Who Does What
Source:  http://www.cybercollege.org/tvp001.htm

The person who's generally in charge of the entire production is the producer.

He or she comes up with the program concept, lays out the budget for the production and makes the major decisions. This person is the chief honcho, the team leader, the person who works with the writers, decides on the key talent, hires the director, and guides the general direction of the production.

In smaller productions the producer will also take charge of more mundane things. And in small productions the director (to be discussed below) may also handle the producer's responsibilities. In this case the combined job title becomes (want to take a guess?) a producer-director.

Some productions may also have an associate producer who sets up schedules for the talent and crew, and who, in general, assists the producer throughout the production.

On a major production one of the producer's first jobs is to hire a writer so a script can be written (the document that tells everyone what to do, say, etc.). The script is sort of like a written plan or blueprint for the production.

The key talent for the production will normally be the next thing considered by a producer. In general, the talent includes actors, reporters, hosts, guests, and off-camera narrators—anyone whose voice is heard or who appears on camera. (With or without genuine talent, the talent is referred to as the talent, just in case you were wondering!)

Sometimes talent is broken down into three sub-categories: actors (who portray other people in dramatic productions), performers (who appear on camera in non-dramatic roles), and announcers (who generally don't appear on camera).

 In a large production the producer will be responsible for hiring a director. That's the person in charge of working out preproduction (before the production) details, coordinating the activities of the production staff and on-camera talent, working out camera and talent positions on the set, selecting the camera shots during the production, and supervising postproduction (after the production) work.

In other words, the director is the front line commander in charge of taking the script to the very end of the production process.

In addition to the specific duties and responsibilities, the director's job is to get the crew and talent to function as a team, and in the process bring out the best work of each person.

Any director worth the title can stay on top of things when the crew, talent, and equipment perform exactly as expected. But much of the value and respect that people place on directors depends on their ability to stay in control when, despite all the best-laid plans, things begin to fall apart.

A crew member or on-camera person may get sick, a key person may refuse to continue unless some special accommodation is made, a studio camera may go out, or a mic may suddenly fail. Vacillating, giving mixed signals, or not being able to make a decision at a crucial time can result in production paralysis.

In large-scale productions everyone is typically working under pressure. Directors must be able to control their own tension and anxiety—not an easy task when they have responsibility for everything—while being sensitive to the differing abilities and temperaments of talent and crew.

A heavy-handed approach with the wrong person can temporarily destroy that person's effectiveness and turn a bad situation into a disaster. Conversely, a mealy-mouthed approach that elicits no respect or leadership ability can be just as bad.

Assisting a director in the control room is typically a technical director who operates the video switcher. (A rather elaborate version is shown on the right.)

The technical director, or TD, is also responsible for coordinating the technical aspects of the production. By the way, it needs to be emphasized that the specific responsibilities of production personnel can vary widely, depending on the production facility.

One or more production assistants (PAs) may be hired to help the producer and director. Among other things, PAs keep notes on ongoing production needs and  changes.

Other people involved in the production include the lighting director (LD), who designs the lighting plan, arranges for the lighting equipment needed, and sets up and checks the lighting. As we'll see, lighting is a key element in the overall look of a production.

On some productions there will be a set designer, who, along with the producer and director, designs the set and supervise its  construction, painting, and installation.

Next, there may be a makeup person, who, with the help of makeup, hair spray, or whatever, sees that the talent looks their best (or their worst, if the script calls for that).

Major dramatic productions have a wardrobe person who's responsible for seeing that the actors have clothes that are appropriate to the story and script.

The audio director or audio technician arranges for the audio recording equipment, sets up and checks mics (microphones), monitors audio quality during the production, and then strikes (another production-type term meaning disassembles and, if necessary, removes) the audio recording equipment and accessories after the production is over. (Mics stands for microphones and, strangely enough, is pronounced mikes.)  

The microphone boom/grip operator watches rehearsals and decides on the proper mics and their placement for each scene. During an on-location (non-studio) shoot this person may need strong arms to hold the mic boom over the talent for long periods of time.

The video recorder operator arranges video recording equipment and accessories, sets up video recordings, performs recording checks, and monitors video quality.

In dramatic productions the continuity secretary (CS) carefully makes notes on scene and continuity details as each scene is shot to ensure that these details remain consistent between takes and scenes. As we will see later, this is a much more important job than you might think, especially in single-camera, on-location production. Once production concerns are taken care of the continuity secretary is responsible for releasing the actors after each scene or segment is shot.

The CG Operator (electronic character generator operator) programs (designs/types in) opening titles, subtitles, and closing credits into a computer-based device that inserts the text over the picture during the production.

Camera operators do more than just operate cameras. They typically help set up the cameras and ensure their technical quality, work with the director, lighting director, and audio technician in blocking (setting up) and shooting each shot. On a field (out of the studio, or on-location) production they may also arrange for camera equipment pickup and delivery.

Depending upon the production, there may be a floor manager or stage manager who's responsible for coordinating activities on the set. He or she may be assisted by one or more floor persons, or stagehands.

After shooting is completed, the editors use the video recordings to blend the segments together, and add music and audio effects to create the final product.

The importance of editing to the success of a production is far greater than most people realize. As we will see, an editor can make or break a production.