# The Core Production Team: Who Runs a Film Set?

Source: https://storiara.com/blog/the-core-production-team-who-runs-a-film-set
Last updated: 2026-09-14
Author: Nick Harty, Storiara

> A film set is run by the producing team and the director. The line producer and unit production manager control money and logistics, the 1st AD runs the shooting day, the production coordinator runs the office, and the production accountant tracks every dollar. Department heads such as the DP, production designer, and location manager report to that core group.

This page is the starting point for our [roles directory](https://storiara.com/roles), which has a full page for each job. Here the goal is the shape of the whole team: who gets hired when, who signs what, and who calls whom when the day falls apart at 4:00 PM.

## Development comes before the crew

A project exists long before anyone books a grip truck. At a studio, a creative executive hears pitches and reads submissions from agents, managers, and producers, then decides whether to spend development money buying a script, a book, or an article. Creative executives also help pick directors and producers and give notes to writers through the drafts.

On an independent film there's usually no studio executive at this stage. The [producer](https://storiara.com/roles/producer) optioned the material, hired or partnered with the writer, and is out raising money. An [executive producer](https://storiara.com/roles/executive-producer) may have brought financing or a piece of talent that got the money to commit. A [co-producer](https://storiara.com/roles/co-producer) or [associate producer](https://storiara.com/roles/associate-producer) credit often goes to someone who did real work in development, though what those credits mean varies from film to film.

The [director](https://storiara.com/roles/director) usually attaches in development too, because cast and financiers want to know who's directing before they commit. The film gets its [greenlight](https://storiara.com/glossary/greenlight) once a budget, a schedule, and a cast package line up with the money. That's when the physical production team gets hired.

## The first hires after the greenlight

The first calls go to people who can turn a script into a budget and a schedule. On a typical independent feature, the order looks something like this:

| Hired | Role | First jobs |
|---|---|---|
| First | [Line producer](https://storiara.com/roles/line-producer) and/or [UPM](https://storiara.com/roles/unit-production-manager) | Budget pass, [shooting schedule](https://storiara.com/glossary/shooting-schedule) draft, deciding where to shoot |
| Right behind | [Production accountant](https://storiara.com/roles/production-accountant) | Bank accounts, payroll company, chart of accounts, cost report setup |
| Right behind | [Production coordinator](https://storiara.com/roles/production-coordinator) | Office space, phones, crew list, insurance certificates, vendor accounts |
| Early prep | [1st AD](https://storiara.com/roles/first-assistant-director) | [Script breakdown](https://storiara.com/glossary/script-breakdown), stripboard, prep calendar |
| Early prep | [Location manager](https://storiara.com/roles/location-manager), [production designer](https://storiara.com/roles/production-designer), [casting director](https://storiara.com/roles/casting-director) | Scouting, look and set list, casting sessions |
| Mid prep | [Director of photography](https://storiara.com/roles/director-of-photography), [costume designer](https://storiara.com/roles/costume-designer) | Camera package, tech scouts, fittings |
| Late prep | [2nd AD](https://storiara.com/roles/second-assistant-director), [gaffer](https://storiara.com/roles/gaffer), [key grip](https://storiara.com/roles/key-grip), [prop master](https://storiara.com/roles/prop-master), [production sound mixer](https://storiara.com/roles/production-sound-mixer) | Call sheet templates, lighting and rigging plans, prop lists |
| Final week or two | Most of the shooting crew | Truck prep, camera checkout, pre-rigging |

The exact weeks depend on the size of the show and the agreements it's under. A studio feature with a big build might have the production designer on for months, while a 20-day indie might start its designer six weeks out. Union agreements can also set prep minimums for some jobs, so read the agreement for your budget level before you write deal memos.

## Line producer, UPM, and production supervisor

These titles overlap, and on low-budget work one person often holds two of them. When the budget can afford all three, the split usually works like this.

