Learning path · Production
Budgeting
How film budgets are built and tracked: top sheets, above and below the line, fringes, UK rates and tax relief, cost reports, and a realistic budget for a short.
Free films in teaching order, for one craft. Watch, tick them off and test yourself. It's practice that prepares you for an Academy course. This one prepares you for Production office and AD Foundation.
Lesson 1
An Introduction To Film Budgeting
RocketJump Film School · 6:13 · original on YouTube
You will learn: Understand what a film budget is, how it is organised and above/below the line.
Note: US source: UK practice, law and terms differ. Check the UK guidance (HSE, Film London, the Production Guild). US examples and dollars; the structure is the same in the UK.
By the end you will be able to
- Read and build a budget top sheet with above- and below-the-line accounts
- Build a line-by-line budget from a script breakdown, including fringes and contingency
- Explain UK budget factors such as union agreements and tax credits
- Read a cost report and track spend against budget
- Budget a short film realistically
Test yourself
Could you do it on a set?
4 real situations, one for each thing this path teaches. It's optional practice, not pass or fail, and your answers stay on this device.
Next: do it for real
This path prepares you for Production office and AD Foundation.
How a production runs from office to floor: call sheets and schedules, breakdowns, paperwork and releases, locations, risk assessments and insurance in a UK frame, and floor running on the radio.
It's coming next: register interest and we'll tell you when it opens. Meanwhile, start with Day One.
How learning with FIF works
Learning path. Free films in teaching order, for one craft. Watch, tick them off and test yourself. It's practice that prepares you for an Academy course.
- Learn onlineFree films, paths and Academy coursesYou are here
- Competency checkA short check with us, online or in person
- In-person practicalOn our unit at Pinewood or 3 Mills
- FIF CertificateFrom the practical only
The FIF Certificate comes only from the practical. How it works · Book a competency check
How To Budget A Movie - Sean ReidFilm Courage · Lesson9 min.
Movie Magic Budgeting - Fringe SetupEntertainment Partners · Lesson3 min.
Master Series: Budgeting for 2025: What UK Productions Need to KnowEntertainment Partners · Lesson57 min.
Master Series: Boost Your Budget with the Independent Film Tax CreditEntertainment Partners · Lesson1 h 0 min.
Master Series: Understanding the New Pact/Bectu TV Drama AgreementEntertainment Partners · Lesson33 min.
Hot Costs for Film production - Training With Professional TemplatesGaskin Film Accounting Workshops · Lesson4 min.
Top Tips for being a Successful Production Accountant w/ Jane CordenAustralian Film Television and Radio School · Lesson4 min.
#18: Akbar Kurtha, 1st Assistant Production Accountant - Balancing the Books in Film ProductionFilmmaking Framed · Lesson1 h 7 min.
How to find a career in Production Accounting for film and television - APATS 2019Production Guild · Lesson4 min.
5 Rules For Effective Low Budget FilmmakingIn Depth Cine · Lesson9 min.
Go further
Beyond YouTube, labelled honestly. Free first. Paid options are labelled.
- The Production Guild Paid membership; training schemes vary
The Production Guild. UK guild for production management and accounting, including the Assistant Production Accountant Training Scheme. - ScreenSkills online learning Free with sign-up
ScreenSkills. Free e-learning, including production finance and accounting basics. - Bectu rate cards and agreements Free to view; membership paid
Bectu. UK crew rates and terms you must budget for. - Pact Paid membership
Pact. Pact/Bectu and Pact/Equity agreements that set UK budget lines. - Budgeting on Movie Magic Paid (£250)
NFTS. One-day software course. - Introduction to Production Accounting Paid (£350–£495; bursaries)
NFTS. Two-day course. - Production Accounting for Film and Television Paid (£1,960)
NFTS. Eight-month course. - Production Guild training and masterclass library Mostly for members (paid)
Production Guild. Accounts, production and post courses; runs accountant trainee schemes. - Apprenticeship standard: Accounts or finance assistant (Level 2) Free to the apprentice (paid job; employer and government fund training)
Skills England. Shows what the apprenticeship covers; find live vacancies on Find an Apprenticeship.
For learners and trainers
Every lesson is a free video by its original maker, played from YouTube with privacy-enhanced settings. Found a broken video? Email [email protected].