Chain of Command

In studio production - like most forms of professional creative productions, everyone always knows whose their boss. This is important in production as time can be wasted by trying to figure out who you should listen to and who you should ignore, but it is essential in studio production because no one has any time to work out power struggles that occur in less well organized human endeavors as different people seek to gain power.

Visitors to a studio production will often comment on how everyone seems to have a job and know when and how to do it and that all of the orders and commands flying around makes the studio look like an episode of Star Trek. In fact, this is a keen observation since many of the people who invented television studio production techniques were veterans of World War Two and saw what it took to make a Navy or Merchant ship move and adopted the same principals to the television studio.

In learning studio production, many students entering the studio for the first time have never been in a situation where they are set into a definite chain of command, and where they have a very precise responsibility that is theirs, and their alone to accomplish. Most students have also never been required to participate in a live event where they have to make choices with only seconds warning, and those choices must always be right. For that reason it is important to break down a chain of command and stress that it exists and will be used in a production.

The chain of command is:

Level One: The Executive Producer

Everyone is here because the Executive Producer hired us, so this is the top dog. A good executive producer works behind the scenes and never interferes in the creative process either above or below the line. Like all producers, the Executive should have contributed the most before the director yells "roll video." Executive Producers have a staff of production assistants and Associate Producers to help them get the job done, but like any staff position these people are not in the chain of command.

 

Level Two: The Producer

The Producer is the person who hires all of the people below the line, and makes sure that they have schedules, equipment, scripts, and the like. This makes them the second-in command on any show, and the first in command when it comes to the creative aspects of the show developed before the director yells "roll video." As a rule of thumb, the Producer who tries to backseat drive for a Director is going to make a poor video product. If the Director is not capable of doing their job, then the Producer and Executive should neve have hired them. During a show the Producer becomes the problem solver that takes the worry of issues outside the studio off the Director's shoulders. Producers will have Assistant Producers acting as staff assistants, but these people are not in the chain of command. During an actual show a good Producer will often serve as a third supervisor under a Director handling issues of script, talent, and coordination of issues outside of the studio. In essence the Producer becomes a third Level Four leader to takes some of the burden off the Director, who has to lead in "real time."

 

Level Three: The Director

The Director makes the show. They get handed the tools by the Producer and Executive Producer, and are handed the basic concept of the show, but it is their job to make concept a reality. A good director is given control of the entire production once the show starts, but they should be ready to hear the input on content and direction offered by the Producer. The Director is the voice of the diety in the studio, but they cannot do it alone, so a good Director leaves considerable open space for the people under them to work. In studio production the Director has staff members that lead crews (Art Director, Lighting Director, Key Grip, and Lead Engineer) that will be in the chain of command during set-up for production. The Director is the "real time leader" meaning that choices are made rapidly often without a lot of time to sit and reflect.

 

Level Four: Floor Director, Technical Director

The Director cannot be in two places at once, so they rely on two leaders to control the two rooms they have to move between: the Floor Director, who supervises the Studio, and the Technical Director, who supervises the Control Room. Before a show a smart director allows these people to have maximum input in how the show will be made. Level Four leadership must often get along with Level Three staff, such as when the Floor Director must interact with the Lighting Director. Level Three staff must appreciate the leadership roles of these two people, while the Level Four leaders must make a strong effort to make sure that these staff members can get their jobs done in a timely and efficient fashion.

 

Level Five: The Crew

Each crew member is assigned a job that outlines what they should do, and who they should listen to. A smart crew member will know who their boss is, who the boss of their boss is, and what their own job is. Some jobs, such as set construction, cleaning the studio, and lighting, are shared amongst all crew members before a show starts (at least in non-union studios) which means a good crew member has very little time to simply stand around. A crew person should be ready to respond to requests of Level One to Level Four management no matter what (although it is rare to have Level One and Two management give direct commands to crew to avoid confusion, most commands will be directed through the Level Three or Four leadership). They should also be on the lookout for other work to assist in when they are not required to be doing their own job.