Duration: 5 days
Times: Mon - Friday 10am - 5pm
Capacity: Max. 12 participants
Fee: £800
(In-person)
This practical programme introduces you to the roles of Production Manager and Line Producer, covering all the responsibilities from pre- to post-production.
Led by experienced Producer and Line Producer Fiona Howe of Scenario Films (DESIRE, DELIGHT, DELIRIUM), this workshop will give you the foundations and confidence you need in order to step-up, and an understanding of the structural, financial and personnel responsibilities the role entails, using a combination of lectures, active discussions and practical exercises.
The Line Producer is at the heart of the production, the most senior member of the production team, directly answerable to the Producer and in charge of the overall operation of the production. Line Producers are responsible for hiring crew and facilities, allocating the money and making sure the filming is done safely, creatively, on budget and on time. They join the Producer as soon as the script is ready, to create the schedule and budget package against which finance is raised. They oversee all the below-the-line (BTL) deals and paperwork. They understand the creative aspects of film-making, balancing artistic needs with strict control of the budget. They work on set and in the office, dealing daily with the unexpected and helping to find creative solutions. At the end of the shoot, they oversee the clear-up of the production and work alongside the post-production supervisor to monitor costs and delivery.
Course Outline
DAY ONE: 10.00-17.00
- Overview of Line Producing roles and working with the Producer – setting up a production company; recruiting fairly and effectively; documentation; scheduling; budgeting; negotiating deals; sustainability; working internationally and co-productions; legal requirements; fiscal, financial & personnel responsibility.
- Overview of Production Management roles – crew hiring and contracts; logistics, equipment hire, transport; health and safety.
- Relationship between Line Producer and Production Manager.
- LP and PM working with the team: production accountant; production co-ordinator; director’s team, heads of department.
DAY TWO: 10.00-17.00
- Essential documents: pre-production schedule; cast and crew contracts; facilities and studio agreements; production schedule and budget; cashflow schedule; production contracts and delivery schedule.
- Pre-production negotiations, contracting crew, equipment, facilities, union rates eg Equity, BECTU.
- Diversity and recruitment.
- Sustainable shooting and eco-strategies.
- Film financing elements including: UK producer’s tax credit; ‘soft’ money; equity; broadcaster and distributor deals; sales agents; festivals and exhibitors; collection agents; finance closure.
DAY THREE: 10.00-17.00
- Introduction to scheduling.
- Creating a script breakdown.
- Building an MS Word-compatible shooting schedule.
- Planning the schedule (cast, location, travel and other considerations).
- Grouping sequences.
- Rescheduling and time management during the shoot; working alongside Director and 1st AD.
- Dailies. Information flow. People management during production.
DAY FOUR: 10.00-17.00
- Introduction to budgeting.
- Overview/BTL categories.
- Mapping out the production budget (Excel).
- Additional budgetary costs (completion bond, insurance, levies - eg ScreenSkills, PACT - legals, tax credit cash flow fee, NI).
- Completion Bond responsibilities.
- Cost Reports and working with the Production Accountant.
- Post-Production (Post Schedule, Post Budgets, Post Relationships, handovers).
- Delivery Schedule, deliverables, formats.
DAY FIVE: 10.00-17.00
- Case study: The D-Trilogy.
- Building and adapting a Movie Magic schedule – importing script info from Final Draft, data inputting, breakdown sheets and stripboard, cross-referencing, outputs, lists.
- Building a Movie Magic Budget – using a template, inputting departmental costs, globals and fringes, setting currencies, creating a budget topsheet, exporting reports.
