When should you use specialized film budgeting software vs. a spreadsheet application such as Microsoft Excel or Google Docs? The answer depends on three factors: your budget range, if you will be working … See more

Before we begin, there are a few general notes to keep in mind when creating a film production budget. These are important items that are often overlooked by first-time filmmakers: See more

Once you have your software (or spreadsheet) open and ready to go, it’s time to start creating your budget. The first step is to create what is called the top sheet. This is a high-level view of all the major cate… See more

The next four sections are for the summaries of accounts. We’re not going to edit or change any of these summary sections. They will be populated and updated for us automatically when we make chan… See more

If you have or know that you will have any of these contractual obligations, you can enter their percentage here in this section. For example, it is common for studios to require a 20% overhead attached to the budget. Thi… See more