Have you ever wondered about the Hollywood terms in the credits at the end of your favorite TV show or film? Well, here are the people behind the scenes that you will likely see in every role of the credits.

Network:

These are the people who will be signing off on everything for the show, regardless of where in the country they are at. These are the guys that are paying for everything so even the production company will answer to them. With the network generally comes Standard & Practices along with lawyers. They’re there to check and make sure there’s nothing they can get sued over.

Executive Producer:

Often considered very confusing, this credit is sometimes the creator, sometimes not. There are even occasions an actor gets the credit as part of their signing. In addition they can be production company owners or network execs.

Co-Executive Producer:

Also dubbed the show’s creator and even considered an important member of the team from the production company. Credits are negotiated all the time and this is one of those that can be. Occasionally this is also given to someone who might be considered a Supervising Producer.

Line Producer:

These guys are generally at the head of insuring the show runs and stays in budget. They are usually set up to check time cards and negotiate what everyone’s salary is.

Supervising Producer:

This is a title normally reserved for those in charge of running the show daily and through all of the production stages. These will include pre, actual production and post. Occasionally they are called Co-Executive producer though not always vice versa. These are the guys in charge of production overall and delegation of control.

Senior Story Producer:

This is one of those titles that is often negotiated even for those not in a supervising position. In the best situations this position is in charge of a host of story producers to make sure that the story has consistent tone and structure. Without someone in this role either the Co-Executive Producer or the Executive Producer will take over these duties.

Story Producer:

Depending on the project this job can vary quite a bit. Generally speaking the job is made up of compressing any source material and creating outlines for the story to create a great and consistent story. Depending on the organization this position can come in anytime during production.

Field Producer:

Consider these your production front line. They will either work alone or occasionally with Story Producers as part of a larger team. More seasoned producers create a close working environment where the Field Producer acts as a connector that tempers out talent and story. Sometimes this position is termed the Producers.

Associate Producer/Co-Producer:

These are often considered the lowest ranking position. They the people taking care of the specific tasks from those further up in the hierarchy.

Assistant Story Editor/ Story Assist:

This position can be considered the organizer. They will help to insure the story can function and search for the right elements that will help to get the story told. They work closely with Transcribers and Loggers.

Loggers/Transcribers:

These are the people in charge of summarizing and reviewing to make the story easier to tell. It’s an important job working with transcriptions of interview content and can really make a difference in the time needed for production.

Serge Kozak writes advice and industry focused information on film production at edictive.com/blog.