# Storiara > Storiara is film pre-production software that breaks a screenplay down into scenes, cast, locations, props, and wardrobe, then keeps the shooting schedule, budget, and call sheets built from that breakdown in one place. Storiara is a web app for film, TV, commercial, documentary, and vertical-series pre-production. You upload a PDF, Word (.docx), or Final Draft (.fdx) script. Storiara uses AI to extract scenes, locations, characters, props, wardrobe, and music and effects, and shows page counts in eighths. Producers and assistant directors then build the schedule on a drag-and-drop stripboard, which generates a cast day out of days report. Budgets are calculated from rate tables and the breakdown, and call sheets are sent by email or shared as a link. A Funding module compares a project against a built-in list of film incentive programs. ## Product - [Features overview](https://storiara.com/features) - [Script breakdown](https://storiara.com/feature/script-analysis): AI extraction of scenes, characters, locations, props, wardrobe, and music and effects from PDF, Word, or Final Draft scripts - [Shooting schedules](https://storiara.com/feature/scheduling): Drag-and-drop stripboard with day breaks and a cast day out of days report - [Budgets](https://storiara.com/feature/budgeting): Above-the-line, below-the-line, post, and other sections calculated from rate tables - [Call sheets](https://storiara.com/feature/callsheets): Email delivery (immediate or scheduled) and shareable links - [Pricing](https://storiara.com/pricing): 30-day free trial for new accounts, then Producer $39.99 per month plus $19.99 per additional collaborator, Studio custom - [Film schools](https://storiara.com/edu): Instructor tools with classes and assignments - [Documentation](https://storiara.com/docs) - [Changelog](https://storiara.com/changelog) - [Press and company facts](https://storiara.com/press) ## Topic hubs (start here) - [Call Sheets: A Reading Path for ADs and Coordinators](https://storiara.com/learn/call-sheets): Learn call sheets in order: read one, trace where each block's information comes from, set call times, build and send one, then the reports that follow wrap. - [Casting for Producers: A Reading Path Through Deals and Unions](https://storiara.com/learn/casting): The production side of casting in order: character and background lists, actor day counts, picking a SAG-AFTRA agreement, deal memos, minors, and the paperwork on set. - [Film Budgeting: A Reading Path From Top Sheet to Cost Report](https://storiara.com/learn/film-budgeting): The order to learn film budgeting in: budget structure and the top sheet, pricing lines with fringes, the assumptions underneath, then tracking costs during the shoot. - [Film Financing: A Reading Path Through the Capital Stack](https://storiara.com/learn/film-financing): The order to learn indie film financing in: the layers of a finance plan, tax incentives, grants, pre-sales and gap loans, then investor returns and the greenlight model. - [Film Unions and Compliance: A Reading Path for Producers](https://storiara.com/learn/unions-and-compliance): Learn film union rules in order: who each union covers, budget-based agreements, what signing commits you to, meal and rest rules, minors, and the records that prove it. - [Hiring a Film Crew: A Reading Path on Rates and Deal Memos](https://storiara.com/learn/crew-hiring): Learn film crew hiring in order: who hires whom, the sequence of hires in prep, union and non-union rates, deal memos and start paperwork, and hiring on union shows. - [Locations and Permits: A Reading Path From Scout to Shoot Day](https://storiara.com/learn/locations-and-permits): How to learn film locations work: scouting, releases and fees from owners, city permits and insurance, then how the location plan reaches the schedule and call sheet. - [On-Set Operations: A Reading Path for Running the Shooting Day](https://storiara.com/learn/on-set-operations): How to learn the running of a film set: call times, set vocabulary and layout, keeping pace with setups, meals and turnaround, safety, and the reports written after wrap. - [Pre-Production: A Reading Path From Script to Day One](https://storiara.com/learn/pre-production): The order to learn film pre-production in: the prep calendar, then breakdown, schedule, budget, and call sheet, with casting, locations, and crew running alongside. - [Script Breakdown: A Reading Path, From Scene Numbers to Sheets](https://storiara.com/learn/script-breakdown): The order to learn script breakdown in: scene numbers and page eighths, then marking and breakdown sheets, then background, stunts, effects, and revisions. - [Shooting Schedules: What to Read, and in What Order](https://storiara.com/learn/shooting-schedules): A reading plan for film scheduling: build a stripboard, test how much fits in a day, run the day out of days, check turnaround, then handle nights, moves, and