Motion Picture and Video Production
Description
Motion picture and video production establishments create visual content for a wide range of platforms, from theatrical releases to digital streaming. These entities handle every stage of the creative process, including scriptwriting, casting, pre-production planning, filming, post-production editing, sound mixing, and color grading. Many facilities also manage the distribution of finished products, ensuring they reach audiences through various channels. Operators range from independent film studios with tight budgets to major entertainment conglomerates that manage thousands of titles and employees. Some companies focus exclusively on television series and commercials, while others specialize in documentary filmmaking or educational content. The scope of operations varies greatly, with smaller businesses often serving local markets or niche audiences, whereas large corporations produce blockbuster films and global entertainment franchises. Key business activities include securing financing, negotiating contracts, managing logistics on set, coordinating art departments and special effects, and overseeing marketing campaigns. These establishments rely heavily on skilled labor such as directors, cinematographers, editors, and sound engineers. The industry continues to evolve as new technologies allow for more immersive storytelling and remote production capabilities. Ultimately, these organizations serve as the primary engines for visual storytelling in the modern media landscape, driving cultural trends and economic value through the creation and dissemination of compelling visual narratives.
Hierarchy
| Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Information 2-digit sector | The Sector as a Whole The Information sector comprises establishments engaged in the following processes: (a) producing and distributing information and cultural products, (b) providing the means to transmit or distribute these products as well as data or communications, and (c) processing data. The main components of this sector are motion picture and sound recording industries; publishing industries, including software publishing; broadcasting and content providers; telecommunications industries; computing infrastructure providers, data processing, Web hosting, and related services; and Web search portals, libraries, archives, and other information services. The unique characteristics of information and cultural products, and of the processes involved in their production and distribution, distinguish the Information sector from the goods-producing and service-producing sectors. Some of these characteristics are: 1. Unlike traditional goods, an ''information or cultural product,'' such as an online newspaper or a television program, does not necessarily have tangible qualities, nor is it necessarily associated with a particular form. A movie can be viewed at a movie theater or through television broadcast, video-on-demand, or streaming services. A sound recording can be aired on radio, embedded in multimedia products, streamed, or sold at a record store. 2. Unlike traditional services, the delivery of these products does not require direct contact between the supplier and the consumer. 3. The value of these products to the consumer lies in their informational, educational, cultural, or entertainment content, not in the format in which they are distributed. Most of these products are protected from unlawful reproduction by copyright laws. 4. The intangible property aspect of information and cultural products makes the processes involved in their production and distribution very different from goods and services. Only those possessing the rights to these works are authorized to reproduce, alter, improve, and distribute them. Acquiring and using these rights often involves significant costs. In addition, technology has revolutionized the distribution of these products. It is possible to distribute them in a physical form, via broadcast, or online. 5. Distributors of information and cultural products can easily add value to the products they distribute. For instance, broadcasters add advertising not contained in the original product. This capacity means that unlike traditional goods distributors, they derive revenue not from sale of the distributed product to the final consumer, but from those who pay for the privilege of adding information to the original product. Similarly, a directory and mailing list publisher can acquire the rights to thousands of previously published newspaper and periodical articles and add new value by providing search and software and organizing the information in a way that facilitates research and retrieval. These products often command a much higher price than the original information. Excluded from this sector are establishments primarily engaged in custom design of software; mass reproducing software or other prerecorded audio and video material on magnetic or optical media; producing live artistic and cultural works or productions; and performing in or creating artistic and cultural works or productions as independent (i.e., freelance) individuals. |
