The filmmaker must hire a competent line producer dedicated to keeping the production within budget.
As the project moves into production, it will take on a life of its own. You must safeguard your creative vision while avoiding getting lost in budget misfortunes. That is where the line producer comes in and manages the overall production flow.
Manages the Physical Aspects of Production
As a filmmaker, you must hire a line producer or take on this role for blood at the beginning of the film’s planning stage. A line producer is an essential member of the production team for the success of the overall production. In general, a line producer manages the film’s budget. Hire the line producer to manage the physical aspects of the film production, as they know the budget and what’s possible. Though rare, Line producers can offer creative feedback on the film and receive co-producer credit.
Since line producers work on location, they work on only one film at a time, unlike other producers. A line producer usually hires essential crew members and collaborates with vendors. They function as head of production, though Line producers are not directly involved in the project’s development. They can play an important role in estimating output and in building investor confidence in the project.
As soon as all the funds are in place, the line producer supervises the film’s budget planning and the day-to-day preparation and management. Line Producers are not employees but freelance contract workers. The job requires long hours, and the filmmaker must compensate for the hard work. Successful line producers are in high demand because of their experience and reputation. Hiring a competent line producer guarantees successful production.
The line producer handles all the business aspects of the film’s production. The film industry calls them line producers because they cannot start work on the budget until they know what the “line” is between the “above-the-line” expenses, including writers, producers, directors and cast, and the “below-the-line” expenses. It includes everything else, such as development costs, crew salaries, set design, equipment rentals, locations, insurance, construction and so forth.
Line Producer Has Excellent Communication Skills
A filmmaker needs to bring on the line producer as soon as possible, ideally joining the production team at some point in the later stages of development. Based on the script, the filmmaker asks the line producer to appraise the expected production expenses fully. This process includes an extensive breakdown of the screenplay into a solid schedule. The schedule is a timetable for the film shoot showing how long each scene will take to shoot. Starting with the schedule, the line producer can accurately assess the cost of each day of shooting. In the example, a line producer might calculate a 10-hour day for a one-week location shoot as a six-day week and then calculate the same shoot as a 12-hour shoot day. Just taking two hours off each day can save a sizable sum. From there, he prepares and summarizes a budget that estimates the total funding required for a successful production. Based on the line producer’s hard figures, the filmmaker, producer, and executive producers have a set amount of funds to raise to begin pre-production.
Line producers are invaluable because their hard work during pre-production saves the filmmaker time and money. They work diligently for the filmmaker, coordinating with the director, first assistant director, production manager, art director and other heads of department to plan the production schedule and budget and to set the starting shoot date.
Once the film goes into production, the line producer delivers the final budget to the production accountant and transfers day-to-day production office operations to the production manager and production coordinator. Then again, the line producer is still responsible for overseeing all aspects of the production. That way, they ensure they complete the production on time and within budget. The line producer operates a failsafe financial monitoring system to pull this off. The system regulates production spending, materials, and progress. The line producer usually sets aside a 10% contingency in the budget to cover unexpected situations. While at the same time, they spend much of their time coping with figures and resources. They even oversee specific health and safety procedures and sort out and expedite insurance claims. At the end of the last shot, the line producer plans the “wrap,” or the shutdown, of the production.
Indie Producer’s Handbook: Creative Producing from A to Z
The Indie Producers Handbook: Creative Producing from A to Z
The “Indie Producer’s Handbook: Creative Producing from A to Z,” written by a film producer, Myrl A. Schreibman, describes the line producer as the person who assists the team. I use this book during all my film productions. It’s my bible.
Another reason line producers are so invaluable is that they possess an in-depth knowledge of scheduling and budgeting a production. They will manage the whole physical and technical processes of filmmaking. Successful people know everybody in the industry and command respect from the production crew. They are people with incomparable communication skills, such as sound judgment in balancing the creative needs of the director, creative personnel and artists with the available financial means. They are ready for anything, plan for the worst, and offer inspiration for others to do exceptionally well in their work. Like producers, line producers are not liable for complying with health and safety regulations or for setting up health and safety measures. Still, they are required to perform risk assessments in accordance with regulatory requirements. For that reason, they must know how to identify hazards in the production environment, determine the risk level, recommend actions, and review their assessment. Line Producers must also be certified through health and safety courses.
Successful line producers have considerable experience in the film industry. Nothing can prepare someone for such a demanding job but working for many years in the profession and gaining the tried and true expertise. When hiring a line producer, a filmmaker needs to understand that the individual advanced to the position by working hard for many years through various jobs, from production assistant to location manager to assistant director. Many start their careers as office workers or errand runners.