minors. - [Short-Form and Vertical Production: A Reading Path](https://storiara.com/learn/short-form-and-vertical): A reading plan for vertical dramas, web series, music videos, commercials, and short films: what changes from feature prep and which guides to read for each format. ## Free templates - [Budget Top Sheet Template for Film (Free XLSX and PDF)](https://storiara.com/templates/budget-top-sheet): A free film budget top sheet template: account totals for above the line, production, post, and other costs, with assumptions, contingency, and a $450,000 example. - [Call Sheet Template for Film (Free XLSX, CSV, and PDF)](https://storiara.com/templates/call-sheet): A free film call sheet template with production info, locations, scenes, cast calls, background, crew calls, and an advance schedule, filled in for a sample shoot day. - [Cast Deal Memo Template for Film Actors (Free XLSX, CSV, PDF)](https://storiara.com/templates/cast-deal-memo): A free cast deal memo template with work dates from the day out of days, rate, billing, travel, and plain-language terms, filled in for a SAG-AFTRA supporting role. - [Casting Breakdown Template for Film Roles (Free XLSX, CSV, PDF)](https://storiara.com/templates/casting-breakdown): A free casting breakdown template with project details, union and rate, role descriptions, work dates, disclosures, and submission instructions for an indie feature. - [Commercial Production Budget Template (AICP Bid Form, A to P)](https://storiara.com/templates/commercial-production-budget): A free commercial production budget template laid out like the AICP bid form, sections A to P, with a $95,000 regional spot, production fee, insurance, and breakouts. - [Continuity Log Template for Script Supervisors (Free XLSX, PDF)](https://storiara.com/templates/continuity-log): A free continuity log template with scene matching notes, a take-by-take log with lens and circle takes, and carry-forward notes, filled in for a real shoot day. - [Crew Contact List Template for Film Productions (Free XLSX)](https://storiara.com/templates/crew-contact-list): A free film crew contact list template organized by department, with positions, phones, emails, start dates, walkie channels, vendors, and a version date. - [Crew Deal Memo Template for Film (Free XLSX, CSV, and PDF)](https://storiara.com/templates/crew-deal-memo): A free crew deal memo template with rate, guaranteed hours, overtime, kit rental, travel, and plain-language terms, filled in for a sound mixer on an indie feature. - [Daily Production Report Template With Exhibit G Cast Times](https://storiara.com/templates/daily-production-report): A free daily production report (DPR) template: times, scenes and pages to date, setups, cast times that match the SAG-AFTRA Exhibit G, background, media, and delays. - [Day Out of Days Template With Standard DOOD Codes](https://storiara.com/templates/day-out-of-days): A free day out of days (DOOD) template using SW, W, H, WF, SWF, T, R, PW, and D codes, with totals per performer and per day. Filled in for a 12-day feature. - [Documentary Budget Template: A $180,000 Feature Doc (Free XLSX)](https://storiara.com/templates/documentary-budget): A free documentary budget template with research, a small field crew, an 18-week edit, archival licensing, E&O, and contingency, filled in for a $180,000 feature. - [Film Budget Template With a Full Chart of Accounts (Free XLSX)](https://storiara.com/templates/film-budget): A free film budget template laid out by account, from 1000-series above the line to 5000-series other costs, with fringes and contingency for a $450,000 feature. - [Film Cash Flow Schedule Template (Free XLSX, Weekly and Monthly)](https://storiara.com/templates/cash-flow-schedule): A free film cash flow schedule template that spreads a $450,000 budget across pre-prep, prep, shoot, wrap, and post, with funding draws and weekly cash on hand. - [Film Equipment Checklist Template by Department (Free XLSX)](https://storiara.com/templates/equipment-checklist): A free film equipment checklist with camera, grip, electric, and sound sections, real item names, quantities, and check-out and return columns for a 12-day indie. - [Film Production Calendar Template: Prep, Shoot, and Wrap](https://storiara.com/templates/production-calendar): A free film production calendar template covering prep weeks, shoot days, days off, and wrap, with key milestones and department start dates. XLSX, CSV, or PDF. - [Film Prop List Template with Scenes and Costs (Free XLSX)](https://storiara.com/templates/prop-list): A free film prop list template with hero and dupe counts, scenes, character, source, estimated cost, and safety notes, filled in for a 12-day indie feature. - [Hot Cost Report Template for Film Production (Free XLSX)](https://storiara.com/templates/hot-cost-report): A free hot cost report template comparing one shoot day's budget to actuals: schedule vs. actual