Line producer

The job

You turn the script into a budget and schedule the producers can finance, then deliver the production against them. You hire the production manager and senior HoDs, set crew deals, choose stages and suppliers, and sign off major spend.

You're the producers' link to the physical production. On UK shows you often handle the tax relief paperwork with accounts and the producers.

A typical day

Development and prep: costing schedule drafts, locations, stage time, crew sizes and VFX shots. Meet the director and DoP on what the film needs and what it can lose.
Shoot: read cost reports, approve overages, solve what the production manager escalates.
Post: track the remaining spend through to delivery.

Most of the job is saying early what something will cost, so the producers and director can choose. Bad news in prep saves far more than bad news on the shoot.

Skills

Budgeting and scheduling to a high standard, including the software.
Judgement: knowing what a creative choice will cost and saying so early.
Negotiating with crew, agents, studios and suppliers.
Working knowledge of contracts, insurance, tax relief and delivery requirements.
Keeping trust with the producers and the director at once.

Who you report to

You report to the producers. The production manager, production accountant and production office report to you.

How people get in

Line producers have usually been production managers on several shows. Some come from the AD department or production accounts. The Production Guild runs training at this level. Credits at the right scale matter most.

Next step up

Line producing larger shows, or moving to producer or executive producer.

The line producer delivers the production on budget and on time.