Overview of the role
Line producers (LP) are at the heart of a production, hiring the crew, allocating the money and making sure the filming is done safely, creatively, on budget and on time. They are typically the most senior member of the production team, second only to the producers.
Working closely with heads of departments, they decide how the money gets spent, delivering the best possible product to the producer or series producer, while offering the director and heads of department enough money to realise the vision.
Download the PDF version of this skills checklist here: Line Producer Skills Checklist.
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.
- Coordinate relevant information for call sheets
- Confirm that appropriate arrangements have been made for travel and accommodation for non-local artists
- Establish next day requirements of costume, make-up, caterers and other relevant departments and use this information to finalise call times for the following day
- Give colleagues clear and accurate information about what is required of them by providing information for schedules and call sheets
- Negotiate with cast and crew about tasks above and beyond their regular duties in line with production requirements
- Prepare and implement plans to ensure that long-term scheduling needs are on target
- Check daily progress reports using information from relevant departments
- Oversee travel and accommodation for cast and crew to ensure it meets requirements
- Liaise with the production office at appropriate times to issue call sheets
- Ensure production office is making revisions to scripts following any agreed changes, and distributing these to cast and crew at appropriate time
- Analyse production schedule and brief to identify the resources required for each stage in the production process
- Obtain tenders, estimates and quotations from potential suppliers of resources that meet production needs, and assess the estimates against production requirements and budget
- Procure recording materials and storage media in consultation to meet camera departments requirements
- Note any special additional resources used on the daily production report, and report any losses or damages
- Offer suitable contracts which meet legal requirements, and which include full and accurate details of suppliers’ contributions
- Evaluate all available evidence to ensure projected costings are accurate
- Check that materials, equipment and supplies are stored in a safe and secure location, and that arrangements for storing fragile, valuable or dangerous and hazardous substances and materials meet legal requirements
- Identify the likely implications of the need for insurance cover for hazardous working and for vehicles appearing on camera
- Comply with local laws and regulation when using production resources
- Confirm that all production equipment is covered by adequate production insurance
- Obtain loss or damage reports in appropriate formats regarding any equipment that is lost, damaged or stolen
- Confirm that heads of department have current information about available budget, spending and procedures to follow when they anticipate variations or overspends
- Allocate responsibility for monitoring and controlling expenditure to appropriate people
- Work with financial controllers and accounts team
- Brief production team members about expenditure control and monitoring systems at appropriate times
- Authorise expenditure in line with production procedures
- Ensure that expenditure details are recorded in an appropriate and compatible computer-based package as directed by accounts department
- Check that expenditure detailed in reports is within budget
- Use reliable and consistent methods of monitoring expenditure against agreed budgets
- Sign off timesheets and oversee payroll
- Negotiate and agree any required variations between or within budget headings to meet budget constraints
- Ensure investors, insurance companies and completion bond guarantors are supplied with accurate and up-to-date scripts and other pertinent information via production office
- Confirm that call sheets and other paperwork for crew have been distributed when required
- Brief cast at appropriate times on studio or location codes of practice, and any health and safety requirements
- Ensure that signs and notices explaining and specifying access requirements and restrictions are clear and visible
- Work with the assistant directors (AD) department to plan the day’s shoot, allowing for contingencies and options
- Review arrangements and make adjustments to better meet production requirements
- Ensure that production targets and deadlines are met
- Deal with urgent matters when they occur and in collaboration with appropriate production personnel
- Limit overtime as much as possible to prioritise crew wellbeing and limit expenditure
- Confirm that all relevant information is included in the call sheet and further revisions are passed onto cast and crew at appropriate times
- Confirm the creative vision and discuss and agree the best methods to realise this with director and heads of department
- Ensure that everyone knows what they have to do during all stages of productions, by checking in on set and holding production meetings
- Identify potential risks to cast and crew’s health and safety and take appropriate measures
- Document and distribute relevant risk assessments to all crew members before shooting commences
- Confirm smooth communication between all cast and crew
- Ensure that the director’s requirements are met by delegating tasks to appropriate people during shooting
- Brief the production about on-set requirements for next day’s call sheet at appropriate times
- Monitor on set activity to ensure the efficient use of resources
- Alert producer / production executive to any problems which may have serious implications to production schedule or budget
- Compile accurate information for daily progress reports and compare against plans and schedules
- Identify possible problems, and plan for identifiable contingencies
- Ensure that all employment, legal, health and safety, insurance and contractual agreements are understood and adhered to by everyone and are taken into account within planned schedules
- Identify the reasons for, and suggest realistic solutions for, discrepancies between actual and planned progress
- Resolve disputes or communication issues between cast members or crew
- Plan and agree post-production schedules with appropriate people, identifying the main activities to be completed
- With production company, select, negotiate and agree post-production services and crew to meet production requirements
- Convey the requirements of the original creative brief and script to those involved in post-production at appropriate times
- Maintain an ongoing awareness of post-production schedules
- Maintain frequent communications between all departments involved with post-production
- Ensure that all necessary materials and associated paperwork are delivered to post-production teams by production office when required
- Review post-production sections of budgets on a regular basis and make adjustments when required, for as long as involved in process
- Confirm post-production requirements from crew, suppliers, creative talent and executives at appropriate times
- Confirm that all procedures for piracy and clearances are adhered to
Skills
Check out role specific skills, transferable skills and attributes for the role of line producer.
- Plan the workflow in combination with other departments from pre- to post-production
- Networking and liaising with other departments, working closely with heads of departments, second assistant director, post-production and production coordinators
- Provide production team with up-to-date information on production activities
- Communication: interpreting other’s requirements and communicating department requirements to staff and colleagues
- Team-working: collaboration within own and with other departments
- Management and leadership
- 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
- Resilience and enthusiasm: adapt positively to changing work priorities and patterns, ensuring deadlines continue to be met. Proactive and explores new ideas and non-standard ways of working which will enhance and deliver the best results for the production
- Productivity: organises work effectively and achieves required results within deadlines. Demonstrates the drive and energy to get things done in pressurised situations and escalates appropriately when necessary
- Ethics and integrity: honest and principled in all of their actions and interactions. Respectful and inclusive of others, and meets the ethical requirements of their profession
- Flexibility: willing to both listen and learn and to accept changing priorities and working requirements and has the flexibility to maintain high standards in a changing production environment