times, cost variances by account, running overage, and known costs ahead. - [Indie Film Budget Template: $450,000 Feature, Line by Line](https://storiara.com/templates/indie-film-budget): A free indie film budget template with every line of a $450,000, 12-day feature: cast from the DOOD, crew day rates with overtime, fringes, travel, post, and contingency. - [Location Release Form Template for Film (Free XLSX, CSV, PDF)](https://storiara.com/templates/location-release-form): A free film location release form with property and owner fields, fee math, and plain-language clause rows, filled in for a salvage yard on an indie shoot. - [Music Video Budget Template: A $25,000 Example (Free XLSX)](https://storiara.com/templates/music-video-budget): A free music video budget template for a one-day shoot: director fee, crew, playback, picture car, location, edit, color, cutdowns, and contingency for $25,000. - [One-Line Schedule Template (Free XLSX, CSV, PDF)](https://storiara.com/templates/one-line-schedule): A free one-line schedule template that fits a whole film shoot on a few pages: one line per scene, day headers, and page totals. Filled in for a 12-day feature. - [Petty Cash Log Template for Film Productions (Free XLSX and PDF)](https://storiara.com/templates/petty-cash-log): A free film petty cash log template with float details, receipt-by-receipt entries coded to budget accounts, a running balance, reconciliation, and sign-offs. - [Pre-Production Checklist Template With Owners and Due Dates](https://storiara.com/templates/pre-production-checklist): A free film pre-production checklist template organized by prep week, with an owner, due date, status, and notes for each task. Filled in for a 12-day indie feature. - [Script Breakdown Sheet Template (Free XLSX, CSV, PDF)](https://storiara.com/templates/script-breakdown-sheet): A free script breakdown sheet template with the scene header, page count in eighths, and every standard element category with its color, filled in for a stunt scene. - [Shooting Schedule Template With Breakdown Elements (Free)](https://storiara.com/templates/shooting-schedule): A free shooting schedule template that lists every scene by shoot day with pages, script day, cast, and breakdown elements. Download as XLSX, CSV, or PDF. - [Short Film Budget Template: A Real $8,000 Example (Free XLSX)](https://storiara.com/templates/short-film-budget): A free short film budget template using feature-style account numbers, filled in for an $8,000, 3-day short with paid cast and crew, fringes, insurance, and contingency. - [Shot List Template for Film With Time Estimates (Free)](https://storiara.com/templates/shot-list): A free film shot list template with shot size, angle, movement, lens, cast, sound, and minutes per setup, filled in for a two-location shoot day. XLSX, CSV, or PDF. - [Storyboard Template for Film With Shot and Camera Notes](https://storiara.com/templates/storyboard): A free film storyboard template: numbered panels with a frame box, action, dialogue and sound, camera, cast or double, and screen time, filled in for a fight scene. - [Stripboard Template for Film Scheduling (XLSX, CSV, PDF)](https://storiara.com/templates/stripboard): A free stripboard template with color-coded scene strips, day breaks, banners, and a cast ID header, filled in for the first week of a 12-day indie feature. - [Talent Release Form Template for Film (Free XLSX, CSV, PDF)](https://storiara.com/templates/talent-release-form): A free talent release form for film with performer fields, a minor and guardian block, and plain-language rights rows, filled in for background on an indie shoot. - [Wardrobe Breakdown Template for Film (Free XLSX, CSV, PDF)](https://storiara.com/templates/wardrobe-breakdown): A free wardrobe breakdown template with character changes, story days, multiples, a scene-by-scene change chart, background notes, and fittings for an indie feature. - [Wrap Report Template for Film Production (Free XLSX, CSV, PDF)](https://storiara.com/templates/wrap-report): A free film wrap report template comparing scheduled and actual days and pages, with cast, locations, equipment returns, incidents, and open items for close-out. ## Free tools - [Audio Parser: Rename Sound Files From the Spoken Slate](https://storiara.com/tools/audio-parser): Upload audio takes and the parser listens for the spoken scene, shot, and take numbers, lets you correct them, and downloads files renamed to match. - [Crew Rate Lookup: Union Minimums by Film Role](https://storiara.com/tools/crew-rate-lookup): Search published union minimum rates for film crew roles by role, union local, or department, with the effective date and a link to each rate sheet. - [Day Out of Days Generator With SW, W, H, and WF Codes](https://storiara.com/tools/dood-generator): Click the days each cast member works and the generator fills in SW, W, H, WF, and SWF codes, counts work and hold