Schedule Your Headaches

There is something about coming up with a schedule for a production that really sticks in people's craw. They think of scheduling as finding dates that work for filming and leaving it at that. However, there is so much more to it than just a few 12-hour days where everyone should know their lines and should be on time, and where every piece of equipment should work.

Consider the terms:

• pre-production

• production

• post-production

Each of these is so important to the process that you can't take one of these steps out and have any production whatsoever. In fact, I'd argue that pre-production is the most important part of the entire list.

In the pre-production process (say that three times fast), producers try and put everything in order. Who is doing what? Where are things happening? etc. But in all of this, there is constant scheduling. When will we meet? How can we get time at the location? Can the person with the most bandwidth find a weekend to locate an Airbnb where everyone can stay?

What do all these have in common? TIME. Time is such an important commodity when it comes to making films and TV. This is because it is so finite. On a typical production, the term "time is money" is no joke. Everything costs. Just to have the use of a certain camera could mean thousands of dollars for every day it is in use. So the fact is that you need to get things in the right order and understand how you are scheduling your time.

There are two people who are the most important when it comes to production time.

• Line Producer

• Assistant Director

A Line Producer is the person who manages the day-to-day operations of a film or TV production. They create and control the budget, organize the schedule, hire crew, and handle logistics to make sure filming runs smoothly, stays on time, and doesn’t go over budget. They’re essentially the practical problem-solver who turns the producer’s plan into reality.

An Assistant Director (AD) is responsible for coordinating the on-set workflow and keeping the production running smoothly during filming. They create the shooting schedule, manage the cast and crew’s movements, communicate instructions from the director, and ensure scenes are filmed efficiently. The AD keeps the set organized, safe, and on time.

The Trial of Margaret Stone does not have a line producer simply because it is a small enough project that Jason has taken on much of this role. However, on the day, Julia will be his AD (as well as Josh Baxter when she cannot be there), and she has the exact personality to make it happen. An AD must be ready to be a field general for the director. the last line of defense so that people don't ask Jason a million questions. They go through her. That allows Jason to use his TIME wisely and not have to worry about anything else around him.

We have a team that has timing down to a science, and we plan on using that time to create the best possible show we can.