'What I Really Want to Do is PRODUCE...'

What does a movie producer actually do for a living? Is 'producing' any more than writing cheques and smoking fat cigars? Helen de Winter, herself an intrepid young producer, discovers a job that requires the combined skills of a wheeler-dealer, a diplomat, a stern but doting parent, and a clinical psychiatrist.

The producers of everything from The Lord of the Rings, Bridget Jones's Diary to The Constant Gardener and My Big Fat Greek Wedding talk to her about:

* How do you smell a hit?

* How do you raise adequate sums of other peoples' money to get a film made?

* How do you handle feuds, fights, or even fatalities on set?

* And what can you do to drag the general public off the street and into cinemas to study the fruits of your labour?

The results make enlightening reading, whether your interest lies in movies or money, or whether indeed what you really want to do is produce...