Film Production Budget Forms | www.misteridigital.com

Production Budget Forms

A production budget form can be quite extensive, up to 30 pages or more in length. However, different budget forms are available for different needs. The sample production budget form can download here, that forms is widely used in the industry. It is also available as part of a computer software package.

Cash-Flow Sheet
Once the Production Manager (PM) has established the final budget, he or she may be asked to work out a ash-flow chart, particularly in low-budget productions in which a production accountant will not be hired until the shooting actually begins. No established form exists for the cash-flow chart; the PM is free to design one to meet the production’s specific needs.
The cash-flow chart details the expenses and financial requirements of the entire production period, usually on a weekly basis. It is required to determine the amount of money needed at any given time during the production. To ensure a continuing stream of money, the producer must be able to advise the financiers or bank on a weekly or monthly payment schedule. Because payroll is due weekly, the common cycle is a week. The cash-flow chart also helps to determine whether the production is still operating within budget. This financial blueprint serves as a cost-controlling device as well. Budgeted and actual expenses are compared, and differences are quickly spotted.
To create the cash-flow chart, the PM lists each function and major expense item as in the production budget, but structures this information after the production’s timetable: the amount needed during the first week of preproduction, the amount needed four weeks before the start of production (perhaps the art department needs much money for construction), the amount needed two weeks before production (for down payments on location sites, for example), and so on. The bulk of the money is usually spent during principal photography for salaries, equipment rentals, location costs, film stock, and lab expenses.
The exact date when the payments will be required for particular items depends on the specific circumstances of the production. For example, equipment rental fees sometimes are due at the end of the rental period after a sizable down payment has been made at the beginning; all location permit fees are sometimes due before actual shooting; and the deposit to the SAG sometimes extends its permissible minimum. Because all these items are negotiated and determined anew for each production (some by the PM, some by the producer),
these fees will vary each time. As a rule of thumb, the producer tries to delay actual cash expenses for as long as possible because interest on the money must be paid to the bank. The PM must bear this in mind when negotiating contracts and other legal agreements.