Budget

Budget overview

The Budget Overview (/budget) is the top-level financial dashboard for the project. It shows total budget allocation, how much has been estimated across all departments, and how much has been locked in (committed). It’s visible to admins and above.

The overview has two tabs:

• By Department — the default view. A table grouped by budget group (Above the Line, Below the Line, etc.) with per-department columns for Labor, Expenses, Equipment, Estimated Total, and Actual. Click any department row to go to its detailed budget sheet.
• All Items — a flat list of every budget entry across the whole project, grouped by department and then by type (Labor / Equipment / Expenses). Useful for a full breakdown without navigating department by department.

When department budget limits have been set, the footer of the By Department table shows a Total Allocated Limits — the sum of all department limits — in the Budget Limit column. The same figure is also shown as a summary card at the top of the page.

Each department has its own budget sub-section where the department head and production can drill into line items, crew deals, and department-specific spending.

Budget settings

Before building line items, super admins can configure global budget settings that affect all calculations:

• Contingency % — A percentage added on top of the total budget to cover unexpected costs. Common values are 5–15%.
• Fringe rate — A percentage applied to labor costs to account for payroll taxes, benefits, and union contributions. Typically 20–35% depending on jurisdiction and union status.
• Notes — Free-text notes about the budget, such as exchange rate assumptions or finance conditions.

Department budgets

Each department can have a budget limit — a cap on total spending for that department. Department heads can see their department’s limit and track how their line items compare to it.

To set a department budget limit, navigate to the Budget Overview and edit the department row. Department budget limits are managed by super admins.

Line items

Line items are the individual cost entries within each department’s budget. Navigate to a department budget page to see its line items.

Line item fields

• Description — What this cost covers (e.g. “Camera rental — RED MONSTRO package”).
• Category — Groups related line items (e.g. Camera Package, Lenses, Support).
• Account code — Standard production accounting codes (optional, for compatibility with accounting software).
• Rate — The cost per unit.
• Rate type — How the rate is applied: flat, daily, weekly, hourly, etc.
• Quantity — Number of units.
• Units — What a unit represents (days, weeks, items, etc.).
• Estimated total — The projected cost (rate × quantity).
• Actual total — The actual cost once incurred. Can differ from the estimate.
• Notes — Any additional context about this line item.

Budget groups

Line items within a department are grouped into standard production budget categories, keeping the budget organized in a format familiar to accountants and financiers.

Importing a budget from CSV

On the Budget Overview (/budget), click Import CSV to open the import flow. Upload a comma-separated file with columns similar to: account number, line description, quantity, unit, rate, total, and notes. Extra columns after notes (for example cast or SAG tracking) are ignored.

Scope: CSV import only creates or updates Production department line items. Other departments, department limits, budget settings, and crew deals are not modified by the import.

After upload, the app parses the sheet and uses AI to assign each row to a line-item category. You then review a table similar to a diff: rows that match an existing production line (by account code or exact description) are highlighted so you can choose New (insert only), Replace (delete the matched row and insert the imported one), or Skip. All fields are editable before you apply.

Optional Replace all production line items first deletes every existing Production line item for the project, then inserts only the rows you do not skip — useful when replacing the whole production budget from a new file.

Crew deals

Each crew member can have a crew deal attached to their project membership. Crew deals capture the financial terms of their engagement:

• Rate — The crew member’s agreed rate (flat, daily, or weekly).
• Prep days — Number of days paid for pre-production work.
• Shoot days — Number of days on the shoot.
• Wrap days — Number of days paid for wrap/post work.
• Overtime/weekend multipliers — Rate multipliers for overtime or weekend work.
• Kit rental — A flat fee for the use of the crew member’s personal equipment.
• Car allowance — Travel and vehicle reimbursement.
• Per diem — Daily allowance for meals and expenses.
• Notes — Any additional deal terms.

Crew deal totals are included in the department budget calculations. Department heads can see the labor cost breakdown alongside their equipment and other line items.

Role placeholder budgets

You don’t need to have a crew member added before setting a labor budget for a role. From any department budget page, click Add Labor and choose Budget for role (TBD). Enter the role name (e.g. “Gaffer” or “Production Designer”) along with the expected rate and days — no crew member assignment required.

Placeholder entries appear in the Labor table with an Unassigned badge. Once a crew member joins, hover the placeholder row and click the assign icon to attach their project membership to the existing deal. All the rate and day information is preserved.

How equipment and props feed into the budget

The budget also draws data from the equipment and props systems:

• Estimated budget — Sums up the top-choice source prices for all props and equipment that are still in the sourcing phase.
• Locked-in budget — Sums up the final costs for all props and equipment that have been locked in (acquired). This is the committed spend.

These figures are shown on each department’s budget page alongside the manually entered line items for a complete financial picture.

Permissions