pictures optioned the book Sisters by Daisy Johnson, after it was brought to us by BBC Films.

We thought it would be a good piece for a debut director, and actually probably a debut female director, so one of the first tasks was working with my colleagues and with the BBC to run lists of potential talent (in this case, we wanted to find a director ahead of a writer, as some of the people we were discussing did both… but other projects might require finding a writer first).

Ariane Labed was mentioned early on in our conversations. We’d worked with her as an actor before, and she had just made a short film called Olla which had been at Cannes and Telluride and Sundance and was getting a lot of attention, and we all thought it was extraordinary. It had a really clear point of view and voice, and a surprising sense of humour… the book is quite dark but also with hints of absurdist elements, so someone like Ariane who has an inherent sense of playfulness in their work felt like a good fit.

Luckily for us, Ariane really responded to the book and also felt confident in adapting it herself. We were very much with her through that process –  reading drafts, acting as a sounding board, asking questions and offering solutions. I always go back to – “This is what I see and this is how it makes me feel. Is that what you intended? Yes? OK, great. No? OK, let’s find another way in.”

Ariane’s vision for the film was really clear from the first draft, which was exciting – we knew it might take a beat to finance it given it was a first feature and probably wouldn’t be one that would have big stars in it, and we brought on Lara Hickey as another producer (in addition to Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe, the CEOs and founders of Element) early to help with that process, and from there our co-producing partners at Crybaby Films and the Match Factory, and co-financiers in BBC Films, Screen Ireland, BFI Global Fund, and Eurimages.

 

Q: Is there a big difference between producing a feature film vs a TV series?

Film poses different challenges to TV…

A lot of the fundamentals of story-telling and also putting together a team to pull it off are similar, but they are quite different processes.

September Says was my first feature as a producer, which I shot just after I had executive produced my first TV Show, The Listeners for BBC (written by Jordan Tannahill and directed by Janicza Bravo) – so that whole year was a learning process, and a great one..

Ultimately, for me I’d say TV is more challenging – it just keeps going! It’s obviously not as compressed as a film and you’re literally generating more hours of story, and therefore more people and more scripts – so it’s a different scope of management…  That being said, I haven’t produced something on the scale of say a Marvel film – so at various levels I’m sure they become equally demanding! There is of course also the matter of getting it out for people to see – without a broadcaster, there aren’t many options to make a series, whereas one could make a film and find distribution after it’s completed.

That all being said, one of the reasons I love working in Element Pictures is that I can work across both film and TV; I’m lucky that when I’m searching for projects, I can be flexible and think about the best form for the story.

 

Q: How do you avoid burnout working as a producer?

Create space for yourself before and after a production…

Ideally (and again, for me), there’s a bit of space between productions. As I said, The Listeners ran right into September Says, which was maybe not an ideal timeline for me, but just the way that things worked out for schedules for actors and when the funding came through etc.

But that meant the following year I really made more effort to focus on developing projects rather than going straight into another production, and tried to take time off when I could, as that’s harder to do during a shoot.

I’d also say the obvious things – rest, eating well, etc – really do make a difference. But it’s an atypical industry, so cultivating those habits when you’re not in a 9-6 take some trial and error.

I have definitely had therapists who knew nothing about film or TV production who would say, “Just turn your phone off at 6 o’clock!”  – which just isn’t feasible in this job because the truth is you might get a call at 11pm that night saying the electricity has completely gone off in the location we’re due to shoot tomorrow and we have to figure out everything and move the schedule etc…there are very real problems that come up at any time of the day or night, and in the lead up to and during production there is a degree of always being “on”.  So the coping skills are different than your average office job., and it’s important to make sure that in the lead up to that “always on” point, you’re taking care of yourself – and also that you build in decompression time after as well.

 

Q: Any words of advice you might give to aspiring producers? 

Empathy is a powerful tool…

Pulling from your own wells of empathy and understanding why someone on your team might be frustrated is a really valuable skill. Whether it’s the director or the runner, or any member of the cast or crew, being able to put yourself in their shoes and understand why the weight of a problem feels significant to them will help you find solutions.

Everyone needs to believe that their role is important – and it is – in order to do the best that they can do. My job is often being behind the scenes to support them as best as I possibly can, but also keeping the overall picture in mind and weighing up what is really important for the wellbeing of the team as well as the life of the project.

Sometimes just acknowledging a problem is the best way to move forward – i.e , “Yes this is really screwed up. How can we fix it?”goes a long way. Once you recognize, understand and validate, you can then begin to chart a clear way forward.

Trying to acknowledge the gravity of a situation in the moment without getting bogged down in it (as it will, in all likelihood, pass) is a really important skillset to develop. Maintaining a cool head and saying, “It’s bad, but it’s not a disaster, here are three ways we can fix it and move on.”

It’s ultimately a job about problem-solving – which, to be honest, is what a lot of the early script work can be, as well as the edit, and financing, and decisions about partners and distribution and marketing on the other end – it’s all pulling from the same parts of the brain.

Having a team and colleagues that work well together in those stressful situations are really key as well, so I’d really recommend considering personality compatibility when building a team. Lara and myself were very much on the ground for September Says  and even though we didn’t necessarily know this going in, we found out in the process that we complemented each other. I think the things that stressed me out tended not to stress her out so much, and vice versa. We had that way of balancing each other but also when there was something that had both of us wound up, we had each other to go to  –  “This is crazy, right?” “Yes, this is crazy”.  Again, that validation is important no matter what level you’re at.  I should say as well, it was a really lovely production from start to finish, so there weren’t many of those moments but issues will inevitably arise!

So yeah – I’d say make sure your team around you, at whatever level you’re working at, can support you and complement you. Or if you’re working in a solo space, make sure you have a mentor or friends in the same position who you can reach out to for perspective and support.

 

Q: Now that September Says is out and being received by the public, how are you feeling?

Relieved! And very happy. September Says has received such lovely, lovely feedback and had some great nights out at Cannes and the BFI London Film Festival as well, so I’m very grateful we’ve had those opportunities to really celebrate the film and raise up the people who made it. I’m so proud of Ariane, and honestly everyone who was a part of it’s journey.

September Says is out now.

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