ABSTRACT
Few people grow up with the goal of becoming a motion picture production manager or a line producer. The production manager sets the mood of the overall production and often serves as a go-between to restore balance and common sense if necessary. This business being what it is, this personal quality might be called upon more often than can be imagined. The production manager's work gives a production the necessary structure within which the director and other artists and craftsmen can create their visions. The Directors Guild of America (DGA) has a very precise job description for the position of production manager. In reality, though, the areas of authority often become hazy, particularly in the field of independent nonunion production. The job titles, also, may become indistinct. Virtually the same position might carry the title production manager (PM), unit production manager (UPM), line producer, or producer.
