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TV or film production manager
Production managers take care of the business, financial and recruitment side of film and television productions.
Average salary (a year)
£0
Starter
£0
Experienced
Typical hours (a week)
38.0 to 40.0 hours
variable
Work Hours
freelance / self-employed
away from home
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You can get into this job through:a university course; a college course; an apprenticeship; working towards this role; a broadcaster's training scheme
University
You could do a degree in media production before joining a production company.
You'll find it helpful to take a course that includes the technical side of production, work placements and the chance to make industry contacts.
You'll also need a strong knowledge of business and finance management.
Entry requirements
- 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
More Information
equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
student finance for fees and living costs|https://www.gov.uk/student-finance
university courses and entry requirements|https://www.ucas.com/
College
You could do a college course which may help you to get a job with a media company. With experience, you could then move on to work in production management. Courses include
Level 3 Diploma in Creative Media Production, Level 3 Diploma in Film and Television Production, T Level in Media, Broadcast and Production
Level 3 Diploma in Creative Media Production, Level 3 Diploma in Film and Television Production, T Level in Media, Broadcast and Production
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T Level
More Information
equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
guide to T Levels|https://www.tlevels.gov.uk/
funding advice|https://www.gov.uk/further-education-courses/financial-help
search for courses|/find-a-course
Apprenticeship
You may be able to do a media production coordinator higher apprenticeship, or a creative industries production management degree apprenticeship. You'll usually need experience in production management or production accounting to do the degree apprenticeship.
You could also start out by doing a broadcast production assistant advanced apprenticeship and then work your way up to management level as your experience grows.
Entry requirements
To get onto an apprenticeship, you'll find it useful to have:
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a degree apprenticeship
- 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
More Information
equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
higher and degree apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-and-degree-apprenticeships
guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide
Work
You could start as a runner or an assistant in the production office, then move on to become a production co-ordinator or assistant production manager. You could also start as a trainee production accountant.
Another option is to go from a job as a runner to 3rd, 2nd and 1st assistant director, or from assistant TV floor manager, then to floor manager or location manager.
Volunteering
You'll need a lot of experience in TV or film, and an in-depth understanding of the production process to get into this job. Your experience and track record will often be more important than formal qualifications.
You can search for film and TV companies to approach for experience through media business listing services like PACT and The Knowledge.
Having a network of contacts in the industry will help you to find work.
Other Routes
You may be able to get training through one of the new entrant training schemes that broadcasters and film bodies offer. For example:BBC trainee schemes, Channel 4 training scheme, ITV Careers, BFI
You could also take short courses in production skills run by film schools, regional screen agencies and private training providers.
More Information
Career Tips
You may find it helpful to have accounting skills and qualifications because of the budget management work involved with this job.
Professional And Industry Bodies
You could join The Production Guild for professional recognition, training opportunities and to make industry contacts.
Further Information
You can find out more about working in production management from ScreenSkills and Discover Creative Careers.
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
Knowledge of media production and communication
The ability to organise your time and workload
Excellent written communication skills
Leadership skills
To be thorough and pay attention to detail
The ability to use your initiative
To be flexible and open to change
Patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
Digital Skills Level
to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
Related Restrictions
have a first aid certificate
Day to day tasks
During the planning stages of a production, you may
work with the producer and senior production staff, draw up a production schedule and budget, negotiate costs with suppliers, hire crew and contractors, approve bookings of resources, locations, equipment and supplies, arrange permissions and risk assessments, manage a production office team
work with the producer and senior production staff, draw up a production schedule and budget, negotiate costs with suppliers, hire crew and contractors, approve bookings of resources, locations, equipment and supplies, arrange permissions and risk assessments, manage a production office team
During filming, you could
make sure the production runs to schedule, control and monitor production spending, report on progress to the producers, deal with any problems during filming, make changes to the schedule or budget, like rescheduling filming in bad weather, make sure that health and safety rules, insurance terms, copyright laws and union agreements are followed
make sure the production runs to schedule, control and monitor production spending, report on progress to the producers, deal with any problems during filming, make changes to the schedule or budget, like rescheduling filming in bad weather, make sure that health and safety rules, insurance terms, copyright laws and union agreements are followed
Working environment
You could work at a film studio, on a film set, in an office or at a TV studio.
Your working environment may be outdoors some of the time and you may spend nights away from home.
You could work on freelance contracts for television broadcasters or independent production companies and negotiate better fees based on your experience and reputation.
You could open your own studio or move into working as an executive producer, where you'll be responsible for several productions at once.
Job profile data provided by The National Careers Service.
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