How to Become a Line Producer
A line producer’s role is very important in television and movie production. A line producer is generally responsible for maintaining accounts and making sure that all the money involved in the production is allocated effectively. Despite this, the job description set for line producers can vary greatly from organization to organization and production to production.
Creativity is one of the most important skills that every organization wants to see in their its producers. However, in order to find work and become a line producer at an organization or a TV channel, you should have some production experience.
Instructions
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You need to gain accounting experience in order to be eligible for a job at a production company or television channel. Since the main job of a line producer is to maintain a production's accounts, employers typically require candidates to have expertise in financial planning, financial management and basic accounting. If you can get a bachelor’s degree in accounting, you can set a strong base for your career. However, you can also enroll in short courses that are specially designed for line producers and teach accounting practices related to this field. Another role that a line producer is expected to take over is allocation of budget. Since setting the proper budget is crucial for a successful production, the line manager needs to be able to make the right decisions.
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Attend a film school to boost your knowledge and learn technical skills required to become a line producer. Film schools are not like traditional educational institutes and provide specially designed courses for people interested in film making, production, direction, photography and other art-related fields. By taking up a course at a recognized film school, you will learn skills like production-specific budget-making. In addition to that, you can also get a graduate degree from a film school. There are several state-run colleges and universities offering degree programs in production and film making.
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Work as an internee at a television channel or a media house. Since film production is complicated and finding work as a professional will be almost impossible for a newbie. The best option is to work as an internee at a small scale production company and work your way up.
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Start as a production assistant at an organization and rise through the ranks to become a line producer. Most professional line producers typically start off by working as production assistants.
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Once you have gained enough experience as a production assistant and your resume is strong enough to attract employers, you can try applying for line producer positions in bigger media houses.
