A budget top sheet is also where you will find the familiar yet frequently misunderstood concepts of abovetheline and belowtheline expenditures. Since film budget software like movie magic budgeting, showbiz. This is the ultimate guide to film budgeting, including a free template. The top 10 line producer tips that will keep you under budget. Film budget pro is a top tier service company that creates detailed budgets, detailed schedules, and tax incentive analyses for filmmakers, production companies and the entertainment industry. Showbiz budgeting allows production accountants, production managers and independent producers to create. Its standard to include a 10% contingency for unanticipated expenses, such as paying for damaged. The detailed production budget includes development costs, talent costs, prep period budget, shooting period production budget, post production budget, financing costs, contingency costs and total above the line and below the line breakdowns. Learn about the best free and paid software tools in the film industry for. How to create a production budget nevada film office. Showbiz budgeting allows production accountants, production managers and independent producers to create all types of budgets for feature film, tv, commercial, music video, web series and corporate video projects. Until now, if you wanted to create a film budget, or a budget for a series or webseries, you had to hire a line producer or be an expert at film budgeting, or buy and learn expensive software.
Design matters and we can add it to the overall complexity of the project. Film budget pro is a top tier service company that creates detailed budgets, detailed schedules, and tax incentive analyses for filmmakers, production companies and the. The below the line definition is income or expense in accounting which have no noticeable effect on company profits in the current period. These costs include those incurred for actors, music. Best tools for creating and managing a film budget the film fund.
Its standard to include a 10% contingency for unanticipated expenses, such as paying for damaged equipment or scheduling reshoots. These line items include, the director of photography, production manager, art director, cameras, lights, editors, edit equipment, music, etc. All preproduction and production costs, equipment and btl belowtheline labor are accounted for in this category. Any number of different groups can be created and any line items can be assigned to one or more of those groups. These costs include those incurred for actors, music and. The most flexible film budgeting software for features, tv, commercials and web projects. Budgets can be organized in a number of ways, of course. What does abovebelow the line mean in a film budget. The above the line workers are considered essential to the film, the below the line workers are considered replaceable. My invoicing is setup to differentiate between above the line and below the line costs.
Belowtheline costs normally include the hard production costs such as crew, equipment and services. How to create a film budget gorilla budgeting jungle software. Production budget belowtheline production budget contains the. Your creative vision and investors deserve a well thoughtout, professionallyexecuted budget and schedule. The production budget calculates the number of units of products that must be manufactured, and is derived from a combination of the sales forecast and the planned amount of finished goods inventory to have on hand usually as safety stock to cover for unexpected increases in demand. Below the line costs normally include the hard production costs such as crew, equipment and services. For example, the film editor may work solely in the postproduction.
Fortunately, there are film budgeting programs that come with lots of templates. Production budget belowtheline production budget contains the majority of the overall accounts. Whether you are a longtime upm or new to the trade, youll find some useful information to help you go from script to screen. As you move along a particular budget line, the prices faced by the consumer and the consumers income are held constant. Director of photography the dop is traditionally put below the line, however, they are an integral part of the production. Movies with megasized budgets may be able to devote as much as 50 percent of funds to above the line costs, but for the average production, below the line costs reign. A budget line slopes downward because to buy more of good 1, a consumer has to buy. A line producer is an essential managerial position. All preproduction and travel for these positions are also accounted for in this part of the film production budget. If you ask the asc, theyll tell you the cinematographer should be above the line, but its ultimately the choice of the producer whos budgeting the film. Nov 24, 2015 there are different types of bookkeeping software available, such as quickbooks, movie magic budgeting or gorilla budgeting if you want to handle your finances and budget planning yourself. Everything else is considered to be below the line in a film budget and includes production costs such as the.
For example, some place post production in a separate section and some have an additional section for general overhead. The art pottery company expects sales of 1,000 pots. On low budget films, the percentage of funds dedicated to below the line expenses grows even higher, while the portion devoted to big names and above the line salaries shrinks. Belowtheline is a term derived from the top sheet of a film budget for motion pictures, television programs, industrial films, independent films, student films and. The good news is that you dont even need accounting software to make a useful budget for your small business. Belowtheline costs normally include the hard production costs such as. Even better news, weve already made a free smallbusiness budget template for you.
You would think that the belowtheline costs would be much greater than the. Celtx film production software free download independent. Belowtheline budgeting is a tool that nonprofit leaders can use toaddress the full cost of operating their organizations. Created and maintained by dga upm stephen marinaccio, is your 100% free destination for helpful information about the process and principles behind building cohesive, realistic and pragmatic production plans. The line producer also oversees all operations and logistics for a film, from the pre production phase through. Apr 01, 2019 all pre production and travel for these positions are also accounted for in this part of the film production budget. When creating a feature film budget, often expenses are divided into above the line and below the line costs. This portion of the budget includes everyone working on the production, the equipment, the locations and the editing. Some are specialist packages designed for film and tv production, whereas others are more general packages. The following example illustrates the production budget format. The essential guide to film budgets with free film budget. Some belowtheline film and television film crews operate in preproduction, production, or postproduction stages of filmmaking. There are different types of bookkeeping software available, such as quickbooks, movie magic budgeting or gorilla budgeting if you want to handle your finances and budget planning.
On lowbudget films, the percentage of funds dedicated to belowtheline expenses grows even higher, while the portion devoted to big names and abovetheline salaries shrinks. But budgeting software can be expensive and for many projects, it makes sense to use a free template like the one were going to provide here. A grand total at the bottom and production information at the top. Sometimes, for independent or self produced shows, people get moved above the line due to costs. Film budgeting software showbiz budgeting media services. Throughout the course of the project, it lets the project manager check whether or not the project is sticking to its budget.
