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Production budget

Above-the-Line / Below-the-Line accounts. Qty × rate fills amounts, subtotals and the total.

The production budget template uses standard film accounts (Above-the-Line / Below-the-Line). Enter quantity and rate and formulas calculate each amount, account subtotals and the grand total.

English Excel Print · PDF

한국어 Excel Print · PDF

The Excel file includes Example and Guide sheets next to the blank form. How to fill it in

What's inside

Production
Prepared by / date
Shooting days / period
Currency

Preview

Account
Line item
Qty
Unit
Rate
Amount
Notes

How to fill it in

What it is for

A production budget lists everything the project will cost, grouped into accounts and line items on one sheet. Producers and the production manager use it to agree financing and to control spending, and it becomes the baseline for comparing actual costs once shooting starts.

When to use it

Rough it out during development, refine it through pre-production as casting, location and equipment quotes come in, and lock it before the first shooting day. During the shoot, save a new version whenever days are added or a major cost changes.

Field by field

Field	What	How	Example
Production	Title of the project being budgeted	Mark working titles as such. If there are several versions, put the date and version in the file name.	The Temperature Between Us
Prepared by / date	Who made this version and when	Update the date every time you revise it so the latest version is obvious.	Hana Kim, PM · 2026-10-05
Shooting days / period	Number of shooting days and the shoot window	Day counts drive crew, equipment and catering lines, so match them to the schedule.	40 days · 2026-10-29 – 2027-01-20
Currency	Currency for all amounts	Change it if needed; if costs in another currency are mixed in, note the exchange-rate date.	USD
Account	Top-level group (Above-the-Line, Post-Production, etc.)	Already filled in. The account row adds up the lines below it automatically — leave it alone.	Above-the-Line
Line item	A detailed line inside the account	Use the preset lines and insert extra ones inside the same account. Leave unused lines blank rather than deleting them so budgets stay comparable.	Camera
Qty	How many days, episodes or people to multiply by	Numbers only — say what you counted in the Unit column.	40
Unit	What the quantity counts	Keep it short: day, ep, person, week, lot. A package deal is one “lot”.	day
Rate	Cost per unit	Copy it from the quote or deal. Note whether tax is included so spending tracks cleanly.	1,100
Amount	Qty × Rate	Calculated automatically once Qty and Rate are in. Typing over it breaks the totals.	44,000
Notes	Where the number comes from	Vendor, what is included (crew size, kit) and tax treatment — anything that answers “where did this figure come from?” later.	2 quotes compared · excl. tax

Production
What
Title of the project being budgeted
How
Mark working titles as such. If there are several versions, put the date and version in the file name.
Example
The Temperature Between Us
Prepared by / date
What
Who made this version and when
How
Update the date every time you revise it so the latest version is obvious.
Example
Hana Kim, PM · 2026-10-05
Shooting days / period
What
Number of shooting days and the shoot window
How
Day counts drive crew, equipment and catering lines, so match them to the schedule.
Example
40 days · 2026-10-29 – 2027-01-20
Currency
What
Currency for all amounts
How
Change it if needed; if costs in another currency are mixed in, note the exchange-rate date.
Example
USD
Account
What
Top-level group (Above-the-Line, Post-Production, etc.)
How
Already filled in. The account row adds up the lines below it automatically — leave it alone.
Example
Above-the-Line
Line item
What
A detailed line inside the account
How
Use the preset lines and insert extra ones inside the same account. Leave unused lines blank rather than deleting them so budgets stay comparable.
Example
Camera
Qty
What
How many days, episodes or people to multiply by
How
Numbers only — say what you counted in the Unit column.
Example
40
Unit
What
What the quantity counts
How
Keep it short: day, ep, person, week, lot. A package deal is one “lot”.
Example
day
Rate
What
Cost per unit
How
Copy it from the quote or deal. Note whether tax is included so spending tracks cleanly.
Example
1,100
Amount
What
Qty × Rate
How
Calculated automatically once Qty and Rate are in. Typing over it breaks the totals.
Example
44,000
Notes
What
Where the number comes from
How
Vendor, what is included (crew size, kit) and tax treatment — anything that answers “where did this figure come from?” later.
Example
2 quotes compared · excl. tax

Tips

Lock the number of shooting days first, then fill the lines tied to days (crew, equipment, catering) — the big numbers fall into place quickly.
Get at least two quotes where you can and note which one you chose and why; it answers financier questions straight away.
Keep a contingency line and put a real amount in it from the start — weather and added days come out of it.
Never overwrite the previous version; save each revision with a date so you can compare what changed.
Once shooting starts, note petty cash and timesheet totals next to the matching lines to compare plan and actuals.

Common mistakes

Typing a number into the Amount cell, which deletes the formula — changing Qty no longer changes the total.
Adding shooting days but updating only crew lines, leaving equipment, catering and transport unchanged.
Mixing tax-inclusive and tax-exclusive quotes, so actual spend drifts far from the budget.
Forgetting less visible lines such as insurance, legal or contingency and running short mid-shoot.

Filled-in example

Filled in for the fictional drama “The Temperature Between Us”. All people, companies and numbers are made up; the Excel file has the same example on its Example sheet.

Production Budget

Production	The Temperature Between Us
Prepared by / date	Hana Kim, PM · 2026-10-05
Shooting days / period	40 days · 2026-10-29 – 2027-01-20
Currency	USD

Account	Line item	Qty	Unit	Rate	Amount	Notes
Above-the-Line
	Story & Rights
	Writers	8	ep	4,000	32,000	8 episodes
	Producers
	Director
	Cast	2	person	18,000	36,000	Leads, flat deal
Below-the-Line — Production
	Production Staff	40	day	700	28,000
	Camera	40	day	1,100	44,000	2 quotes compared · excl. tax
	Grip & Electric	40	day	900	36,000
	Art Department
	Set Construction
	Wardrobe
	Makeup & Hair
	Production Sound
	Extras	180	person	90	16,200	Person-days, agency quote
	Locations	10	day	600	6,000	Cafe Ondo (main set)
	Transportation
	Catering	40	day	900	36,000
Post-Production
	Editorial	8	ep	1,500	12,000
	Music
	Post Sound
	Visual Effects
	Color & Finishing	8	ep	1,100	8,800
Other
	Insurance	1	lot	2,000	2,000	Per insurer quote
	Legal & Accounting
	Publicity
	Contingency	1	lot	11,000	11,000
Total					268,000

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FAQ

Which account structure does it use?

The English file follows the international film standard (ATL / BTL); the Korean file follows the PDNote Korean drama and film standard.

Does it handle currency?

Set the currency in the header; amounts are plain numbers so it works in any currency.

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Production budget

What's inside

What's inside

Preview

How to fill it in

What it is for

When to use it

Field by field

Tips

Common mistakes

Filled-in example

FAQ

Which account structure does it use?

Does it handle currency?

Comments

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More templates

Skip the forms. Start from the script.