Overview of the role
Line producers (LPs) are at the heart of a scripted production, responsible for managing the budget, hiring crew, negotiating and securing resources, and ensuring filming proceeds safely, efficiently, and creatively. They work closely with Heads of Departments to determine how funds are spent, balancing financial constraints with creative ambitions. LP’s coordinate schedules, solve logistical challenges, and ensure all elements from crew to equipment are in place, delivering the highest-quality support while giving directors and department heads the support and resources needed to realise their vision.
In Children’s TV line producers must have an in depth knowledge of all of the regulatory frameworks involving working with children including child performance regulations and child licensing, all relevant health and safety, duty of care and safeguarding guidelines including the Ofcom Broadcasting code and any other broadcaster guidelines and ensure productions are supported to adhere to them at all times.
Core responsibilities
These core responsibilities are provided as a guide and are not exhaustive. The exact responsibilities in a particular job will vary depending on the scale / budget band / genre of the production.
- Analyse programme format, production schedule and brief to determine needs for crew, resources, scheduling and budget to deliver on time and within allocated funds.
- Demonstrate an up to date awareness and understanding of how AI can be used in budgeting, scheduling, and resource management and the reporting requirements of commissioners on platforms like Movie Magic and ensure any uses on production are employed and disclosed transparently and in accordance with production company and broadcaster guidelines and UK and EU law.
- Collaborate with the production executive and senior team (executive producer, producer/showrunner, Head of Production) to define major responsibilities, sequences, and timelines, ensuring efficient use of resources.
- Confirm creative vision and agree methods with the director and department heads.
- Obtain and assess tenders, estimates, and quotations from suppliers to align resources with production requirements and budget.
- Coordinate with departments to ensure equipment, personnel and facilities meet schedule demands.
- Schedule Enhanced DBS checks for relevant roles, with production staff on restricted duties until certification is complete, and confirm safeguarding training is undertaken by all relevant crew.
- Ensure pre-production schedules allow sufficient time for child casting, including rate negotiation, performance licensing, and psychological evaluations.
- Account for child performance working hours, tutoring, crew hours, cast welfare, and health and safety compliance.
- Ensure children’s working hours are accounted for and incorporated into post-production schedules for ADR or VO.
- Ensure risk assessments are in place for casting and location recces, noting environmental, access and health and safety factors.
- Document location facilities relevant to child cast, including green rooms, tutor rooms, and child-only toilets/dressing areas.
- Align duty-of-care and welfare procedures for talent and crew, and conduct safety and welfare briefings with key personnel.
- Discuss content sensitivity when working with young cast, as scenes involving intimacy, violence, or distressing material require extra oversight and may need creative adjustments.
- Arrange contracts that meet legal, regulatory, and organisational requirements, clearly detailing individual or supplier contributions.
- Organise comprehensive insurance coverage for production, including cast (including children) and crew, hazardous activities, and assessments from Heads of Department.
- Ensure child cast are licensed under Child Employment Law/child performance regulations and that schedules comply with performance, break, tutoring and location hour regulations.
- Verify psychological testing, medical statements, signed contracts, self-declarations, and DBS checks for all talent and crew.
- Maintain documentation confirming crew and suppliers meet health and safety requirements, qualifications, and certifications.
- Negotiate contracts with unions or trade agreements, ensuring compliance with budget constraints.
- Confirm chaperones, access coordinators, and consultants are booked and trained, maintaining accurate records of children’s licenses and working hours.
- Monitor crew and supplier performance to ensure contractual obligations are met.
- Ensure safe, secure, and legally compliant storage of materials, including hazardous items.
- Approve risk assessments for all production activities, stunts, and scene-work in collaboration with editorial teams.
- Collaborate with first assistant director to provide accurate call sheet information.
- Collaborate with ADs to plan daily shoots with contingencies and adjust as needed.
- Confirm travel and accommodation arrangements for non-local artists.
- Establish next-day requirements for costume, make-up, catering, and other departments, finalising call times with ADs.