days, and exports the grid as a CSV. - [Film Budget Estimator: A Top Sheet From Your Assumptions](https://storiara.com/tools/film-budget-estimator): Build a top-sheet level film budget from shoot days, crew size, day rates, cast weeks, and percentages for fringes, post, insurance, and contingency. - [Film Incentive Calculator: Estimate a Tax Credit or Rebate](https://storiara.com/tools/incentive-calculator): Estimate a film tax credit or cash rebate from your budget and local qualifying spend, using each program's base rate, uplift, minimum spend, and per-project cap. - [Meal Penalty Calculator for IATSE and SAG-AFTRA Schedules](https://storiara.com/tools/meal-penalty-calculator): Work out meal penalties per person and for the whole crew from call time, meal time, and the half-hour penalty schedule for IATSE or SAG-AFTRA. - [Overtime Calculator for Film Crew Day Pay](https://storiara.com/tools/overtime-calculator): Calculate a crew member's gross for one day from an hourly rate, hours worked, a guarantee, time-and-a-half and double-time thresholds, and sixth or seventh day. - [Page Count Calculator for Script Eighths and Shoot Days](https://storiara.com/tools/page-count-calculator): Add up scene lengths in eighths of a page, get the total in pages and decimals, and see how many shoot days that is at your pages-per-day pace. - [Shoot Days Estimator: How Many Days Your Script Needs](https://storiara.com/tools/shoot-days-estimator): Estimate shoot days from script pages, a pages-per-day pace, night pages, company moves, and contingency, with every adjustment shown so you can argue with it. - [Shooting Ratio Calculator: Footage Hours and Storage Needed](https://storiara.com/tools/shooting-ratio-calculator): Turn runtime, shooting ratio, camera count, and recording data rate into hours of footage and terabytes of camera originals, total and per shoot day. - [Stripboard Color Legend: What Each Strip Color Means](https://storiara.com/tools/stripboard-color-legend): An interactive key to stripboard colors: white for INT day, yellow for EXT day, blue for INT night, green for EXT night, black day breaks, and banner strips. - [Sunrise and Sunset Planner for Shoot Days and Golden Hour](https://storiara.com/tools/sunrise-sunset-planner): See first light, sunrise, golden hour, sunset, last light, and hours of daylight for seven days at a filming location, in the location's local time. - [Turnaround Calculator: Earliest Legal Call After Wrap](https://storiara.com/tools/turnaround-calculator): Enter wrap time and a rest period (12 hours SAG-AFTRA, 10 or 9 hours IATSE, or your own) to get the earliest next call and whether tomorrow's call is short. ## Software comparisons - [Celtx vs Final Draft: Screenwriting and Production Tools Compared](https://storiara.com/compare/celtx-vs-final-draft): Final Draft is the desktop screenwriting standard with a perpetual license. Celtx is a cloud writing studio with optional breakdown, schedule, budget and call sheets. - [Filmustage vs StudioBinder: AI Breakdown or Production Suite?](https://storiara.com/compare/filmustage-vs-studiobinder): Filmustage automates breakdown, scheduling and budget templates with AI and exports to Movie Magic. StudioBinder leads on writing, visual planning and call sheets. - [Movie Magic vs Gorilla: Scheduling and Budgeting Compared](https://storiara.com/compare/movie-magic-vs-gorilla): Movie Magic is the studio standard with sub-boards and MMB. Gorilla costs less, runs on desktop or in a browser, and exports to Movie Magic. Prices and features compared. - [Showbiz Budgeting vs Movie Magic Budgeting: Which to Buy?](https://storiara.com/compare/showbiz-vs-movie-magic-budgeting): Movie Magic Budgeting is the studio default, sold by subscription. Showbiz Budgeting 10 is a $399 two-install purchase with actuals, POs and petty cash built in. - [Storiara vs Assemble: Script Breakdown or Project Timeline?](https://storiara.com/compare/assemble): Assemble puts tasks, files, approvals and documents on a shared calendar. Storiara turns a script into a breakdown, stripboard, cast DOOD, budget and call sheets. - [Storiara vs Cinapse: AD Scheduling Tool or Script-to-Budget Prep?](https://storiara.com/compare/cinapse): Cinapse is a collaborative scheduling app for ADs, billed per shoot day and now part of Wrapbook. Storiara adds AI breakdown, a budget and call sheets to the board. - [Storiara vs Croogloo: Prep Planning or Production Office Kits?](https://storiara.com/compare/croogloo): Croogloo sells kits for sides, crew time reports and distribution. Storiara plans the shoot: breakdown, stripboard, cast DOOD, budget and call sheets from a script. - [Storiara vs Dramatify: Script-First Indie Prep or a Broadcast Suite?](https://storiara.com/compare/dramatify): Dramatify covers drama, rundowns, time sheets and DPRs for crews of five or more. Storiara builds breakdown, stripboard, DOOD, budget and call sheets from a