It would seem obvious to almost anyone that the most important trait for a great producer is to be a great planner, but there are different styles even on this topic. Every producer sits down for that initial conversation with their director to understand the tone and needs of the project they are to oversee. While some producers stay in constant contact with a director, Huang prefers to cover every detail profoundly in the planning stage and then leave her director alone to immerse themselves in the creative process during shoot days. In some instances, this approach is a necessity. During her work with Bianca Yeh (director/producer and co-founder of BCS Media Studio) for a variety of different commercial productions including: Katris, JieLing Liquid Repellent spray, and “Zephyr, Gigi was in San Francisco while Yeh was in her home base of New York City. Yeh and the clients were so impressed and pleased with Huang’s work on these productions that Gigi has made a name for herself as a producer who is excellent at working independently with great effectiveness. Yeh notes, “I was thoroughly impressed with her overall performance. These are three very different types of commercials. I still remember the time during the pre-production of these three commercials. I am based in NYC and Zhe Huang helped me a lot as an independent producer. She satisfied every single need for filming so I don’t need to worry about anything. Every director wants what Gigi has to give, the ability to be creative and understand that everything is well taken care of.” Director Zhen Pan echoes these statements. Pan worked with Huang as a producer of commercials for Lepow chargers and declares, “As the writer/director, I was able to focus on my creative part and leave everything else to Huang Zhe with the knowledge that I didn't need to worry about anything. She's one of those producers who can literarily put everything on her shoulders and still keep things running extremely smooth. Considering the short time that was given and the limited budget, she did an amazing job balancing everything. It is always a pleasure working with her.”
There are those who seek the spotlight in the entertainment world and then there are those who enable them. While both situations require talent and immense hard work, the later allows for a life unencumbered by the constraints and trappings of notoriety…at least on a public scale. One of the most unnoticed and yet vitally important roles in the production world is that of producer. For those who have little or no interest in this world, they may wonder exactly what a producer does. Exactly as the name implies, these professionals are in charge of making sure every single thing is created and manifested. It’s an incredible, at times herculean amount of work. Only the most responsible, intelligent, and talented individuals are able to oversee and deliver in a manner that creates this “cocoon” in which artists exist. A producer is an interesting blend of adult conduct and childlike imagination. Part manager and part dreamer, producers like Zhe Huang (aka Gigi) approach films, television productions, and commercials with equal respect and enthusiasm. The producer’s role is one of the few in this world with a skill set that crosses all of these avenues. Gigi has earned a place as a respected professional in all three but confesses that many times it is the commercial world which can test a producer’s abilities so intensely. A “behind the curtain” peek at some of her work in commercials reveals her successful approach and gives tutelage to those who aspire to a successful career like hers. It would seem obvious to almost anyone that the most important trait for a great producer is to be a great planner, but there are different styles even on this topic. Every producer sits down for that initial conversation with their director to understand the tone and needs of the project they are to oversee. While some producers stay in constant contact with a director, Huang prefers to cover every detail profoundly in the planning stage and then leave her director alone to immerse themselves in the creative process during shoot days. In some instances, this approach is a necessity. During her work with Bianca Yeh (director/producer and co-founder of BCS Media Studio) for a variety of different commercial productions including: Katris, JieLing Liquid Repellent spray, and “Zephyr, Gigi was in San Francisco while Yeh was in her home base of New York City. Yeh and the clients were so impressed and pleased with Huang’s work on these productions that Gigi has made a name for herself as a producer who is excellent at working independently with great effectiveness. Yeh notes, “I was thoroughly impressed with her overall performance. These are three very different types of commercials. I still remember the time during the pre-production of these three commercials. I am based in NYC and Zhe Huang helped me a lot as an independent producer. She satisfied every single need for filming so I don’t need to worry about anything. Every director wants what Gigi has to give, the ability to be creative and understand that everything is well taken care of.” Director Zhen Pan echoes these statements. Pan worked with Huang as a producer of commercials for Lepow chargers and declares, “As the writer/director, I was able to focus on my creative part and leave everything else to Huang Zhe with the knowledge that I didn't need to worry about anything. She's one of those producers who can literarily put everything on her shoulders and still keep things running extremely smooth. Considering the short time that was given and the limited budget, she did an amazing job balancing everything. It is always a pleasure working with her.” A practical example of her ability to see opportunities for allowing the director’s vision to be achieved and yet still stay within the numerous constraints of any production schedule and budget can be understood by her approach with these various commercials. For the Lepow commercial work, she suggested some alternate ideas in regards to working with one of the child actors. Because minors are limited in the number of hours they can be working on set, the freedom to be creative and try different approaches without adhering to a fixed schedule are greatly reduced. Suggesting some creative camera work that implied the presence of the minor even when she wasn’t on set gave the director new options and more time to focus on other aspects of this particular scene. Another example is when Gigi presented the idea of allowing a scene with a dancer to appear as an actual filming scene itself during the action, enabling the real crew to go about their business without concern for the camera. Although these suggestions may not work every time, Zhen Pan was once again pleased to be working with a producer who was looking for a variety of ways to make his job easier. Many times, a producer has their most challenging moments when dealing with those not actually invested in the work. During the Katris (a type of rearrangeable furniture/play construction for cats), most of the action was based around felines. Cats are not always the most receptive of animals to direction. In order to understand what would be most conducive to the stars of this commercial working with the director, Gigi arranged for some cat owners and their beloved pets to do some R&D before the shoot. She explains, “The director and I had discussed that the vibe of the commercial was to be fun and playful. In order for this positive feeling, I needed to make sure that our cat stars were having a good time. The clients gave us free sample products to test before filming. I contacted my friends ahead of time to bring cats just in case something happens on the filming day. I promised that I would give them the free sample products for their cats to use as compensation for doing this. The products were expensive but really useful, so they were willing to help. We definitely wanted to film the original cat that we cast, but since anything could happen on set, I knew a backup plan was a good idea… just in case the original cat got out of control.” During the filming of the Lepow commercial in San Francisco, Gigi enlisted help from a Park Ranger by using her consummate abilities as a producer to put him at ease and feel like a contributing part of the shoot. Huang reveals, “We originally found a location we liked in Marin County but it was on an easement owned by George Lucas and it wasn’t possible. I contacted the Park system there and park ranger Craig Solin helped us a great deal. He suggested a few potential locations for filming. I was so lucky that the park ranger really loved to help. Since we couldn’t drive our car on the mountain, he drove his truck and showed us around. While the director and DP went out the truck to take the pictures, I talked with the park ranger in the truck and told him the basic idea of the commercial. He suggested a few spots for filming and showed us his favorite one, which the director loved. Even though we couldn’t drive our Volkswagen microbus there, it was a good filming spot with great view. I discussed the scene with the director and we changed the story from driving the microbus on the mountain to a picnic scene instead.” A potential road stop and budget busting confrontation was steered into a positive experience for all by Huang’s ability to see everyone’s potential inclusion in the production, to the benefit of all parties. Just as obvious as her talent in planning and coordinating is the fact that one of Gigi Huang’s greatest attributes as a producer to somehow make everyone feel just as important as her director, which leads to a lot of happy people…including Gigi herself.
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