The line producer owns the budget. They build it from the breakdown, defend it to the financiers, make the big deals (stages, equipment houses, payroll company), and decide where the contingency goes when a problem hits. They sign off on the weekly [cost report](https://storiara.com/glossary/cost-report) with the accountant.

The UPM runs the physical production inside that budget. They hire most of the crew, approve overtime and added equipment, negotiate with department heads over what's really needed, and sign the [daily production report](https://storiara.com/glossary/daily-production-report). A UPM on a DGA show is a DGA member, and the guild's Qualification Lists include a UPM category alongside the 1st and 2nd AD lists.

The [production supervisor](https://storiara.com/roles/production-supervisor) is a second pair of hands under the UPM, common on studio and series work. They chase the day-to-day: purchase orders, vendor problems, equipment returns, and the hundred decisions a UPM doesn't have time for.

A producer talking about "the line producer" on a $900,000 film probably means the person doing all three jobs.

## The production office

The office keeps the paperwork moving so the set doesn't have to think about it. The production coordinator runs it and reports to the UPM or line producer. Under the coordinator are the [assistant production coordinator](https://storiara.com/roles/assistant-production-coordinator), the [production secretary](https://storiara.com/roles/production-secretary), and [office PAs](https://storiara.com/roles/office-production-assistant). On shows with a lot of cast and crew travel, a [travel coordinator](https://storiara.com/roles/travel-coordinator) books flights and hotels.

A normal office day in prep might include:

- sending the crew list revision with three new hires and a changed phone number
- getting a [certificate of insurance](https://storiara.com/glossary/certificate-of-insurance) to a location owner who won't sign until they have it
- booking a flight for an actor starting work in nine days
- distributing script pages on blue revision paper to every department
- chasing start paperwork from crew who started Monday

During the shoot the office also receives the day's call sheet from the ADs, sends it out, and collects signed production reports, time cards, and camera and sound reports at wrap. In Los Angeles, production coordinators, assistant coordinators, and art department coordinators are among the crafts represented by IATSE Local 871, along with script supervisors and production accountants.

## Accounting

The production accountant is the financial controller of the show. They pay vendors, run payroll with the payroll company, manage petty cash, and produce the cost report, which compares what's been spent and committed with the budget and projects the final cost. The line producer and financiers read the cost report every week, and a completion guarantor reads it too if the film is bonded.

The accountant's most useful skill is estimating. Say the lead actor gets sick on Day 14 of a 24-day shoot and the company has to shut down for a day. The accountant needs an answer by lunch:

| Item | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Crew payroll for a lost day (35 people at an average $450 a day with fringes) | $15,750 |
| Equipment rental (camera, grip and electric packages on weekly rates, prorated) | $4,200 |
| Location fee for the day already paid, plus a rebooking fee | $3,500 |
| Cast carried on hold (4 day performers at their contract rate) | $3,000 |
| Catering minimum | $1,100 |
| **Estimated cost of the shutdown day** | **$27,550** |

The numbers above are illustrative, but the method is the one accountants use: list every cost that runs whether or not the camera rolls, then add the costs of moving the work. That gives the producers a figure to compare against an insurance claim or the contingency line. The [shutdown cost guide](https://storiara.com/blog/how-to-run-a-shutdown-cost-for-film-production) goes deeper on this. On bigger shows the accountant has an [assistant accountant](https://storiara.com/roles/assistant-accountant) handling payables and a [payroll accountant](https://storiara.com/roles/payroll-accountant) handling time cards.

## The assistant directors run the day

The 1st AD is the director's partner on set and the person who turns the director's wishes into a workable schedule. In prep, the 1st AD breaks down the script, builds the [stripboard](https://storiara.com/glossary/stripboard), and leads the production meeting where each department walks through every scene. During the shoot, the 1st AD calls the rehearsals, keeps the day moving, calls lunch, runs the safety meeting, and decides with the director and UPM what to drop when the day runs long.

