WHAT DOES ABOVE THE LINE MEAN IN FILM? (In the Entertainment industry.)

Above Below the Line in Film / Photo Credit: Slideshare

WHAT DOES ABOVE THE LINE MEAN IN FILM? (In the Entertainment industry.)         

Bruce Bisbey…please follow me at: https://dumbdogproductionsllc.blogspot.com or https://www.facebook.com/DumbDogProductionsLLC/ thank you.

What does above the line mean in film?

Above-the-line is a term that refers to the list of individuals who guide, influence and hopefully add to the creative direction, process and voice of a given narrative in a film and their related expenditures. These roles include but are not limited to the screenwriter, producer, director, casting director and actors.

Often, the term is used for matters related to the film's production budget. Above-the-line expenditures reflect the expected line item compensation for an official above-the-line member's role in a given film project. These expenditures are usually set, negotiated, spent and/or promised before principal photography begins. They include rights to secure the material on which the screenplay is based, production rights to the screenplay, compensation for the screenwriter, producer, director, principal actors and other cost-related line items such as assistants for the producers, director or actors.

The distinction originates from the early studio days when the budget top-sheet would literally have a line separating the above-the-line and below-the-line costs. The terms comes from the top sheet of a film budget plan used by production companies to determine how much a film would cost. Production companies would list the crew and cast on paper with how much their wages are. The above the line workers were considered essential to the film, the below the line workers were considered replaceable. Above the line workers’ wages are fixed costs. E.g. If a scene is cut in a film the screenwriter is still paid the same amount regardless.

Sources, References & Credits: Google, Wikipedia, Wikihow, WikiBooks, Pinterest, IMDB, Linked In, Indie Wire, Film Making Stuff, Hiive, Film Daily, New York Film Academy, The Balance, Careers Hub, The Numbers, Film Maker, TV Guide Magazine, Blurb, Media Match, Quora, Creative Skill Set, Chron, Investopedia, Variety, No Film School, WGA, BBC, Daily Variety, The Film Agency, Best Sample Resume, How Stuff Works, Career Trend, Producer's Code of Credits, Truity, Production Hub, Producers Guild of America, Film Connection, Variety, Wolf Crow, Get In Media, Production Beast, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros, UCAS, Frankenbite, Realty 101, Careers Hub, Screen Play Scripts, Script Doctor, ASCAP, Film Independent, Any Possibility, Ethan Laughman, CTLsites,

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Above Below the Line in Film / Photo Credit: Slideshare