script. - [Storiara vs Final Draft Tagging: Do You Need Both for Prep?](https://storiara.com/compare/final-draft): Final Draft tags elements and runs scene, cast and tag reports but has no stripboard. Storiara imports the .fdx and builds the board, DOOD, budget and call sheets. - [Storiara vs Google Sheets or Excel for Film Pre-Production](https://storiara.com/compare/google-sheets): A Google Sheets or Excel workbook can hold a breakdown, stripboard, DOOD and budget for free. Here's where it breaks when pages change, and when Storiara fits. - [Storiara vs Hot Budget: AICP Bids or Script-to-Shoot Planning?](https://storiara.com/compare/hot-budget): Hot Budget is an Excel for Mac workbook for AICP commercial bids and actuals. Storiara plans scripted shoots from breakdown to call sheets. Which fits your job. - [Storiara vs Manual Pre-Production: Paper Strips or Software?](https://storiara.com/compare/manual-pre-production): Colored pencils, breakdown sheets, paper strips and a spreadsheet budget still work. Here's what doing prep by hand costs you, and what Storiara changes. - [Storiara vs Notion for Film Pre-Production: What Each Handles](https://storiara.com/compare/notion): Notion is a flexible workspace for prep docs, contacts and task boards, but it has no stripboard, DOOD or page eighths. How it compares with Storiara, with real costs. - [Storiara vs Saturation: Planning Budget or Production Finance?](https://storiara.com/compare/saturation): Saturation is cloud budgeting with actuals, expense cards, approvals and cost reports. Storiara estimates a budget from your script, stripboard and cast days. - [Storiara vs Scenechronize: Indie Prep or Studio Script Control?](https://storiara.com/compare/scenechronize): Scenechronize is EP's secure digital production office for sides, script revisions and document distribution. Storiara builds indie prep paperwork from a script. - [Storiara vs SetHero: Call Sheet Specialist or Script-First Prep?](https://storiara.com/compare/sethero): SetHero sends call sheets by text and email and tracks who confirmed. Storiara builds breakdown, stripboard, DOOD, budget and call sheets from one script. - [Storiara vs Showbiz Budgeting: Script Estimate or Full Ledger?](https://storiara.com/compare/showbiz-budgeting): Showbiz Budgeting 10 is desktop budgeting with actuals, POs, globals and fringes. Storiara estimates a budget from your script, schedule and cast day counts. - [Storiara vs Wrapbook: Planning the Shoot vs Paying the Crew](https://storiara.com/compare/wrapbook): Wrapbook runs payroll, onboarding, timecards and production accounting. Storiara plans the shoot from the script. How the two fit, and where neither overlaps. - [StudioBinder vs Celtx: Which Production Suite Fits Your Team?](https://storiara.com/compare/studiobinder-vs-celtx): Celtx adds a budget and published prices to its writing-first suite. StudioBinder leads on call sheet delivery, mood boards and task boards. Here's how they compare. - [StudioBinder vs Movie Magic Scheduling: Which Should You Use?](https://storiara.com/compare/studiobinder-vs-movie-magic): Movie Magic Scheduling is the desktop board studios expect, with sub-boards and conflict checks. StudioBinder is a web suite with auto-sorted strips and call sheets. - [Yamdu vs StudioBinder: Which Production Platform Should You Pick?](https://storiara.com/compare/yamdu-vs-studiobinder): Yamdu adds budgeting, time cards, a mobile app and Movie Magic and Showbiz links, from $45 a month. StudioBinder leads on writing, visual planning and call sheets. ## Alternatives - [Best Assemble Alternatives for Film Production](https://storiara.com/alternatives/assemble): Seven Assemble alternatives for film and video teams that need script breakdowns, stripboards, and call sheets alongside tasks, with current pricing for each. - [Best Celtx Alternatives for Film Production](https://storiara.com/alternatives/celtx): Seven Celtx alternatives for writers and producers, compared on writing tools, breakdown and scheduling features, platforms, and what each plan costs today. - [Best Filmustage Alternatives for Film Production](https://storiara.com/alternatives/filmustage): Seven Filmustage alternatives compared on AI breakdown, stripboard control, file exports, and pricing, including options that skip AI coins entirely. - [Best Gorilla Scheduling Alternatives for Film Production](https://storiara.com/alternatives/gorilla-scheduling): Seven Gorilla Scheduling alternatives compared for ADs and producers: collaboration, call sheets, AI breakdown, Movie Magic compatibility, and today's prices. - [Best Movie Magic Scheduling Alternatives for Film Production](https://storiara.com/alternatives/movie-magic-scheduling): Seven Movie Magic Scheduling alternatives for ADs and producers, compared on stripboard features, file compatibility, collaboration, and current pricing. - [Best SetHero Alternatives for Call Sheets and