Film and video productions are hectic! Getting the proper production management tools sets the stage for how structured and effective your shoot will be.
But, with so many choices out there, how can you find the one that fits your needs?
Don't go any further. In this article, we broke down their features to see how they measure up.
As a result, you'll be prepared to fit your production needs with the right tool once you have read this article.
Also, consider referring to the end-to-end development process to tell you which production management tools would suit you better.
What do Production Managers Do?
In movies, the production budget is handled by a production manager. They help control production workflow and work closely with suppliers, line suppliers, and other department heads.
They may also oversee the production coordinators hired for the movie.
What is production management software?
The number of production managers and their teams conducting tasks is staggering. You have scripts, breakdowns, storyboards, and call sheets.
Then there are the texts, calls, and meetings to arrange everything.
Yet, happily, we live in a time of performance.
There are excellent applications to add value to AND save your shooting time.
If you do not use the tools for film production management, you have a double duty to stay on top of everything and keep in touch with others.
Let's dig into those that are going to fit best for you.
StudioBinder (Our favorite!!)
StudioBinder provides diverse, fully integrated, and cloud-based management tools for film production.
Since it's cloud and all-based, the functions load quickly, with the UI of collaboration built into each method. It also means no installations, load times, and no updates to the runtime.
In this way, it blends top project management software's collaborative effectiveness with linear, in-tool pre-production activities (such as Basecamp or Asana). The production planning program StudioBinder is free to start with. As you build and customize shot lists and storyboards for production, calendars, and trackable call sheets, you can stay linked.
StudioBinder is my first production management software. I was doing most of my work manually - like doing tables for CPS, tables for call sheets, etc. StudioBinder creates a customized call sheet for you. Although we face difficulty in certain projects when our script is in Arabic because StudioBinder only allows English scripts. But overall, it does help to make the production process simpler. - Haytham Ezz, Producer, Cinemagic
To make things even simpler, StudioBinder also allows its users to send SMS call-sheets to their production team. It also allows you to create film budget; cashflow and PO logs with its available templates. In comparison to other softwares in the market, StudioBinder is much superior with the different templates available at each production stage, making it easier to use and customize.
Celtx
Celtx began as a screenwriting desktop application. But since then, production manager instruments such as scheduling, budgeting, script breakdown, and shot lists have gone online and collected.
Inside the method, Celtx produces project documents. Client approvals and shareable links to production documents are also included.
It's good for building documents, but its collaboration and sharing functionality are limited.
Celtx offers a free 15-day trial. Plans to unlock the project management tools start at $14.99
Dramatify
Dramatify is a production management solution that is online and mobile-based. It includes a messaging system UI inspired by Facebook that connects to an email and contact management system. Script breakdowns, stripboards, development logs, payroll resources (including time sheets), location management, and more are also included in its feature set. There are several options for pricing that are split into plans for Pay As You Go and Fixed. The pricing depends on how many users in each project you have.
Yamdu
Yamdu is a cloud-based platform for film production management. Its feature set includes pre-production tools such as breakdowns, scheduling, and call sheets for shooting. It also helps to make mission assignments, announcements, and control of crews. Yamdu is a useful resource for producing general output papers, much like Celtx. The complete production management features of Yamdu cost $49 (per month, per project) to unlock.
Gorilla Scheduling
Gorilla Scheduling is a video and movie scheduling program that is laptop-based. It contains additional production manager tools (including call sheets) that you can buy and install separately. It also provides a pop-up system for creating script breakdowns, manual entry marking, and models for call sheets, film credits, and storyboards. You need to install and run periodic updates and enhancements since it is desktop-based. It also lacks any teamwork or communication tools built-in. Pricing varies by several installations, and for two installations, it starts at $249.
There are so many activities and check-ins to do at a film shoot, from writing a script to submitting a call sheet. The best resources we could find to optimize your time and budget were covered. At Cinemagic, we revolutionize the way content is produced and distributed. Having the right tools at hand are important to ensure a task is completed most efficiently.
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