You may be the only person in charge of making and managing the Plan for your student film, or you may have help from friends, fellow students, family members, or even complete strangers eager to get experience. No matter what, production management tasks are plentiful at all levels of filmmaking, and strategies for dealing with them must be put into place. These tasks include creating and updating the aforementioned schedule and budget; managing the day-to-day logistical matters related to acquiring and moving cast, crew, and equipment from one location to the next; feeding people and getting expenses paid; solving problems as they arise; managing money; and answering to your professors or investors, if there are any.

In the professional world, these activities are handled by a seasoned production management team, which can include any number of producers who handle various executive, financial, management, or logistical tasks, in collaboration with more hands-on department heads on a day-to-day basis. As we discussed in Chapter 1, the lead producer is the ultimate manager and decision maker on a movie project, and on student projects, that person is you, no matter how you divide up the work or whom you bring in to collaborate with you. But from a basic, nuts-and-bolts, daily-grind point of view, the most crucial management authority on the production will be the unit production manager, or UPM, sometimes called the line producer or co-producer, although these exact titles have more rigid and official (and not always identical) meanings on professional productions and across different mediums, such as film as compared to television. This is because of how they are classified as union jobs by the Directors Guild of America. On union shows, the line producer will likely be more involved in creative matters, such as casting, actor contracts, and script changes, whereas the UPM will stay focused largely on physical production issues: crew hiring, transportation, permits, scouting, business matters, schedules, budgets, department heads, and so forth. For the student work you are doing right now, these job distinctions are not a significant concern, as they will likely be melded into a single position or split up based simply on what is feasible with few resources, but you should be aware such distinctions exist as you advance in your film career.

In terms of basic duties, the UPM is the chief strategist/problem solver when it comes to day-to-day production management work. The person handling those duties will carry ultimate responsibility for making sure the project is completed on time and on budget. You will likely be handling this job as well on most of your early student films, but you might eventually bring in others to assist you on some or all of the UPM’s responsibilities—either formally or informally. But no matter how you split up the work, among the UPM’s responsibilities will be the following:

The UPM must balance the intersection between money and the creative vision during production. Thus, a UPM not only needs to be proactive and anticipate problems before they arise, and then be ready with a contingency plan when they do, but also needs to know when and where to compromise. The job requires excellent communication skills, a gift for multitasking, and the conciliatory approach of a diplomat embarking on an international peace treaty when faced with issues that can arise between the creative team and the crew (see Business Smarts: Business, Insurance, and Legal Requirements, below).

Typically, the UPM is too busy handling business matters, filling out paperwork, pondering upcoming logistical challenges, or dealing with problems or crises off-site to manage moment-by-moment affairs during production. On professional films, that job therefore falls to the assistant directors, with the first assistant director (first AD) serving as “the general on set,” according to Tim Moore, and often two second assistant directors directly below the first AD. As discussed in Chapter 3: Directing, the assistant directors track each day’s shooting schedule against the production schedule; prepare daily call sheets; and ensure that the set is running smoothly, moving the director and crew into all the setups planned for the day, with actors and crew positioned according to your plan and needs.

Again, you likely won’t be hiring a team of people this extensive and structured for your student project, but even with limited resources, it’s always a good idea to get help when you can, particularly where the business and management side of the project is concerned. Filmmaking is, after all, a collaborative art. You have to be honest about your strengths and weaknesses. If you do not have much business experience or are not an organized person, challenge yourself to find help filling in those gaps. As Jon Gunn advises, “If you know someone who is well organized, detail oriented, good at negotiating, or who has experience planning events, they could be very helpful on an independent film. A parent or family friend or neighbor might be able to arrange food or parking or negotiate for a location. There are a lot of tasks to be handled, and there are undoubtedly people you know who would be willing to help you, so don’t be afraid to ask.”

Network through this class, your professor, your film department, your school, your friends and family, and be aggressive about reading industry trade publications and going to industry events, trade shows, screenings, and panel discussions, where you can meet people, ask questions, and seek advice. It doesn’t matter if these people have any previous experience or involvement in the film world. What matters is their skill set and whether or not you think they can help you manage your project.