Production](https://storiara.com/alternatives/sethero): Seven SetHero alternatives compared on call sheet delivery, whether they also schedule, project and crew limits, and current pricing for film and video teams. - [Best StudioBinder Alternatives for Film Production](https://storiara.com/alternatives/studiobinder): Eight StudioBinder alternatives compared on price, platform, and scheduling depth, from Storiara and Gorilla to Movie Magic Scheduling and SetHero. - [Best Yamdu Alternatives for Film Production](https://storiara.com/alternatives/yamdu): Seven Yamdu alternatives for productions that need less software or a different price model, compared on scheduling, call sheets, seats, and pricing. ## Solutions - [Budgeting and Scheduling Software for Line Producers](https://storiara.com/solutions/line-producers): How line producers build a first budget from the script, keep cast days tied to the schedule, and test incentive assumptions before the numbers go to financiers. - [Casting and Availability Software for Casting Directors](https://storiara.com/solutions/casting-directors): How casting directors estimate work days from the script, collect actor availability in one format, and keep offers in step with the shooting schedule. - [Film Pre-Production Software for Film Schools and Instructors](https://storiara.com/solutions/film-schools): How film school instructors run pre-production courses in Storiara with class join codes, assignments with due dates, and student project submissions. - [Film Pre-Production Software for Independent Producers](https://storiara.com/solutions/producers): How producers pull a day count, a first budget, and incentive estimates from a script before hiring a line producer, and keep one version of the project. - [Film Production Software for Commercials](https://storiara.com/solutions/commercials): How commercial producers go from agency boards to an AICP bid, a shot-based schedule, and call sheets that work for crew, agency, and client on the same set. - [Film Production Software for Corporate Video](https://storiara.com/solutions/corporate-video): How corporate video producers plan shoots inside working offices: executive time windows, employee releases, legal approvals, and a call sheet the client can read. - [Film Production Software for Documentaries](https://storiara.com/solutions/documentaries): How documentary producers plan interview days, verite shoots, b-roll, and archival clearances from an outline, and budget a film whose story changes as you shoot. - [Film Production Software for Indie Feature Films](https://storiara.com/solutions/indie-feature-films): How indie features plan a shoot: breakdown, stripboard, cast day counts, budget and incentives, and call sheets, with the paperwork that decides whether you finish. - [Film Production Software for Music Videos](https://storiara.com/solutions/music-videos): How music video producers plan from a treatment: performance passes, playback, artist looks, locations, and a fixed budget, with the shot list doing a script's job. - [Film Production Software for Nonprofit Films](https://storiara.com/solutions/nonprofit-films): How nonprofit film producers plan shoots at program sites: informed consent from the people served, grant-ready budgets, fixed gala deadlines, and multiple cutdowns. - [Film Production Software for Short Films](https://storiara.com/solutions/short-films): How to plan a short film shoot: realistic pages per day, favors and free locations, a small budget that holds, releases, and call sheets for a volunteer crew. - [Film Production Software for Student Films](https://storiara.com/solutions/student-films): How student film crews plan around class schedules, equipment checkout, school approvals, and releases, and how instructors run production assignments in Storiara. - [Film Production Software for Unscripted and Reality TV](https://storiara.com/solutions/unscripted-reality): How unscripted and reality producers plan shoots from a format bible: multicam units, participant releases, story beats, location logistics, and data-heavy post. - [Film Production Software for Vertical Dramas](https://storiara.com/solutions/vertical-dramas): How vertical drama producers plan a season of short episodes: high page counts per day, story-day wardrobe continuity, 9:16 framing, and fast call sheet turnaround. - [Film Production Software for Web Series](https://storiara.com/solutions/web-series): How web series producers cross-board a season, number scenes by episode, track wardrobe continuity across episodes, and keep recurring cast day counts under control. - [Location Management Software for Film Location Managers](https://storiara.com/solutions/location-managers): How location managers map script sets to real addresses, hold dates against a moving schedule, plan crew parking, and hand clean details to the call sheet. - [Pre-Production Software for Film Production