| 512 | Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries 3-digit subsector | Industries in the Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries subsector group establishments involved in the production and distribution of motion pictures and sound recordings. While producers and distributors of motion pictures and sound recordings issue works for sale as traditional publishers do, the processes are sufficiently different to warrant placing establishments engaged in these activities in a separate subsector. Production is typically a complex process that involves several distinct types of establishments that are engaged in activities, such as contracting with performers, creating the film or sound content, and providing technical postproduction services. Film distribution is often to exhibitors, such as theaters and broadcasters, rather than through the wholesale and retail distribution chain. When the product is in a mass-produced form, NAICS treats production and distribution as the major economic activity as it does in the Publishing Industries subsector, rather than as a subsidiary activity to the manufacture of such products. This subsector does not include establishments primarily engaged in the wholesale distribution of video and sound recordings, such as compact discs and audio tapes; these establishments are included in the Wholesale Trade sector. Reproduction of video and sound recordings that is carried out separately from establishments engaged in production and distribution is treated in NAICS as a manufacturing activity. Establishments that primarily acquire the rights to distribute video and sound recordings to the public via television or radio broadcast or streaming distribution services are classified in Subsector 516, Broadcasting and Content Providers. Establishments using facilities and infrastructure that they operate to distribute cable and satellite television subscription programming are included in Subsector 517, Telecommunications. |
| 5121 | Motion Picture and Video Industries 4-digit industry group | This industry group comprises establishments primarily engaged in the production and/or distribution of motion pictures, videos, television programs, or commercials; in the exhibition of motion pictures; or in the provision of postproduction and related services. |
| 51211 | Motion Picture and Video Production 5-digit NAICS industry | See industry description for 512110. |
| 512110 | Motion Picture and Video Production 6-digit U.S. detail | Motion picture and video production establishments create visual content for a wide range of platforms, from theatrical releases to digital streaming. These entities handle every stage of the creative process, including scriptwriting, casting, pre-production planning, filming, post-production editing, sound mixing, and color grading. Many facilities also manage the distribution of finished products, ensuring they reach audiences through various channels. Operators range from independent film studios with tight budgets to major entertainment conglomerates that manage thousands of titles and employees. Some companies focus exclusively on television series and commercials, while others specialize in documentary filmmaking or educational content. The scope of operations varies greatly, with smaller businesses often serving local markets or niche audiences, whereas large corporations produce blockbuster films and global entertainment franchises. Key business activities include securing financing, negotiating contracts, managing logistics on set, coordinating art departments and special effects, and overseeing marketing campaigns. These establishments rely heavily on skilled labor such as directors, cinematographers, editors, and sound engineers. The industry continues to evolve as new technologies allow for more immersive storytelling and remote production capabilities. Ultimately, these organizations serve as the primary engines for visual storytelling in the modern media landscape, driving cultural trends and economic value through the creation and dissemination of compelling visual narratives. |
Need a supply chain stack that maps to this industry?
Use this NAICS classification as the starting point, then connect it to Item workflows across inventory, warehousing, order management, fulfillment, and transportation.
Classification References
- 01Producing motion pictures and videos on contract as independent producers--are classified in Industry 711510, Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers;
- 02Providing teleproduction and other postproduction services--are classified in U.S. Industry 512191, Teleproduction and Other Postproduction Services;
- 03Providing video recording of weddings, special events, and/or business inventories--are classified in Industry 54192, Photographic Services;
- 04Providing motion picture laboratory services--are classified in U.S. Industry 512199, Other Motion Picture and Video Industries;
- 05Providing mass duplication and packaging of video discs, tapes, and film--are classified in Industry 334610, Manufacturing and Reproducing Magnetic and Optical Media; and
- 06Acquiring distribution rights and distributing motion pictures and videos--are classified in Industry 512120, Motion Picture and Video Distribution.
Index Items
Animated cartoon production
Animated cartoon production and distribution
Commercials, television, production
Film studios producing films
Films, motion picture production
Films, motion picture production and distribution
Instructional video production
Motion picture and video production
Motion picture and video production and distribution
Motion picture production
Motion picture production and distribution
Motion picture production payroll agents
Motion picture studios, producing motion pictures
Movie production and distribution
Music video production
Music video production and distribution
Program producing, television
Television commercial production
Television show production
Video production
Video production and distribution
How Item Can Help
This tool analyzes historical sales patterns and shipment data to forecast demand for upcoming releases, allowing companies to pre-stock common production items. It identifies bottlenecks in the supply chain, enabling proactive adjustments that reduce costs and improve delivery reliability for video production firms.
External Resources
Census.gov NAICS Detail
Official US Census Bureau definition and scope for NAICS 512110.
Motion Picture & Audio-Visual Producers Alliance
A trade organization for independent production companies in Los Angeles and New York.
National Endowment for the Arts Film and Video Programs
The official US government page outlining grant opportunities for film and video production.
Producers Guild of America
A labor union representing film and television producers throughout the United States.
