Producing : Ask Me Anything (AMA) Wednesday 10/16 to Thursday 10/17- What Is A Line Producer & What Do They Do? by Shantelle Rochester

Hi, Shantelle Rochester. It's great to meet you. Thanks for having this AMA. I've heard of a line producer, but I'm not familiar with what they do besides preparing a budget. What does a line producer do?

Hi Maurice, thanks for your question.

In Film a Line producer does prepare your budget but they also keep you financially on track through prep, production and sometimes post-production.

Once your budget is done and you are ready to go into production your line producer will be your right hand person as a producer and they will know where you can move finance around if things are needed in other areas and also how to save you money. They are also responsible for your location risk assessments, booking your below the line crew and they are your go to for the day to day running of the production. Hope that helps? Feel free to ask further questions. Thanks

You're welcome, Shantelle Rochester. Yes, that helps! Thanks for the answer! I don't have any more questions right now, but if I think of some, I'll definitely post them.

Hi Shantelle Rochester - thanks so much for having this AMA and spending your day with us. Question: How do tax incentives and rebates factor into a film’s overall budget?

Shantelle Rochester , pleasure getting connected, and thank you for having this AMA. Maurice Vaughan - great questions by the way, I've heard of a line producer as well but wasn't quite too sure what their roles were. Shantelle Rochester, for the new people (like myself), you mentioned you are funded by BFI, I'm not familiar with BFI, who are they and how exactly do they play a role with line producers? Thank you!

Thanks, Cyrus Sales.

Shantelle Rochester We really appreciate your giving up some precious time to share your experience and knowledge. What inspired you to create the platform Know Your Power and what have you witnessed as a result that has fueled your passion?

HI Shantelle Rochester - thank you so much for doing this AMA. It's awesome that you're doing this for the Stage 32 community. You mention that a Line Producer is a Producer's right-hand person and knows where you can move money around and how to save money. How involved are other departments or crew members in that cost-reporting process on a daily basis during production?

Shantelle Rochester, thank you for sharing your time with us today! What do you feel are the most essential skills for someone interested in becoming a Line Producer to have or fine-tune?

Hi Shantelle, does a line produce also complete Funding Grant Applications? I began two ( in Australia) for 2 series shortly being pitched in the USA. Does a line producer also assist with these or not? Thank you for your time.

Great question Leonardo. Tax incentives and rebates can either allow you to receive a percentage of what you spend in the country or countries you are filming in (UK’s Film Tax Credit has just gone up to 53% as of the end of October). Also you can receive local and National grant finance from the country you are filming in, (not all countries have a fund) but this will allow you to bring down the cost of your budget and will mean you do not owe a return of the investment into your film.

Hi Cyrus, the BFI stands for the British Film Institute which is the body that deals with films & filmmakers for the UK. It facilitates the certifications for British films/TV and Co-Productions, which will be needed to be able to receive Rebates and possible grant finance. This type of information can be helpful when raising film & TV Finance and working on the budgets.

Thank you for your question Debbie Elicksen I was inspired to create know your power to help filmmakers understand the business of Film & TV better, so they can create content faster by having the information and tools they need to make the best decisions about their projects at the touch of a button. The amount of people that have been able to move forward with their project or that have under stood more than they knew before without having to spend thousands of dollars or years finding out, keeps me going.

Hi Sam Sokolow each production is usually balanced slightly different depending on size, finance etc but a common scenario would be for the cost reporting information from department heads to go to the production accountant (if there is one as they would be taking in crew receipts, floats etc) or it can be done by the production secretary, coordinator or production manager for onset below the line crew and cast and the line producer would review and add the additional costs and reporting and sign off. It may also need sign off from the producer but that just depends on how your producer would like to work and the systems in place that need to be adhered to on the specific production.

It’s a pleasure to share with you all!

Hi Ashley Renee Smith great question. The essential Skills (or magic powers lol) I feel a line producer should have or fine tune are the following:

Patience

A Solution focused mind set

Soft skills

Understanding of all departments

Excel Spreadsheets /Movie Magic

Negotiation

Thanks Ashley.

Hey Shantelle Rochester thank you for taking the time to do an AMA! As a producer, what are some of the most unexpected challenges you've had to overcome and how did you overcome them?

Hi Sacha Douglas Your line producer can assist in the budgets for those applications but it would normally be the producer of the film that would do them.

Thank you so much Shantelle Rochester! I checked out the website for 'Know Your Power' and love the concept behind it.

Hi Pat Alexander thanks for joining the session! I

believe creating content is one of those mediums where a huge group of people who have never spent anytime together get grouped together for sometimes months or years who have to create something great and this creates a lot of micro challenges for the line producer as it’s unpredictable. Match that with also liaising with those above you & keeping everything on budget creates a juggling act which doesn’t always go perfect everyday, so to overcome the challenges I usually do these 3 things;

- Find a quiet space and take 5 mins to ensure I am looking after my wellbeing

- Create systems with my team where all departments & myself feel supported

- Ask for help where needed, as content is a team effort and ships don’t sail smoothly alone.

Thank you for having a look Leonardo Ramirez Appreciate your comment!

You are very welcome Shantelle Rochester. Thanks for spending your time with us.