Companies](https://storiara.com/solutions/production-companies): How production companies keep scripts, schedules, budgets, and crew access consistent across a slate of features, commercials, and documentaries. - [Pre-Production Software for Unit Production Managers](https://storiara.com/solutions/production-managers): How UPMs read the stripboard for cost, rent specialty gear against the days it's used, track crew deals, and keep the prep calendar from slipping. - [Script Breakdown Software for Screenwriters and Writer-Producers](https://storiara.com/solutions/screenwriters): How screenwriters prepare a draft for production: consistent scene headings, knowing which pages cost money, and reading page counts the way an AD does. - [Shot List and Prep Software for Film Directors](https://storiara.com/solutions/directors): How directors count setups before the schedule locks, build a shot list the 1st AD can board, and keep location picks and notes with the project. - [Stripboard and Scheduling Software for First Assistant Directors](https://storiara.com/solutions/first-assistant-directors): How 1st ADs move from the first script read to a locked one-line in prep, balance pages across a week, and absorb revisions without losing the board. ## Integrations - [Backstage import: add actors to Cast & Crew from a profile link](https://storiara.com/integrations/backstage): Paste a Backstage profile URL into Storiara to pre-fill a cast or crew member's name, headshot, and union status. Email and phone still need to be typed in. - [Final Draft import: what carries over from an .fdx file](https://storiara.com/integrations/final-draft): Storiara reads Final Draft .fdx files and builds scenes, characters, locations, and props from them. It is import only, with no export back to Final Draft. - [Google Calendar availability import for cast and crew](https://storiara.com/integrations/google-calendar): Cast and crew can fill Storiara's availability form from their Google Calendar busy times. The import is read-only and never adds shoot days to any calendar. - [Microsoft Word script import: using .docx files in Storiara](https://storiara.com/integrations/microsoft-word): Storiara imports screenplays saved as Word .docx files, reads the text, and splits scenes on INT. and EXT. headings. Older .doc files and exports are not supported. - [PDF script import: page counts, eighths, and scene detection](https://storiara.com/integrations/pdf-scripts): Storiara imports screenplay PDFs with a text layer, keeps your original pages in the script viewer, and measures each scene in eighths from where headings sit. - [Spreadsheet import: CSV and XLSX into locations, cast, crew, gear](https://storiara.com/integrations/spreadsheet-import): Upload a CSV or XLSX file to Storiara and it maps your columns to Locations, Cast, Crew, or Equipment fields, then lets you review each row before importing. ## Guides - [Above the Line vs Below the Line: Where Every Film Cost Belongs](https://storiara.com/blog/above-the-line-vs-below-the-line-how-film-budgets-are-structured): Above-the-line film costs are rights, writers, producers, director, and cast; below-the-line is crew, gear, locations, and post. Here's where the gray-area lines go. - [Above-the-Line Costs on a Micro-Budget Film: What to Pay For](https://storiara.com/blog/above-the-line-costs-micro-budget): How to budget above-the-line costs on a micro-budget film: rights, producers, director, and cast, with SAG-AFTRA agreement limits and two worked examples. - [Advance Call Sheets: When to Send Them and What Goes On Them](https://storiara.com/blog/advance-call-sheets): What an advance call sheet is, when a standalone advance is worth sending, how departments use it, and how to handle changes between the advance and the final sheet. - [AI Script Breakdown: What It Gets Right and What to Check](https://storiara.com/blog/ai-script-breakdown): What AI script breakdown tools reliably extract, what they miss or invent, a scene compared against a human breakdown, and a review checklist before trusting the output. - [Atlanta Film Permits: City Fees, Closures, and Notification](https://storiara.com/blog/film-permit-atlanta): How City of Atlanta film permits work: FilmApp, the $100 application and $300 monthly permit fees, closure lead times, $1M insurance, and three-block notice. - [Best Call Sheet Software for Film Productions in 2026](https://storiara.com/blog/best-call-sheet-software): Eight call sheet tools compared on delivery, confirmations, weather, and September 2026 pricing: Storiara, StudioBinder, SetHero, Filmustage, Yamdu, and more. - [Best Film and TV Scheduling Software, Reviewed (2026)](https://storiara.com/blog/top-10-film-scheduling-software): We compared 10 film scheduling tools on stripboards, Day Out of Days reports, script import, and verified September 2026 prices, from Storiara to Movie Magic. - [Best Film and Video Production Management