Filmmaking Process & Crew · Film language

Line Producer

Also called: LP

A line producer (LP) turns a script into a budget and a working production. They build and control the below-the-line costs — crew, equipment, locations, vendors, schedule — and run the day-to-day business of the shoot from prep to delivery, so the film gets made for the money that was raised.

What it does: Builds the below-the-line budget, hires crew and vendors, and tracks every cost from prep through wrap.
Use it when: A project has real money, a crew of more than a handful and a schedule someone has to answer for.
Watch out: The line producer protects the budget, not the vision; a creative producer still has to argue for what the film needs.
Try this prompt: Board for a fictional indie feature: stripboard by day, cost notes per costly scene, location photos, crew list

What is a line producer?

The line producer is the person who knows what every shooting day costs. The name comes from "the line" in a film budget: above it sit the negotiated deals for writers, director, producers and principal cast (above-the-line costs); below it sits everything needed to physically make the film — crew wages, cameras and lights, grip trucks, locations, catering, insurance, post-production. The line producer owns that second half.

They are usually hired by the film producer once a script is close to locked and money is in sight. Their first job is often to answer the only question a financier cares about early on: can this script be shot for this amount? After that they stay on through wrap and delivery, and on many independent films they are the most senior producer present on set every single day.

The credit varies. Some films list a Line Producer, some fold the job into a Producer or Co-Producer card, and on union shows in the US the same person may also hold the unit production manager credit.

What does a line producer do from prep to delivery?

Before prep. The line producer reads the script, works from the script breakdown and a rough schedule, and builds a detailed production budget: hundreds of line items with rates, days, overtime assumptions, fringes (payroll taxes and union benefits) and a contingency, often around 10%. If the number is too high, they propose cuts that hurt the film least — fewer company moves, a shorter schedule, a studio build instead of a location, a second camera only on the heavy days.

Prep. They hire department heads with the producer and director, then the rest of the crew, negotiate deal memos and rates, book equipment and stages, set up payroll, insurance and bank accounts, and hire the production manager and production accountant. They work closely with the 1st AD on the shooting schedule, because the schedule is the budget: every extra day means another day of crew, gear and locations.

Shoot. Each day they read the production report and the cost report, watch overtime, meal penalties and overages by department, and decide where money moves. When a scene runs long, they are the one who has to say what gets paid for, what gets cut and what gets moved.

Wrap and delivery. They close out vendor accounts, return gear, sign off on final costs and keep enough money aside for post-production and the delivery items a distributor requires.

Line producer vs. producer

The producer decides what film gets made and finds the money; the line producer decides how to make it for that money.

| | Producer | Line producer | |---|---|---| | Joins the project | Development, often years before | Late development or pre-production | | Main responsibility | Material, financing, director, cast, release | Below-the-line budget, crew, schedule, daily costs | | Answers to | Financiers, studio, distributor | The producer (and the completion guarantor, if there is one) | | On set | Sometimes | Most days | | Leaves | After release | After wrap and delivery |

On a small film one person can do both jobs, but the conflict of interest is real: the producer wants to protect the director's ambitions, the line producer wants to protect the bottom line. Many experienced producers prefer to keep the roles separate for exactly that reason. The executive producer, by contrast, usually sits even further from the set, approving the total rather than any single line.

Line producer vs. production manager (UPM)

The production manager — in US union terms the unit production manager, or UPM — runs the physical operation: equipment orders, location logistics, crew start paperwork, daily problem-solving. The line producer sits one level up and owns the budget as a whole.

A useful way to see it: the UPM spends the money, the line producer decides how it can be spent. On large studio films both jobs are staffed separately and the UPM reports to the line producer. On mid-size and independent productions the two are often merged into one person, which is why job listings sometimes read "Line Producer / UPM." Outside the US, similar hands-on titles appear under other names, so read the job description, not only the credit.

Do you need a line producer on a small film?

On a two-day short with friends, probably not; the director or producer can keep a spreadsheet. Once you have paid crew, rented gear, insurance and more than a week of shooting, a line producer usually saves more than they cost — through better rates, fewer overtime hours and early warnings when a department drifts over. If the film has a completion bond, the guarantor will typically want to approve who the line producer is.

The best line producers are not the ones who say no most often; they are the ones who find a cheaper way to get the same shot. They need to understand the creative plan to do that. In FlashBoards you can keep that plan on one board next to the numbers: storyboard frames and location references for the expensive scenes, generated key frames that show what a set build has to deliver, and cost notes pinned beside each sequence, so the director and line producer argue over the same picture instead of two separate documents.

For the rest of the producing and crew roles, see the filmmaking process hub.

FlashBoardsDirect the line producer on one board

Keep the reference frames, prompts and every generated take side by side — images and video in one canvas.

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FAQ

5 questions

What does a line producer do?

A line producer builds and manages the below-the-line budget of a film or series and runs its day-to-day business. They estimate what the script will cost, hire crew and vendors, negotiate rates, work with the assistant director on the schedule, and track costs every day of the shoot, deciding where money moves when something runs over. They stay on through wrap and delivery.

What is the difference between a line producer and a producer?

The producer drives the whole project: acquiring the material, raising money, hiring the director and cast, and guiding the release. The line producer joins later and makes the plan physically and financially possible, managing crew, equipment, locations and daily costs. Put simply, the producer decides what film gets made, and the line producer works out how to make it for the available budget.

What does LP mean on a film set?

LP is short for line producer. On call sheets, crew lists and in production office emails, LP means the person responsible for the below-the-line budget and production operations. Crew members go to the LP, or to the production manager who reports to them, for deal memos, rates, overtime approvals and anything that changes what the shoot costs.

Is a line producer the same as a production manager?

Not quite. The production manager, or unit production manager in US union terms, runs the physical operation: gear, logistics, crew paperwork and daily problems. The line producer owns the budget as a whole and usually supervises the production manager. On smaller films one person often does both jobs, and the credit may read line producer, unit production manager or both.

How do you become a line producer?

Most line producers come up through the production office: production assistant, production coordinator, production manager or production accountant. Along the way they learn crew rates, union rules, budgeting software, insurance and vendor deals. Line producing short films, commercials and low-budget features builds the track record that producers and completion guarantors look for before trusting someone with a larger budget.