Line Producer
From ForcaWiki, the simple encyclopedia
| In one sentence | The person in charge of managing a movie's budget and its day to day operations, from before filming starts all the way through the final edit. |
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| Category | Film and Television |
| Related | Costs, Below the Line, Above the Line |
Every big group project needs one person who is not necessarily the one with the original idea, but who makes sure everything actually happens on schedule and within budget: booking the room, making sure supplies show up, and keeping everyone on track day to day.
A line producer is that person for a movie. They are responsible for managing the movie's Costs and are in charge of all the practical, day to day operations of production, starting in pre-production, before filming even begins, and continuing all the way through post-production, after filming wraps and the movie is being edited together.
Where the name comes from
The name comes from the budget itself. A line producer is deeply focused on tracking every line item in the budget, especially the many Below the Line costs like crew, equipment, and locations, making sure the production stays as close to its planned spending as possible.
Fun facts
- A line producer usually joins a project very early, sometimes even before a director is fully confirmed, to help figure out whether the budget for the whole idea is realistic in the first place.
- Even though their name comes from managing below-the-line costs, a line producer's own job is considered important and senior enough that they are usually paid as part of the Above the Line team.
- On a very large movie, the line producer might manage a budget worth hundreds of millions of dollars, spread across hundreds of different line items.