Posted by Sandrene at 173-203-87.ipt.aol.com on March 24, 1998 at 02:37:23:
In Reply to: Exec. Producer vs. Producer posted by susan on March 24, 1998 at 02:28:57:
: During the Oscar's "Best Picture" announcement, the award went to the Producer of the flick.
: Why not the exec. producer? What is this role vs. producer?
: Wasn't Kevin the exec. producer on GWH and therefore entitled to some recognition on the big night?
: susan
Basically, the producer is the person who goes around making sure everything gets done, they find the director, the cast, the crew. They're the ones who see the screenplay, have the vision, and work like crazy to accomplish their dream. The executive producer is the person who makes sure there is enough funding for the film. Basically their job is to give money. It's more complex than that, but I don't want to get into it.
Sure, Kevin deserved some credit, but so did the people who inspired their screenplay, the director of cinematography and the rest of the crew, the secretary at Miramax, and the people who manufacture the paper and pens that Matt and Ben used while they wrote the film. They had 20 seconds to name them and a whole lot of other people. While it would have been cool for them to mention Kevin on live television, I'm sure that they've told him numerous times how grateful they are for the opportunity that Kevin allowed for them. And Kevin's a really cool guy. I'm sure he's just happy to be able to make it possible for them to make the film and that it did so well.