Production management for television

128 Pages·2009·2.025 MB·English

by  Leslie Mitchell

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Production Management
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12111 Production Management for Television provides an authoritative working
13 guide to this complex and increasingly important task. It is written for
14 those who wish to learn (or learn more) about the detailed and exacting
15 process of managing the creation of television programmes. It is an
16 invaluable resource for students and student productions, as well as those
17 at an early stage in a professional media career or wanting to set up their
18 own production company.
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Production Management for Television provides a reliable, factual and
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theoretical framework for an understanding of production management.
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It covers:
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23 • the main responsibilities of the Production Manager
24 • key skills needed by the Production Manager
25 • routine procedures
26 • appropriate paperwork and record keeping
27 • budgeting and sc heduling
28 • Health and Safety issues
29 • rights management
30 • career structure and development for Production Managers
31 • useful references and further information
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It is supported by a companion website at www.routledge.com/textbooks/
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9780415424813 where all the forms and spreadsheets discussed can be
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downloaded.
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Leslie Mitchell is Senior Teaching Fellow in the Department of Film,
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Media and Journalism at Stirling University. He has spent most of his
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career in various kinds of broadcasting from local and network radio, to
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regional and network television. He has worked on staff, as a freelance
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and as an independent producer. He is the author of Freelancing for
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Television and Radio (2005).
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Media Skills
SERIES EDITOR: RICHARD KEEBLE, LINCOLN UNIVERSITY
SERIES ADVISERS: WYNFORD HICKS AND JENNY MCKAY
The Media Skills series provides a concise and thorough introduction to
a rapidly changing media landscape. Each book is written by media and
journalism lecturers or experienced professionals and is a key resource
for a particular industry. Offering helpful advice and information and
using practical examples from print, broadcast and digital media, as well
as discussing ethical and regulatory issues, Media Skillsbooks are essential
guides for students and media professionals.
English for Journalists Subediting for Journalists
3rd edition Wynford Hicks and Tim Holmes
Wynford Hicks
Designing for Newspapers and
Writing for Journalists Magazines
2nd edition Chris Frost
Wynford Hicks with Sally Adams, Harriett
Gilbert and Tim Holmes Writing for Broadcast Journalists
Rick Thompson
Interviewing for Radio
Jim Beaman Freelancing for Television and Radio
Leslie Mitchell
Ethics for Journalists
2nd edition
Programme Making for Radio
Richard Keeble
Jim Beaman
Interviewing for Journalists
Magazine Production
2nd edition
Jason Whittaker
Sally Adams, with Wynford Hicks

Researching for Television and Radio Production Management for Television
Adèle Emm Leslie Mitchell
Reporting for Journalists Feature Writing for Journalists
Chris Frost Sharon Wheeler
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Production Management
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for Television
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22 Leslie Mitchell
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First published 2009
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2009.
“To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s
collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.”
© 2009 Leslie Mitchell
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or
other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying
and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Mitchell, Leslie, 1945–.
Production management for television / Leslie Mitchell.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Television—Production and direction. I. Title.
PN1992.75.M58 2009
791.4502′32—dc22 2008039575
ISBN 0-203-88091-9 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 10: 0–415–42465–8 (hbk)
ISBN 10: 0–415–42481–X (pbk)
ISBN 10: 0–203–88091–9 (ebk)
ISBN 13: 978–0–415–42465–3 (hbk)
ISBN 13: 978–0–415–42481–3 (pbk)
ISBN 13: 978–0–203–88091–3 (ebk)
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Contents
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12111 List of illustrations vii
13 Introduction ix
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Part I Production Managers 1
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1 What is production management? 3
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18 2 Production management as a career 10
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Part II Skills and techniques 21
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22 3 Managing time 23
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4 Creating and managing budgets 29
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25 5 Creating and managing schedules 47
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6 Managing Health and Safety 61
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28 7 Managing rights/compliance 71
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30 Part III Production management in action 89
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8 Pre-production 91
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33 9 Production 98
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10 Post-production 102
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37 Directory of agencies and organisations 105
38 Glossary 109
39 Further reading 111
40EE Index 112

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Illustrations
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12111 Figures
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14 4.1 Beginning a simple budget 35
15 4.2 A simple budget (production section) 36
16 4.3 A simple budget (post-production section) 40
17 4.4 A simple budget (the bottom line) 41
18 4.5 Budget reports 44
19 4.6 A sample purchase order form 45
20 5.1 A simple schedule outline 51
21 5.2 A more detailed schedule 53
22 5.3 Example of a script breakdown sheet 59
23 5.4 Script breakdown using Celtx 60
24 6.1 A simple risk assessment form 70
25 7.1 Simple release form (no fee) 78
26 7.2 Simple release form (for fee) 79
27 7.3 Basic music rep orting form 83
28 7.4 A more detailed music reporting form 84
29 7.5 Copyright logging form 86
30 8.1 Pre-production check-list 92
31 9.1 Production check-list 98
32 10.1 Post-production check-list 102
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Introduction
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12111 I have written this book with two sets of readers in mind. First, there are
13 those who are either at university or are engaged in the study of production
14 and practice in visual media for a variety of platforms, perhaps principally
15 for broadcast television. The second group consists of those already in
16 the industry, possibly working in smaller companies or institutions which
17 do not employ Production Managers as such, yet where the work of
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It is no accident that this book is entitled Production Management for
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Television rather than Production Managers for Television – the emphasis
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will remain clearly on the tasks; the work which requires to be done in
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the course of any television production if the production is to be concluded
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efficiently, safely, on-budget and observing relevant laws and contractual
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obligations. In many situations, these responsibilities will be carried out
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by someone called a Production Manager, while equally there are many
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situations where the work of production management will be done by
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others with an entirely different job title.
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29 That said, it is also the intention of this book to underline the importance
30 of the role of Production Manager, one which is largely ignored by
31 many of us who teach the practical elements of programme production.
32 I cannot remember a single instance where I have suggested to a student
33 or a recent graduate that they might do well to consider a career as a
34 Production Manager. By contrast, many such discussions have taken place
35 where the centre of attention has been on the other skills required in
36 modern media production; there is no lack of enthusiasm when
37 contemplating a career as a director, producer, sound recordist or editor,
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39 the profile of production management and Production Managers then it
40EE will have been worthwhile. It will have been even more valuable if it