Line Producer

The Line Producer is the operational head of the Production department. Where the producer sets the creative + financial frame and chases the financing, the Line Producer turns that frame into a working schedule, working budget, and working organisation — and then carries operational accountability for delivering against both.

What the role does

• Builds the shooting schedule from the script (or supervises the Production Manager and Production Coordinator in doing so)
• Builds the working budget from the producer's headline budget — line by line, then department by department
• Hires the crew — Line Producer signs off on department-head deals and approves their below-the-line hires
• Negotiates supplier and facility deals — studios, equipment, post-production, locations
• Carries on-set operational authority during production — schedule changes, budget reallocations, crew issues
• Reports back to the producer on day-to-day progress + variances
• Closes the production at wrap — final cost report, supplier reconciliation, paperwork

Position in the production

Reports directly to the producer. Has the Production Manager reporting in, the Production Coordinator under that, and the Production Accountant working in coordination (not strictly reporting-line, but tightly integrated).

The Line Producer is the highest BTL role — above them is the producer (ATL). HoDs across all other departments interact with the Line Producer for budget + scheduling questions and with the producer for creative + strategic questions.

Career progression

The SI Competency Framework places Line Producer at Level 5 — Leadership / HoD. Typical career path: Production Coordinator → Production Manager → Line Producer.

Established Line Producers often run several productions in parallel (sometimes overlapping prep / shoot / post phases on different projects). A first-time Line Producer typically has 5+ years as Production Manager on increasingly complex productions.

Working pattern

Freelance. Engaged for the full production cycle — typically prep + shoot + post. Day rates vary widely by production scale and producer track record. Often credited as an Executive Producer or Co-Producer on completed productions where they have brought significant value.

Related guild / professional body

• Production and Accounts Guild of Ireland (PAGI) — the relevant Irish guild for Production-department roles

How Togra supports this

Togra surfaces the full production-management toolkit — Cashflow + Budget Tool + Crew + Schedule + Cost Report + Filing Engagements — as a coherent stack for the Line Producer's day-to-day work. The Cost Report (running variance against the working budget) is the Line Producer's central dashboard.