Making a movie is much like running a business, but more accurately relatable to going to war. If a general were ever to lose command of his troops, the war would almost certainly end in the opposition’s favor. Filmmaking is a similar situation, though the opposition is no tangible entity, rather defeat and its ever-unpleasant consequences.
Respect the Rules of Above and Below the Line
There is no more recognizable a fact than the understanding that men and women in position of power will almost certainly retain an ego suitably matching their business prowess. This power must be respected and earned at cost of filmmaking failure.
Above the line positions are held in high regard and are single handedly accountable for the production’s success. That is not to say that they’re the working force of the production, far from it. This means that should anything go wrong or should a production fail, then these members will be held responsible for any given film’s lack of success. As such, those who retain the following titles must understand thoroughly the tasks involved and must adhere to the responsibility that accompanies it.
The above the line positions are as follows: Producer, Director, Writer, and Actors. That is it. This short list is the guiding force of the film. These people will shape the film’s creation and it’s direction, however, all below the line crew will carry out most all actual production work.
Above the Line Positions and Tasks
The producer is a category broken down into two subcategories, executive producers and producers.
Executive producers are for the most part the money. They pay for the film and own most likely a majority of the film or put the initial stages of production into motion, that is to say find the script, the financing, the other above the line positions, and organize these individuals into an initial team to begin the development process for a production. Executive producers are almost always heads of production and are not contested by anyone else.
Producers are considered the shot callers of a production. The producer gives most orders that come down the line with permission from the executive producer in some form or another. The producer is in charge of finding the lead crew and staff positions so that a chain of command is created. No one short of the executive producer can delegate work to a producer. If a producer is contested and orders are either changed or disregarded by lower positions, the production will almost always suffer. The producer’s secondary, and most important job is to maintain this order. If tasks are not being carried out to the letter, the producer must implement some sort of consequence to the faulting party in order to establish order once more.
The director is next in the chain of command. The director is the lead position in charge of all on set matters. While the director’s most commonly known task is to break a script down into individual shots and carry them out on set with a camera crew while directing the actors, this person must also be a chief organizer of his cast and crew. If anything goes wrong on set, it is up to the Director to maintain it with help from the assistant director.
Writers and actors are above the line due to their importance in the creation of a film, but hold little delegating. Where these two positions hold their power is in the creative process. It is ultimately up to the script to tell the base story that drives audience members to the theaters. The actors deliver emotion to celluloid, a very difficult task. It is important to appease these members, however, they must never be given enough power to hinder a production’s chain of command.
Below the Line Positions and Tasks
Below the line positions are every single other position related to a film’s production. This not only includes the entire camera team, editing team, gaffing crew, grip crew, but includes craft service, truck drivers, and other commonly unnoticed positions.
Below the line crew will carry out every task the film needs. While above the line positions are highly coveted, they offer little tangible to a production. Actors talk, writers write, directors delegate, producers organize, executive producers pay, but not one position physically does anything. Below the line crew bring the equipment to set, assemble sets, deliver, develop, feed crew, light scenes, film, transport people, stop traffic, edit, and will ultimately carry out thousands of jobs necessary to making a film. That is why it is commonly understood that a director’s tool is his crew.
Final Word on Film Industry Hierarchy
Above the line crew must put vanity aside and realize that art is not the primary goal of a film, for without working order, it won’t matter how great the vision is if the film never gets made. Delegate work to those that will make the film and maintain order at all costs. As soon as orders go unnoticed and below the line crew takes matters into their own hands, the production will certainly unravel.
The same goes to below the line crew. Understand that the tasks are being given, and these tasks are not contestable. Below the line crew may in certain instances be able to advise on alternatives, but ultimately, all orders must be carried out without contestation. It is important to note this also includes hierarchy in subcategories. For example, a cinematographer will direct the first assistant camera, who in turn will direct the second assistant camera, and so on.
So long as the hierarchy is respected, every member of the production team can focus on the creative side of filmmaking, which is ultimately the greatest appeal to film production.
Kaniel Loughran - I am the managing member of The Loughran Consulting Group based in NYC. While information generally comes at a cost, I believe some ...
