Chapter 2 Working in the Television Production Industry
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fl oor manager: The
person who is the
director’s “eyes and
ears” in the studio. The
fl oor manager relays the
director’s commands to
the studio personnel.
Also commonly called
fl oor director.
the ranks within production teams in the industry. Most professionals in this
industry change companies 7 or 8 times within their fi rst 10 years of working.
Choosing to stay with one company comes with the risk of waiting years for
someone above you to retire, transfer to another company, or otherwise leave
the position. Although promotions do occur within companies, it is more likely
to happen when moving laterally from one company to another.
Production Note
Because changing companies is so common in the television
production industry, it is strongly recommended that you maintain
your own investment/retirement accounts. Starting an Individual
Retirement Account (IRA) right out of college is one of the smartest
and least expensive things you can do for your own future.
In addition to proven knowledge and skills, an important key to
employment in this industry is networking. Job openings in television pro-
duction are rarely found in the want ads of the local newspaper. Consider
the following scenario: Bill has been an assistant camera operator for a sig-
nificant amount of time at the XYZ Production Company. He feels he has
developed the skills to become a camera operator and wants to move up
to that position. However, there are three other people that hold the three
camera operator positions in the company, and none of them has indicated
a desire to retire or leave the company. Bill’s prospects of advancement at
his current company are slim, so he begins networking by telling virtually
everyone he knows in the industry that he is looking for a camera opera-
tor position. Eventually, someone who knows of an opening hears that a
talented guy is looking for a job as a camera operator. That person contacts
Bill through the network to let him know that he should apply for the posi-
tion. Nearly everyone in the industry maneuvers from job to job using this
networking technique, and most people are willing to help other profes-
sionals advance.
Floor Manager
The fl oor manager, or fl oor director, is the director ’s “eyes and ears”
in the studio. The fl oor manager wears a headset and relays the director ’s
commands to all studio personnel, except the camera operators. The cam-
era operators are usually in direct communication with the director via
their headset intercoms. The fl oor manager is the only person in the studio
who may say, “Cut,” other than the director. When the fl oor manager says,
“Cut,” it is usually because the director has instructed them to do so.
Production Note
In larger studios, the headset communication system
has multiple channels so that the director can speak just to the
camera operators, just to the fl oor manager, or to everyone
at once.