Aug 09, 2001 it lists all possible line items including personnel, equipment, etc. You should also plan to cover reimbursements for any costs your team paid for outofpocket. This production budget template will save your life peerspace. The budget line depicts the combinations of two goods a consumer can buy given her income and the current prices. The production budget calculates the number of units of products that must be manufactured, and is derived from a combination of the sales forecast and the. Once in production, these account codes are utilized by the production accountant and crew to assign and track costs for each line item. Other costs include financing costs, the completion guarantee fee, and the contingency.
Keep in mind, film negative costs, a term invented before the era of digital film making, are. Costs incurred during the production of an advertising commercial that are associated with the creative side of it. Above the line costs are usually varied, while below the line costs are more fixed. If you prefer, specialized software packages are also available including ep budgetingmovie magic, gorilla film production software and showbiz budgeting, just to name a few. Nov 22, 2019 the good news is that you dont even need accounting software to make a useful budget for your small business. Initially, the project budget allows the project manager to determine how much the project is likely to cost. Apr, 2019 the below the line costs are basically all costs of production and post production.
All the key elements of production management for film, television, and new media projects are included. Mar 11, 2020 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. He or she is directly responsible for the financial aspects of a production. Everything else is considered to be below the line in a film budget and includes production costs such as the crew, locations, permits, equipment, etc. Production reports builtin reports track crossdepartmental expenses, production rosters and more. Dec 26, 2018 the line producer is the one whos managing and overseeing every little detail. But imagine securing an a list writer, director, and actor for a major studio. Film budgeteers create a film budget for your film or. If you ask the asc, theyll tell you the cinematographer.
Whether you are a longtime upm or new to the trade, youll find some useful information to help you go from script to. Below the line crew after hiring your key crew members you can begin to find the rest of your team. It is important to note that only a manufacturing business needs to prepare the production budget. Plus, permasynch your chart of accounts to your budget. Production budget below the line production budget contains the majority of the overall accounts. Below the line costs include salaries of support staff and talent and all production costs catering, studio, lighting, etc. They also tend to have higher wages than the rest of the crew and need to be hired during early pre production. This is the person who hires most of the below the line talent and craftspeople. Below thelinecosts, also known as the production budget, account. Below the line costs 40% of production budget per show. You would think that the belowtheline costs would be much greater than the abovetheline costs, and usually you would be right.
Typically, above the line costs deal with creatives such as directors even first assistant directors, producers, writers, and actors, while below the line costs consist of film crew and post production team. Above and below the line in filmmaking amy clarke films. But several software packages are available that are designed. Created and maintained by dga upm stephen marinaccio, is your 100% free destination for helpful information about the process and principles behind building cohesive, realistic.
In the film world, production and postproduction costs are considered belowtheline expenses. But what is the difference between above the line and below the line costs. Production budget is prepared after sales budget since it needs the expected sales units figure which is provided by the sales budget. Our film budget template lets you fill in everything by line item and then automatically adds up for you what is atl and btl. Im going for a between the lines answer for practical application. All pre production and production costs, equipment and btl below the line labor are accounted for in this category. But imagine securing an a list writer, director, and actor for a major studio film. For example, the film editor may work solely in the post production stage of filming but they might also work throughout the production, editing the film as it is shot and advising the director if and when. Dec 03, 2019 on larger film sets it is the line producer or unit production manager who prepares the films budget, and to do this they may use film budgeting software such as movie magic. Keep in mind, film negative costs, a term invented before the era of digital film making, are defined as the costs to, quite literally, create a shipmentready negative of your film. The line producer is the one whos managing and overseeing every little detail. Above the line costs 60% of production budget per show. Factors to consider when choosing and setting up an accounting package.
A budget top sheet is also where you will find the familiar yet frequently misunderstood concepts of above the line and below the line expenditures. Below the line belowtheline costs refer to the physical production expenses. They expect 240 pots in ending inventory at the end of the first quarter. Why film budgets are important, beyond the cost of production.
The ultimate film budgeting guide free film budget template. Belowtheline is a term derived from the top sheet of a film budget for motion pictures, television programs, industrial films, independent films, student films and documentaries as well as commercials. More specifically, leaders can use belowtheline budgeting to. Our budgeting engine does away all that headache and lets you focus on raising money for your film. Show starter production softwareproduction scheduling. It lists all possible line items including personnel, equipment, etc. Belowtheline costs 40% of production budget per show.
On larger film sets it is the line producer or unit production manager who prepares the films budget, and to do this they may use film budgeting software such as movie magic. It is important to note that only a manufacturing business needs to. You may sometimes get asked by a producer to just give me a topsheet but understand, thats like asking a construction contractor to just give you a roof, with no walls or foundation to. The detailed production budget includes development costs, talent costs, prep period budget, shooting period production budget, postproduction budget, financing costs, contingency costs and total above. Overview of our 2day line producing workshop learn the nuts and bolts of line producing in a handson immersive twoday production workshop. There are also many budget templates and samples available online. Writers, directors, actors, producers are paid a contractually predetermined fee. Director of photography the dop is traditionally put belowtheline. A budget line slopes downward because to buy more of good 1, a consumer has to buy less of good 2. Film budget template sample movie production budgeting.
Each subbudget can be turned on or off with a mouse click. A great one makes the budget and makes sure the project doesnt go over. All the key elements of production management for film. If you need custom fonts, images or icons, you will need to have. Research the numbers blair witch, paranormal activity all of them had postproduction budgets on top of the headline budget. Below the line below the line costs refer to the physical production expenses. Some below the line film and television film crews operate in pre production, production, or post production stages of filmmaking.