The 2nd AD is the paperwork hub. They build the call sheet each afternoon, work out actors' call times around turnaround, track cast in and out times on [Exhibit G](https://storiara.com/glossary/exhibit-g), and draft the production report. The [2nd 2nd AD](https://storiara.com/roles/second-second-assistant-director) runs background and the set while the 2nd AD is at base camp. The [key set PA](https://storiara.com/roles/key-set-production-assistant) manages the [set PAs](https://storiara.com/roles/set-production-assistant), who lock up the set, run walkies, and move people.

Here is how that team's paperwork lines up on one shoot day:

| Time | Who | Document |
|---|---|---|
| Prior afternoon | 2nd AD | Call sheet drafted, approved by 1st AD and UPM, sent by the office |
| 6:00 AM | Key set PA | Crew sign-in and walkie distribution |
| 6:30 AM | 1st AD | Safety meeting, noted on the production report |
| All day | 2nd 2nd AD, set PAs | Cast times, meal times, background counts |
| Wrap | Cast, 2nd AD | Exhibit G signed by each performer |
| After wrap | 2nd AD, UPM | Production report drafted, then signed by the UPM |

On a DGA show, the director, UPM, 1st AD, and 2nd ADs are all DGA. The guild's rate cards also cover associate directors and stage managers, which matter mostly on multi-camera television.

## Department heads and who they answer to

Most of the crew works for a department head, and each department head works with a specific member of the core team. Creative calls go to the director, and budget and logistics calls go to the UPM.

| Department head | Works creatively with | Answers on money and logistics to | Runs |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Director of photography](https://storiara.com/roles/director-of-photography) | Director | UPM | Camera, electric, and grip through the [gaffer](https://storiara.com/roles/gaffer) and key grip |
| [Production designer](https://storiara.com/roles/production-designer) | Director, DP | UPM, line producer | [Art director](https://storiara.com/roles/art-director), [set decorator](https://storiara.com/roles/set-decorator), [prop master](https://storiara.com/roles/prop-master), construction |
| [Costume designer](https://storiara.com/roles/costume-designer) | Director, actors | UPM | [Costume supervisor](https://storiara.com/roles/costume-supervisor), costumers |
| [Location manager](https://storiara.com/roles/location-manager) | Director, production designer | UPM | [Assistant location managers](https://storiara.com/roles/assistant-location-manager), scouts |
| [Casting director](https://storiara.com/roles/casting-director) | Director, producers | Producers | [Casting associates](https://storiara.com/roles/casting-associate), [extras casting](https://storiara.com/roles/extras-casting-director) |
| [Production sound mixer](https://storiara.com/roles/production-sound-mixer) | Director | UPM | [Boom operator](https://storiara.com/roles/boom-operator), [sound utility](https://storiara.com/roles/sound-utility) |
| [Transportation coordinator](https://storiara.com/roles/transportation-coordinator) | 1st AD on company moves | UPM | [Transportation captain](https://storiara.com/roles/transportation-captain), [drivers](https://storiara.com/roles/driver) |
| [Script supervisor](https://storiara.com/roles/script-supervisor) | Director, editor | UPM | Works alone |

A few relationships in that table catch newer producers out. The script supervisor is technically in production's orbit but spends the day at the director's side and sends notes straight to the [editor](https://storiara.com/roles/editor). The location manager has two bosses in practice: the director and designer want the perfect house, and the UPM wants the one with parking for the trucks. And the DP, who is a department head, depends on the gaffer and key grip to turn a lighting plan into a crew call and an equipment order.

## Where the unions sit in the core team

The union map follows these roles closely. The DGA covers the director, UPM, and ADs. In Hollywood, IATSE Local 871 represents production coordinators, assistant coordinators, script supervisors, production accountants, and payroll accountants. The Art Directors Guild, IATSE Local 800, represents production designers, art directors, set designers, illustrators, and graphic artists. Teamsters Local 399 represents drivers, location professionals, and casting professionals in Hollywood and New Mexico.

