The producer owns the whole film: the money, the deal, the creative, the release. The line producer owns the shoot's money and logistics, the budget and the schedule. The unit production manager runs the day-to-day machine that keeps production inside them. On a big film these are three people; on an indie they are often one.
What does each role own?
| Role | Owns | Answers the question | On set? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Producer | The whole film | Does this film get made, and released? | Sometimes |
| Line producer | Budget and schedule | Can we afford to shoot it this way? | Often |
| UPM | Day-to-day operations | Is today inside the plan? | Yes |
Where does the authority run?
The three roles are a chain, not a committee. Money and decisions flow down it; problems and numbers flow back up. When something costs more than the plan, the UPM raises it, the line producer decides whether the budget can take it, and the producer is told when the answer changes the film.
What does each one actually do all day?
Which do you actually need?
- Short film. One producer, wearing all three hats. You raise the little money, build the budget, and hire the six people yourself.
- Low-budget feature (Nightfall). A producer and a line producer, with the line producer covering the UPM work. This is the common indie shape.
- Mid-budget and up. Producer, line producer, and a separate UPM, because the day-to-day is now a full job on its own.
- Studio film. All of the above plus multiple executive producers and coordinators under the UPM.
What comes next
Once you know who owns the budget and the schedule, the work those roles do is the rest of pre-production: building the film budget, the shooting schedule, and the crew list under them. Day rates for the roles below the line are in film crew day rates.
Frequently asked questions
Is a line producer the same as a producer?
No. The producer owns the whole film, from financing to release. The line producer owns the money and logistics of the shoot: the budget, the schedule, and the crew. A producer can hire a line producer, but a line producer does not raise the money or make the deal.
What is the difference between a line producer and a UPM?
They do the same kind of work at different altitudes. The line producer sets and owns the whole below-the-line budget and schedule. The unit production manager (UPM) runs the day-to-day machine that keeps the shoot inside them: hiring crew, cutting deals, tracking spend. On a small film one person is both.
Do you need all three on an indie film?
Rarely. A short usually has one producer who is also the line producer and the UPM. A low-budget feature often has a producer and a line producer, with the line producer covering UPM duties. All three as separate people is a studio-scale structure.
Who controls the budget on set?
The line producer sets it and answers for it; the UPM spends against it day to day and flags when a line is running over. The producer is told when a decision changes the number, not asked to approve every purchase order.
What does an executive producer do that a producer does not?
An executive producer typically brings money or a key attachment and is not in the day-to-day. The credit covers financiers, agents who packaged the deal, and sometimes a name lent to help it get made. The working producer is the one on the phone every day.