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. 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. Plus, permasynch your chart of accounts to your budget. 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. The belowtheline costs are basically all costs of production and postproduction. Director of photography the dop is traditionally put belowtheline. 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. Our budgeting engine does away all that headache and lets you focus on raising money for your film. A great one makes the budget and makes sure the project doesnt go over. Why film budgets are important, beyond the cost of production. Below the line costs 40% of production budget per show.
The ultimate film budgeting guide free film budget template. Other costs include financing costs, the completion guarantee fee, and the contingency. Our film budget template lets you fill in everything by line item and then automatically adds up for you what is atl and btl. Initially, the project budget allows the project manager to determine how much the project is likely to cost. There are also many budget templates and samples available online. Some belowtheline film and television film crews operate in preproduction, production, or postproduction stages of filmmaking. Whether you are a longtime upm or new to the trade, youll find some useful information to help you go from script to. Below thelinecosts, also known as the production budget, account. If you ask the asc, theyll tell you the cinematographer. The essential guide to film budgets with free film budget. 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. Below the line costs include salaries of support staff and talent and all production costs catering, studio, lighting, etc. The following example illustrates the production budget format. You would think that the belowtheline costs would be much greater than the.
This is the person who hires most of the below the line talent and craftspeople. Film budget template sample movie production budgeting. You would think that the belowtheline costs would be much greater than the abovetheline costs, and usually you would be right. 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. Below the line below the line costs refer to the physical production expenses. All pre production and production costs, equipment and btl below the line labor are accounted for in this category. In the film world, production and postproduction costs are considered belowtheline expenses. Nov 22, 2019 the good news is that you dont even need accounting software to make a useful budget for your small business.
When creating a feature film budget, often expenses are divided into above the line and below the line costs. For example, the film editor may work solely in the postproduction. The line producer is the one whos managing and overseeing every little detail. Production reports builtin reports track crossdepartmental expenses, production rosters and more. Production budget is prepared after sales budget since it needs the expected sales units figure which is provided by the sales budget. The 6 best film budgeting software of 2020 wrapbook. Above the line costs 60% of production budget per show.
A budget line slopes downward because to buy more of good 1, a consumer has to buy. Aug 09, 2001 it lists all possible line items including personnel, equipment, etc. 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. Everything else is considered to be below the line in a film budget and includes production costs such as the. They expect 240 pots in ending inventory at the end of the first quarter. It is important to note that only a manufacturing business needs to prepare the production budget. Dec 26, 2018 the line producer is the one whos managing and overseeing every little detail.
Budgets can be organized in a number of ways, of course. 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. Film budgeting software showbiz budgeting media services. It lists all possible line items including personnel, equipment, etc. Any number of different groups can be created and any line items can be assigned to one or more of those groups. Your creative vision and investors deserve a well thoughtout, professionallyexecuted budget and schedule.
Its standard to include a 10% contingency for unanticipated expenses, such as paying for damaged. Fortunately, there are film budgeting programs that come with lots of templates. 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. 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. 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. These costs include those incurred for actors, music. Apr, 2019 the below the line costs are basically all costs of production and post production. They also tend to have higher wages than the rest of the crew and need to be hired during early pre production. 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. The good news is that you dont even need accounting software to make a useful budget for your small business. Keep in mind, film negative costs, a term invented before the era of digital film making, are. The budget line depicts the combinations of two goods a consumer can buy given her income and the current prices.
Belowtheline costs normally include the hard production costs such as crew, equipment and services. A budget top sheet is also where you will find the familiar yet frequently misunderstood concepts of abovetheline and belowtheline expenditures. Director of photography the dop is traditionally put below the line, however, they are an integral part of the production. 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 and pragmatic production plans. As you move along a particular budget line, the prices faced by the consumer and the consumers income are held constant. Even better news, weve already made a free smallbusiness budget template for you. 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. This portion of the budget includes everyone working on the production, the equipment, the locations and the editing.
Its standard to include a 10% contingency for unanticipated expenses, such as paying for damaged equipment or scheduling reshoots. 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. These costs include those incurred for actors, music and. Sometimes, for independent or self produced shows, people get moved above the line due to costs. All the key elements of production management for film. My invoicing is setup to differentiate between above the line and below the line costs. For example, some place post production in a separate section and some have an additional section for general overhead. If you need custom fonts, images or icons, you will need to have. Overview of our 2day line producing workshop learn the nuts and bolts of line producing in a handson immersive twoday production workshop. A budget line slopes downward because to buy more of good 1, a consumer has to buy less of good 2. Since film budget software like movie magic budgeting, showbiz. 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. A line producer is an essential managerial position.
How to create a film budget gorilla budgeting jungle software. Production budget belowtheline production budget contains the majority of the overall accounts. But imagine securing an a list writer, director, and actor for a major studio film. More specifically, leaders can use belowtheline budgeting to. He or she is directly responsible for the financial aspects of a production. 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. Design matters and we can add it to the overall complexity of the project. This production budget template will save your life peerspace. 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.
Showbiz budgeting allows production accountants, production managers and independent producers to create. The art pottery company expects sales of 1,000 pots. Production companies would list the crew and cast on paper with how much their wages are. How to create a production budget nevada film office. But what is the difference between above the line and below the line costs. 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.
The most flexible film budgeting software for features, tv, commercials and web projects. 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. It is important to note that only a manufacturing business needs to. Below the line belowtheline costs refer to the physical production expenses. Below the line crew after hiring your key crew members you can begin to find the rest of your team. These line items include, the director of photography, production manager, art director, cameras, lights, editors, edit equipment, music, etc. Whether you are a longtime upm or new to the trade, youll find some useful information to help you go from script to screen.
Celtx film production software free download independent. Belowtheline costs normally include the hard production costs such as. Belowtheline budgeting is a tool that nonprofit leaders can use toaddress the full cost of operating their organizations. Above and below the line in filmmaking amy clarke films. But imagine securing an a list writer, director, and actor for a major studio. Im going for a between the lines answer for practical application. Below the line costs normally include the hard production costs such as crew, equipment and services. Above the line costs are usually varied, while below the line costs are more fixed.
You should also plan to cover reimbursements for any costs your team paid for outofpocket. Apr 01, 2019 all pre production and travel for these positions are also accounted for in this part of the film production budget. Production budget belowtheline production budget contains the. What does abovebelow the line mean in a film budget. 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. Show starter production softwareproduction scheduling. 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. All preproduction and production costs, equipment and btl belowtheline labor are accounted for in this category. Best tools for creating and managing a film budget the film fund. The below the line definition is income or expense in accounting which have no noticeable effect on company profits in the current period. All the key elements of production management for film, television, and new media projects are included. Research the numbers blair witch, paranormal activity all of them had postproduction budgets on top of the headline budget. Belowtheline costs 40% of production budget per show. 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.
Throughout the course of the project, it lets the project manager check whether or not the project is sticking to its budget. Once in production, these account codes are utilized by the production accountant and crew to assign and track costs for each line item. The above the line workers are considered essential to the film, the below the line workers are considered replaceable. 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. 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. The line producer also oversees all operations and logistics for a film, from the pre production phase through. Costs incurred during the production of an advertising commercial that are associated with the creative side of it. All preproduction and travel for these positions are also accounted for in this part of the film production budget. 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. Learn about the best free and paid software tools in the film industry for. Each subbudget can be turned on or off with a mouse click. 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. This is the ultimate guide to film budgeting, including a free template.
1298 6 441 1079 1556 243 345 628 781 1459 53 1456 635 578 576 1577 29 580 1331 1485 1081 229 1526 310 663 537 198 765 1358 549 1368