What’s a cost tracker? It is the Line Producer’s spreadsheet that tracks your production costs on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.  It is used by Line Producers to monitor every single expense, as well as expenses yet to be incurred.  It’s a barometer that tells you if you’re on budget, under budget or headed for financial ruin.

There are several ways to keep a cost tracker, and I’ve yet to meet two Line Producers who keep track the same way.  As long as you know what you’re keeping track of, where the money is, and you can intelligently work with your production accounting department – then your cost tracker is working for you.  This is not a nice-to-have – this is an essential tool for any Line Producer.

Cost trackers are created by using an excel spreadsheet.  As in the example below, your spreadsheet should include the following:

1.    Account Number: Each line item in your budget is associated with an account number.  The account number comes from your accounting department.  If they don’t give you one, use the default given by your budgeting software program.
2.    Description of Each Item:  Self-explanatory.
3.    Total Budget:  The total amount allocated to that line.
4.    Actual:  What you’ve actually spent on that line to date.
5.    Balance of Budget:  The difference between what was allocated and what was spent.
6.    PO’s:  Purchase orders you’ve written for items that will be charged to your production.  The PO indicates the bill will be coming.
7.    Estimate to Complete:  This is an estimate of how much more you believe it will cost before final delivery. For example, if you’re getting lots of network notes and post production is taking longer, you will want to estimate higher in your editing lines and see where you can move money so that the over all bottom line doesn’t change.
8.    Estimated Final Cost:  This is an estimate of the final cost – all in – for that line.  Add your Actual Expenses to your Estimates to Complete and you will have the amount you are estimating it will cost for that particular line item.

In the example below you’ll see that we are over on many of the producer lines but we are saving money on the Supervising Producer and the Post Story Producer lines which gives us a savings on the bottom line.

The cost tracker is one of the many weapons in a Line Producers arsenal that allows them to win the battle and bring the creative vision to completion on time and on budget.

1.  Designs and writes the production schedule
2.  Writes a budget based on the creative and the schedule
3.  Obtains insurance for the production
4.  Hires all personnel and negotiates deals
5.  Manages the pre-production process:

• Casting
• Sets built
• Wardrobe is purchased or designed
• DP is hired and works with the Showrunner to set the look of the series.
• Camera, Grip and Lighting departments are hired
• Lighting is rented
• Cameras are purchased or rented
• Trucks, Cargo Vans, Cars are rented
• Equipment and expendables are purchased and/or rented
• Locations are scouted and permitted
• Outlines/Scripts are written within the scheduled time frame
• Any necessary travel (air, train boat) arrangements are handled
• Manages the payroll process throughout the production
• Graphics are designed
• Throughout the pre-production process negotiates the best rates and deals possible.
• Throughout the pre-production process  manages the budget; ensuring purchase order are written and keeps track of every single expenditure against every line in the budget.

6.  Manages the production process:

• Supervises the production team in the field
• Locations are secured (again)
• Releases are obtained by anyone who is in the frame – whether they end up on the cutting room floor or not
• Manages call times for cast and crew and ensures proper transport is provided
• Ensures the set is running smoothly
• Facilitates what creative needs on set
• Ensures crew arrives on time and gets the scenes shot that were scheduled for the day
• Works closely with the Assistant Director (AD) to move the day along
• Is the point person for all production personnel needs
• Ensures what was shot makes it back to the production offices for editing preparation
• Throughout the production process negotiates the best rates and deals possible.
• Throughout the production process manages the budget; ensuring purchase orders are written and keeps track of every single expenditure against every line in the budget.

7.  Manages the post production process

• Once she’s hired a post-production supervisor (before they started shooting) she works with him/her to set the post-production schedule
• Hires the editors
• Hires the Assistant Editors
• Hires any necessary loggers and transcribers
• She will work with the Post Supervisor and the Showrunner to make sure episodes are being edited within the schedule and rough cuts are being sent to the network when they were scheduled
• Negotiates deals with music composers
• Negotiates deals with the post-production facility for the final color correct and music mix.
• Ensures final delivery of all materials to the network.
• Throughout the post-production process negotiates the best rates and deals possible.
• Throughout the post-production process they manage the budget; ensuring purchase orders are written and keeps track of every single expenditure against every line in the budget.

I’ve left out a thousand-and-one little and big details.  But this is just an overview of what the Line Producer does.  They hold the line, from start to finish.  They set the tone for the production personnel.  They need to be tough but not ridiculously abrasive.  Personable, but not a push over.

