Overview of the role
The line producer (LP) role in unscripted is typically in place on larger productions. They will be managing multiple people within the production management team and a significant budget. Their role is to manage the production, hiring all personnel, crew, suppliers and resource, some of which they may delegate to their production management team. They have overall responsibility for managing the schedule and budget, making sure the filming is carried out safely, on budget, on time and delivering a compliant programme to the broadcaster.
Working closely with the production manager and producers, they manage how the money gets spent, delivering the best possible product to the producer or series producer, while offering the director and crew enough money to realise the vision.
They are typically one of the most senior members of the production team, second only to the producers and would report to the production executive or head of production.
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.
- Understand programme format to ascertain production needs
- Allocate sufficient time to each stage in the production process to enable objectives to be met and for effective use of resources
- Work with the production executive or head of production to identify the major responsibilities, sequence and duration of activities and tasks to deliver productions within budget and on schedule
- Give the production management team clear and accurate information about what is required of them
- Collaborate with a variety of internal and external stakeholders e.g., health and safety, HR, legal, design team, technical crew, studios and post-production facilities to determine the resource, cost and timescales required to meet creative briefs
- Work with the senior team to develop plans and schedules, using production planning methods appropriate for the type of production
- Identify factors which are likely to cause delays to production activities, making realistic contingency plans to deal with any delays which may arise
- Check that production plans and schedules are clear, accurate and contain essential information
- Confirm with relevant colleagues that production plans are fit for purpose
- Suggest realistic solutions when difficulties in implementing plans are identified
- Confirm that schedules take account of health and safety of contributors and crew
- Discuss and agree realistic alternatives and budgetary changes with colleagues when proposed plans are likely to exceed budget or when requirements exceed artistic or technical limits
- Consult with relevant people to identify the materials to be cleared, the context in which they are to be used and the extent of their use ensuring necessary documents are in place
- Verify that necessary permissions and clearances have been obtained
- Note any climatic, physical, environmental, access and health and safety factors likely to affect the use of locations
- Recommend contingency arrangements to cover extremes of weather or non-availability of certain locations
- Supervise the implementation of pre-production activities against plans
- Liaise with relevant departments to ensure that equipment, people and facilities are in place to match the schedule requirements
- Oversee any casting or welfare requirements and resources are in place in line with schedule and budget
- Oversee the creation and storage of health and safety files and all other necessary certifications in line with organisational procedures
- Arrange a safety, duty of care and/or welfare briefing with key personnel to ensure compliance in line with organisational and company duty of care procedures
- Oversee negotiations with the relevant authorities and agencies so that all casting or contributor paperwork is obtained and compliant
- Ensure that psychological testing is carried out to meet requirements in line with organisational and company duty of care procedures
- Ensure that safeguarding checks and vetting have been carried out in line with local requirements
- Arrange contracts which meet legal and regulatory requirements and which include full and accurate details of individual or supplier contribution
- Clarify and agree with all relevant parties the roles and responsibilities for moving and storing materials, equipment and supplies
- 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 of media in consultation to meet insurance company 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
- Create or approve appropriate risk assessment documents in collaboration with editorial colleagues
- Ensure that health and safety regulations are adhered to
- Ensure there are appropriate risk assessments for productions
- Oversee management of unit medics and additional medical assistance and resources when required
- Arrange insurance cover for the production, including any cast insurance, for all contributors and crew to cover all activities required by productions
- Check that you have required medical statements of health from relevant contributors and crew
- Check that psychological testing is carried out to meet requirements
- Complete accurate documentation that shows that crew and suppliers are aware of the relevant health and safety requirements, are suitably qualified and certified
- Confirm that the content of production materials conforms to legal regulations and relevant codes of practice
- Identify and refer any sensitive or contentious aspects of production material to appropriate people
- Maintain confidentiality of sensitive information in line with organisational procedures
- Take appropriate action to secure compliance and to protect the interests of productions when there is a failure to comply with legal or non-statutory requirements
- Confirm that necessary steps have been taken to ensure public interaction with productions meets regulations
- Store production schedules in a secure location in line with legislation and regulations
- Ensure the production manager and production coordinator have all relevant information for call sheets and risk assessments required
- Confirm any necessary tech recces or briefings have been carried out
- Manage production management team and ensure all travel, accommodation and subsistence for contributors, crew and production is arranged to schedule and budgetary requirements
- Negotiate with crew about tasks above and beyond their regular duties in line with production requirements, defer contributor issues to producers
- Prepare and implement plans to ensure that long-term scheduling needs are on target
- Ensure production office is communicating any agreed changes and distributing these to production team, contributors and crew at appropriate times
- Confirm that suppliers and any head 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 finance 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 broadcasters, insurance companies, health and safety consultants and any other stakeholder is supplied with accurate and up-to-date call sheets, risk assessments and other pertinent information via production office
- Confirm that call sheets and other paperwork for whole team have been distributed when required
- Brief production team, contributors and crew at appropriate times in studio or location of codes of practice and any health and safety requirements
- Ensure that signs and notices specifying access requirements and restrictions are clear and visible
- Review arrangements and adjust as needed 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 on to cast and crew at appropriate times
- Confirm the creative vision and discuss and agree the best methods to realise this with producers, director and key suppliers
- Ensure that everyone knows their responsibilities during all stages of productions by holding regular production meetings
- Identify potential risks to production, contributor 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 contributors and crew
- Ensure that the producer’s and director’s requirements are met by delegating tasks to appropriate people during filming
- Brief the production about filming requirements for next day’s call sheet at appropriate times
- Monitor filming 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
- 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 considered within planned schedules
- Identify the reasons and suggest realistic solutions for discrepancies between actual and planned progress
- Resolve disputes or communication issues between contributors, production 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 to those involved in post-production at appropriate times
- Maintain an ongoing awareness of post-production schedules
- Maintain frequent communications between all key personnel 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 compliance clearances are adhered to
Skills
Check out role specific skills, transferable skills, and attributes for the role of line producer (unscripted TV).
- Plan the workflow in combination with other departments from pre to post-production
- Networking and working closely with production team departments such as legal, HR, health and safety and all suppliers
- Provide production team with up-to-date information on production activities
- Management and leadership: lead the production team, uphold ethics, and maintain respect when dealing with others
- Support and encourage junior members of the team
- Communication: interpreting other’s requirements and communicating department requirements to staff and colleagues
- Team-working: collaboration within own and with other departments
- Negotiation: agreeing contributor, 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 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
- Leadership: ability to lead, motivate, challenge, resolve and manage the production with diplomacy and respect