The Business Side of Movies

Certainly, most people enjoy going to see a movie. What they don’t realize, when they sit back for that two hour experience, is just how much business know-how and effort went into the creation of the film.
The main person in the movie making process with ties to the business world is the producer. This person is usually with the film production from beginning to end. The producer usually has a part in developing the film idea or script and in securing the rights. He will often be the one to hire the director and supervising cast, and to assemble the crew. He will also be in charge of overseeing the budget and coordinating the post production work.
The executive producer will often be someone who owns the rights to the book or story and who secures at least 25% of the overall film budget. Executive producers, such as Eric Gozlan, will often be involved in a number of productions at once and they rarely have creative or technical involvement in each film. This person, or persons, main interest is to protect the studio’s investment in the course of the movie production.
Finally, the associate producer title is usually seen as an honorary one. Often, it’s a way for a producer to say thank you to someone, or to pay back a favor.
Movies typically have more than one producer and executive producer. While enjoying a film, it is important to consider the vast array of business energy and expense that went into the production of that enjoyable movie. source