Managing the money is only one aspect of the job.  You have to be able to manage a production, manage your staff and crew, negotiate good deals and be able to see the big picture.  If it’s going to cost you $5000 for  two hours of overtime to get the last shot of the day, don’t dismiss it because you have the notion that you can’t incur additional costs.  Find the money, move it around in your head quickly – because I guarantee, if you chose to leave without finishing the scheduled day  – somewhere in the weeks to come, someone will ask you to find $25,000 to get that shot.   Ant that’s what you’ll need –  5 times the amount  – because now you need to reassemble the cast, the crew, the equipment and the location.   A  Line Producer needs to always see the big picture.

However, a Line Producer who is tame and says YES to everything will soon find they have no money to finish their production.

A Line Producer is a high wire tight rope artist who must find the sensitive balance of knowing when to say yes.  And knowing when you have to put your foot down and gently say no – and then help devise a solution.

You’ll notice I’ve referred to the Line Producer as a ‘she’ – sorry – it’s habit  –  Line Producers actually come in all genders.

Producers with superhero qualities create great shows and they work again, and again and again.  So what’s the trick to unleashing the superhero in you?

Never leave home without your cape
You can either scale a wall one brick at a time like a mere mortal, or you can strap on your cape and leap tall buildings with a single bound.

Let the world know you’re the type of producer that understands that nothing is impossible; in fact you eat challenges for breakfast.  You know what the goal is and nothing will stop you from achieving it.  That means making the tough decisions about schedules, budgets, hiring, firing, re-writes and negotiating with the network.  You’re willing to be the final word and take responsibility for the outcome.

Work with other superheroes
Would Batman work without Robin?

When putting your production crew together get the best.  Hire people you’ve worked with before, or those who have been recommended by someone you respect.  Hire experts who have a collaborative nature and be willing to listen to what they have to say.

Know when the production needs Clark Kent and when the production needs Superman
If everything is running smoothly, keep your glasses on, your tie in place and suit jacket buttoned up.   At the first sign of trouble be ready to jump into the phone booth and come out flying.

Always have three or four options kicking around in the event the schedule has to change, or the edit isn’t working, or the network isn’t happy with what you’re doing.  Don’t wait until the last minute, a good producer knows when it’s not clicking, trust your instincts and be ready to change on a dime.

A Superhero isn’t always a man of steel
Where would Spiderman be without his agility?

You must be able to listen and bend but not break.  Listening to what the network wants, as well as what your writers, director and editor have to say will keep the show on track.  You will deliver more than what the network expected.

Be a Superhero
If you want to be a producing superhero, then be a good producer.
•    Learn your craft.
•    Keep current with new technology.
•    Project the attitude you’d like to see in others.
•    Be kind, but be strong.

But creating programming around science and math is not a new concept. Several years ago I worked with FASE productions producing a series called “The Eddie Files”. Each episode within the series was divided into three parts. One third was set in a classroom, one third was documentary, and one third was scripted. Through the eyes of “Eddie,” a 5th grade student the show tells the story of how people use key math skills and concepts in life and in exciting jobs. The series was educational, entertaining and won a Peabody Award. Steve Heard, the President of FASE productions took what he’d already developed, which was a keen sense of how to teach these subjects through innovative television – and created The Futures Channel. The channel is an on-line, and in the schools brand of educational entertainment.

To some, the concept of education and entertainment is not always thought of in the same sentence. However, when The Futures Channel produces a segment showing algebra as a key component in creating wind sails, or engineering at the heart of a beautiful sunglass design, or science as an essential ingredient in developing new foods for space travel – then I think you’ve put the ‘e’ in educational entertainment.

If the United States is going to maintain competitiveness in the 21st century, we need to cultivate the skilled scientists and engineers needed to create tomorrow’s innovations. Television producers can strengthen the education pipeline that leads to STEM careers by creating dynamic programming. In fact, as of this writing the new educational/entertainment landscape is already taking shape.

• Discovery Communications is launching a dedicated commercial-free programming block on the Science Channel.
• Sesame Street will be featuring STEM content in twenty of the 26 episodes this season.
• Sony, The Entertainment Software Association and the MacArthur Foundation are partnering to make STEM-related video games freely available and hosting competitions and prizes for game development.

So producers take note – this is an opportunity to create programming that will shape all of our futures.

In Dollhouse, Eliza Dushku plays Echo one of many ‘Actives’ whose mind has been erased, and then reprogrammed to become anyone, complete with a new personality, childhood memories and new abilities. The incredibly rich can hire an ‘Active’ for an ‘engagement’. In the premiere episode Echo became a hostage negotiator for a wealthy man who’s daughter was kidnapped. Once the ‘engagement’ is complete, her mind is erased and she remembers nothing. She becomes innocent and is only aware of her surroundings in the Dollhouse, where she’ll receive a massage, take a shower, and go to bed.

It was a bit too close to prostitution for my taste, with the prostitute not knowing she sold herself.

What’s your take?