- Provide clear instructions to cast and crew regarding schedules, tasks, and any duties beyond regular responsibilities.
- Prepare and implement long-term scheduling plans, reviewing daily progress reports.
- Ensure revised scripts are updated and distributed to relevant personnel promptly.
- Keep heads of department informed on budget availability, procedures, and variations.
- Discuss and agree on budgetary changes or alternatives when plans exceed limits.
- Assign responsibility for monitoring expenditure and liaise with finance and accounts teams.
- Brief production members on expenditure systems and authorise spending per company procedures.
- Record expenditure in approved systems, monitor against budgets, sign off timesheets, and oversee payroll.
- Record additional resources, losses, or damages in daily reports.
- Negotiate budget variations within constraints and provide investors, insurers, and bond guarantors with accurate production information.
- Communicate daily tasks through production meetings, technical recces, and briefings.
- Brief cast on studio/location codes of practice, health and safety requirements.
- Ensure clear signage and access notices on set. Obtain and maintain reports for lost, damaged, or stolen equipment.
- Ensure all personnel understand their roles via on-set checks and meetings.
- Identify and mitigate health, safety, and risk issues and ensure risk assessments are approved and distributed.
- Review daily progress reports against schedules, identifying problems and plan contingencies.
- Analyse discrepancies between planned and actual progress, suggesting realistic solutions.
- Negotiate with crew about tasks above and beyond their regular duties.
- Minimise overtime, resolve disputes among cast or crew and escalate to production executive when required.
- Alert producer, production executive to significant schedule or budget risks.
- Select, negotiate, and agree post-production services and crew to meet production needs.
- Plan and confirm post-production schedules, identifying key activities and milestones.
- Communicate the creative brief and script requirements to post-production personnel at appropriate stages.
- Confirm post-production requirements from crew, suppliers, creative talent, and executives at appropriate times.
- Review rough cuts to monitor copyright and clearance procedures.
- Ensure child licensing schedules for VO or ADR where required.
- Maintain and track post-production progress, reporting overruns and implementing realistic solutions.
- Ensure all materials and paperwork are delivered to post-production teams as needed.
- Regularly review and adjust post-production budgets.
- Ensure adherence to piracy prevention and clearance procedures.
Skills
Check out the role specific skills, transferable skills and attributes for the role of line producer in children's TV.
- Industry awareness: strong understanding of trends in content and distribution across the children’s industry nationally and internationally, from programme format to industry standards. Understand the industry’s production workflows to build effective schedules, staffing plans, and budgets.
- Planning and workflow: skilled at developing realistic production workflows across pre-production, filming, and post-production to ensure delivery on time and within budget.
- Communication: excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to adapt style for different audiences (crew, talent, parents/guardians, suppliers, broadcasters). Empathy with and relatability to young contributors.
- Collaboration: strong team player, able to build relationships with internal departments and external partners.
- Compliance expertise: thorough knowledge of all relevant legislation on working with children on content for young audiences, including health and safety standards, safeguarding, and child licensing.
- Problem-solving: quick to identify issues, implement contingency plans, and resolve conflicts calmly and effectively.
- Financial management: competent in budget preparation, cost tracking, payroll, and variance reporting, with a focus on efficiency and accountability.
- Leadership and management: ability to lead teams, delegate effectively, mentor junior staff, and inspire confidence across production.
- Technical awareness: familiarity with production technologies, equipment, and post-production processes to support practical decision-making.
- Management and leadership: lead the production team, uphold ethics and maintain respect when dealing with others.
- Support, encourage and mentor junior members of the team.
- Communication: interpret other’s requirements and communicate department requirements to staff and colleagues.
- Team-working: collaboration within own and with other departments.
- Negotiation: agreeing cast, crew and logistics, costs and contract terms with staff and suppliers.
- Research and analytical: planning practical requirements against brief breakdown and production vision.
- Problem-solving: contingency planning and resolving issues so that productions remain on schedule.
- Financial skills: provide effective financial control and management of budgets on productions.
- Ability to interpret regulations and legislation and translate into practical workflows and policies.