Producing : Producing books? by Ricky Tyree

Well honestly I wouldn't go by a book. If you really want to produce, you need to know the ins and outs of filmmaking or have a lot of money to burn on attempts. How you produce a film depends largely on the type of film, how hands on you are, how good your cast and crew are, who is directing, cinematographer, and production designer are. It's all a matter of finding a story and making that story into a movie... Ask yourself that question and you could write the book yourself as you research what you need.

Look at The Filmmakers Handbook by (I believe) IFP and Focal Press. Having said that, there's no better way to learn about producing than to start producing. Think small. Short films are a great place to start. Find or generate some material. Maybe... 3-5 pages. Figure out what you need to pull it off: Crew, Cast, Equipment, Locations, Food(!), etc. The essence of producing is in assembling elements. Good luck!

Yeah, I've started producing a couple of shorts. Shooting a few more this summer. But I wanted to make sure I developed a solid preproduction plan that works for all levels of filmmaking. Because of this experience I'm gaining, I've started building a plan, but I want to make sure I'm dotting my i's and crossing my T's.

A small production is the same as a big production, just more of everything to manage. More people, more money, more time, more locations, more contracts, more money, more agents to deal with, more actors, more money, more crew, more equipment, more money and more patience... Did I mention more money? ;)

lol I get your point

Work on as many film shoots as possible. be an intern for a producer, you'll learn much quicker.

There's a fantastic book called "so you want to be a producer" - Lawrence Turman I think I purchased it from amazon but is well worth a read as it gives his personal view plus highs and lows of this ever evolving industry