Michael Hausman (right) stands with Milos Forman on location during the filming of their forthcoming film Man on the Moon.

Michael Hausman has produced some of the most respected films of the last 20 years, including "Amadeus," "Ragtime" and "The People vs. Larry Flynt." At the same time, he has taught film in Columbia's Graduate School of the Arts.

"I'm here because of Milos," said Hausman, referring to Milos Forman, director of the above--named movies and chairman emeritus of Columbia's film program. Hausman places the date of his start at Columbia "sometime after 'Hair' and before 'Ragtime.'"

His latest collaboration with Forman, "Man on the Moon," a biopic of comedian Andy Kaufman starring Jim Carrey, opens Dec. 22. Why make a film about Andy Kaufman, apart from the fact that he was from Hausman's hometown of Great Neck, Long Island? "He was the first performance artist--nothing uninteresting about him," says Hausman. "In the comedian's world they loved him--he didn't take a safe road. His message was it's okay to be odd, okay to take a chance. 'Man on the Moon' was made because Milos Forman and Jim Carrey wanted to make it."

Hausman has produced or executive produced more than 30 films, including "Alambrista," "Silkwood," "Heartland," "The Firm," "Valmont," "House of Games," "Places in the Heart," and "Nobody's Fool." Hausman explains that many film students enter Columbia's MFA program expecting to pursue directing and writing and may not even consider producing as a career option. For that reason, "Now we have a class for incoming, first-year film students on producing--team taught by Steven Bach, Ira Deutschman, Richard Brick and me--so they can find out 'Hey, here's a real job.'" In addition, Hausman teaches an advanced course on the subject.

What makes a good producer? "You have to be good with people and have drive. You have to convince people to do things they don't want to do--have a knack for making a 'no' look like a 'yes.' And a talent for making something out of nothing--to not make people feel bad about the poor man's process. Like shaking a parked car with light stands in the background when you can't afford to do a traveling shot. . . you need a sense of humor."

Hausman has picked talent right out of the classroom--his former student Scott Ferguson is an associate producer on "Man on the Moon." "The students keep me on my toes and thinking," he says. "I believe in regenerating myself, giving back in a small way the lucky opportunities I've had."

And though Hausman says he starts every semester by telling his students: Don't ask me for work and don't ask me to read your screenplays, he just came back from an 18-day shoot for a low-budget feature produced and directed by two Columbia students, Jonathan Hludzinski and Joe Castelo. Entitled "American Saint" and shot in digital video, Hausman calls it a "great democratic experience."

"The beauty of digital video is that we could walk around and everyone thought we were making a home video. I think film is a great art today but it won't be a great art like writing until it becomes available to everybody. Right now film is a very expensive country club. With a technology like digital video it can turn into something more powerful than it is."

For relaxation, Hausman escapes to his ranch in Montana where he has 13 buffalo. "One is named after Milos, except it's a female, so her name is Mila."