PRODUCTION TIPS: 10 Ways Directors MUST Think like a Line Producer
The no-to-low budget director is a man of many hats and throughout the production, the director will, at different times and simultaneously, wear the writer's cap, the executive producer's top hat, the director's beret, the line producer's helmet, the editor's hood... hell maybe even the caterer's toque. This is simply a reflection of how a no-to-low budget forces one to do more with less and so the director becomes a hybrid doing many of the most important jobs on the set by himself. In an otherwise standard or big budget production, the director would pass the head gear to someone else who can devote all their attention to that specific job at hand. One of the most important jobs that a director MUST perform with a no-to-low budget production is the job of the line producer. In fact, even when he can delegate to someone else, the director would still benefit from wearing the line producer's helmet. It's easy to imagine the line producer wear