Getting into many of the Los Angeles IATSE crafts runs through Contract Services' Industry Experience Roster, which requires documented work experience in the classification and two preliminary courses: general production safety and harassment prevention training. The DGA path for ADs goes through the Qualification Lists, split into a Southern California list, a Third Area list, a New York list, and separate commercial lists. The [union guide](https://storiara.com/blog/navigating-film-unions-a-guide-to-the-dga-sag-aftra-and-iatse) covers how those agreements shape a budget.

## When the team is small

On a $150,000 feature, the org chart compresses. A realistic crew might have one producer doing the line producer and UPM jobs, a coordinator who also does payroll entry, a 1st AD who writes the call sheet, and a single 2nd AD who handles cast, background, and the production report. The work doesn't go away. Somebody still has to build the cost report, get the insurance certificate to the location, and get signatures at wrap.

Two things tend to go missing first on small shows. The first is the cost report, because nobody is assigned to it and the producer is too busy to write one. The second is the production report, because the 2nd AD is also running background and there's no PA to keep times. Those are the two documents you need most when the money runs short or something goes wrong on the day. Assign them to a named person on the [crew list](https://storiara.com/glossary/crew-list) before prep starts.

For deeper dives, start with the pages for the [line producer](https://storiara.com/roles/line-producer), [UPM](https://storiara.com/roles/unit-production-manager), and [1st AD](https://storiara.com/roles/first-assistant-director), since those three shape every other job on the list. The [how to hire a film crew](https://storiara.com/blog/how-to-hire-a-film-crew) guide covers finding and booking people, and [crew deal memos](https://storiara.com/blog/crew-deal-memos) covers the paperwork that locks in each hire.

## Setting up the team in Storiara

Storiara lets a project owner invite collaborators and give each one a role: Admin, Producer/Manager, Assistant Director/Editor, Cinematographer, Department Head, Accountant, or a Custom role that picks individual modules. Roles control whether someone can see or edit the budget, which is useful when a department head needs the schedule and call sheets but not the cost numbers. The Producer plan is $39.99 a month and includes the owner, with each additional collaborator at $19.99 a month.

## Frequently asked questions

### Who is in charge on a film set?

The director is in charge of what gets shot and how. The 1st AD runs the set minute to minute, and the UPM or line producer has authority over money, overtime, and logistics. When the three disagree, the producer settles it.

### What is the difference between a line producer and a UPM?

On many independent films one person does both jobs. When they're separate, the line producer owns the budget and the deal-making above the day-to-day, and the UPM runs the physical production: crew hiring, equipment, locations, and signing off on the daily production report.

### In what order is a film crew hired?

Producers and the director come first, then the line producer or UPM, the production accountant, and the production coordinator. The 1st AD, location manager, production designer, DP, and casting director follow in prep. Most of the shooting crew starts in the last one to three weeks before day one.

### Which union covers assistant directors and UPMs?

The Directors Guild of America. DGA signatory employers give preference of employment to people on the DGA Qualification Lists for UPM, 1st AD, and 2nd AD work, which are kept by DGA Contract Administration.

### Who does the production coordinator report to?

The UPM or line producer. The coordinator runs the production office with an assistant coordinator, a production secretary, and office PAs, and handles travel, shipping, crew lists, and distribution of paperwork.

## Sources

- [DGA Contract Administration: Qualification Lists](https://www.dga.org/employers/qualificationlists)
- [DGA Rate Cards 2026 to 2027 (classifications covered)](https://www.dga.org/Contracts/Rates-2026-to-2027)
- [IATSE Local 871: About us (crafts represented)](https://www.ialocal871.org/about-us)
- [Art Directors Guild, IATSE Local 800: crafts represented](https://adg.org/the-guild/represented-by-iatse/)
- [Teamsters Local 399: home page (crafts represented)](https://www.ht399.org/)
- [Contract Services: Industry Experience Roster](https://www.csatf.org/rosters-lists/industry-experience-roster/)