A chain of authority identifies who is entitled to instruct, approve or permit a particular action. In production it connects decisions to the people or organisations authorised to make them.
What it means in production
For example, a director may approve a performance while a producer or rights holder must approve a proposed reuse. Recording one decision does not imply the other has been made. The record should identify the decision, the material and version involved, the scope of the authority and any conditions. This is a working production term; it is not a substitute for chain-of-title review.
A useful question
Ask which decision or deliverable the term describes in your project, who is responsible for it and what record you will receive.
Written by Asa Bailey, director and founder of BAI-LEY.
Have a production in mind? Start an enquiry ↗