The Line Producer supports the director’s vision and direct influence on the creative expression or narrative of the film,^[4] though it could be argued that through a line producer’s ability to influence certain aspects of the film, like allocation of resources to certain departments, he or she can change important aspects of the film that have creative consequences, e.g Production Value. For example, they can affect the project’s look by influencing the choice of filming locations.^[3] While the director is in charge of all purely artistic decisions, the line producer will help him or her to substantiate his or her creative ideas by taking care of logistics and related issues.^[5] From pre-production through principal photography, the line producer oversees the production budget and physical needs of the shoot. By the first day of production, several versions of the budget will have usually been drafted. A finalized or “locked” budget is the one used as the basis for the production to move forward. A key objective of a line producer is to respect this “locked” budget and to deliver in time.

While in production, the line producer oversees the execution of many decisions that must be made to deliver each day’s shoot. The administrative aspects, especially those that have any financial impact, are all crucial areas of the line producer’s work. These areas include but are not limited to negotiating compensation (usually during pre-production) of crew members (both for union and non-union productions) and resolving daily production issues (in conjunction with the first assistant director and possibly the unit production manager).^[6] Moreover, they provide demanded equipment. If required they will handle unanticipated scheduling changes and serve “as a liaison between the crew and the producer”.^[3]