Software (2026)](https://storiara.com/blog/top-10-film-production-management-software): Ten film and video production management tools compared on script breakdown, stripboards, budgets, call sheets, mobile apps, and prices checked September 2026. - [Best Film Budgeting Software for Producers in 2026](https://storiara.com/blog/best-film-budgeting-software): Eight film budgeting tools compared on fringes, actuals, incentives, exports, and September 2026 prices: Storiara, Movie Magic Budgeting, Showbiz, Saturation, and more. - [Best Free Film Production Software, and What Free Includes](https://storiara.com/blog/best-free-film-production-software): Eight free film production tools checked in September 2026, with the real limits of each free plan: projects, seats, AI, exports, and when you'll have to pay. - [Best Production Software for Film Schools and Programs](https://storiara.com/blog/best-production-software-for-film-schools): Seven pre-production tools for film schools compared on class management, student access, industry formats, and verified September 2026 education pricing. - [Best Script Breakdown Software for Film and TV in 2026](https://storiara.com/blog/best-script-breakdown-software): Eight script breakdown tools compared on import formats, AI tagging, element categories, exports, and September 2026 prices, from Storiara and Filmustage to Movie Magic. - [Best States for Film Tax Incentives, Ranked for Indie Budgets](https://storiara.com/blog/best-states-for-film-tax-incentives): Ten US film incentive programs ranked on net cash for a $2M indie feature, plus caps, minimums, and paperwork. New York upstate, Kentucky, and Illinois lead. - [Block Shooting vs Cross-Boarding: How to Choose for a Series](https://storiara.com/blog/block-shooting-vs-cross-boarding): Block shooting groups episodes into blocks; cross-boarding mixes their scenes on one board. A worked 6-episode example shows location visits, cast days, and risks. - [Breaking Down Stunts, SFX, and VFX in One Action Scene](https://storiara.com/blog/breaking-down-stunts-sfx-and-vfx): A worked breakdown of one action scene split into stunts, practical effects, and visual effects, with who owns each moment, safety bulletins, and schedule impact. - [Call Sheet Abbreviations: What SW, NDB, W/N, and BG Mean](https://storiara.com/blog/call-sheet-abbreviations): A plain glossary of call sheet abbreviations: cast status codes like SW and WF, time terms like NDB and W/N, scene shorthand, background, departments, and logistics. - [Chicago Film Permits: Chicago Film Office Fees and Lead Times](https://storiara.com/blog/film-permit-chicago): How Chicago film permits work: $250 per day per location, four to ten business days of review, $1M insurance naming the City, 48-hour leaflets, and police rates. - [Company Moves on a Film Shoot: Planning, Timing, and Cost](https://storiara.com/blog/company-moves-planning-and-cost): How to time a company move minute by minute, price it against camera hours, decide when to keep or remove it from the board, and put it on the call sheet. - [Completion Bonds Explained: How a Film Completion Guarantee Works](https://storiara.com/blog/completion-bonds-explained): How a film completion bond works: who requires it, what the guarantor reviews, the bond documents, how contingency is used first, and a worked overage scenario. - [Cover Sets and Weather Cover: How to Plan for Bad Weather Days](https://storiara.com/blog/cover-sets-and-weather-cover): Build a weather cover plan for exterior days: pick and rank cover sets, price the holds, set decision deadlines, and re-board the pages a rain day costs you. - [Crew Deal Memos: What Goes in Them and How to Negotiate Terms](https://storiara.com/blog/crew-deal-memos): What a crew deal memo should cover, how the rate basis changes real pay, which terms are worth negotiating, and the clauses that start arguments at the first payroll. - [Daily Production Report: What Goes In It and Why It Matters](https://storiara.com/blog/daily-production-report-guide): What goes in a daily production report: page and scene counts with the math, cast and crew times, delays, safety meetings, incidents, and who signs it. - [Day Out of Days Template: How to Build a DOOD for Your Film](https://storiara.com/blog/day-out-of-days-template): Build a day out of days (DOOD) from your shooting schedule: what SW, W, H, WF, SWF, T, D, and PU mean, how to fill each cell, total paid days, and cut holds. - [DGA Low Budget Agreement: Budget Levels, Rates, and Terms](https://storiara.com/blog/dga-low-budget-agreement): The DGA Low Budget Sideletter covers theatrical films up to $11 million. See each budget level's director and AD/UPM rates for 2026-27, prep minimums, and fringe terms. - [Digital Call Sheets vs PDF: Which Works Better on Set](https://storiara.com/blog/digital-call-sheets-vs-pdf): Digital call sheet links and PDF call sheets compared on revisions, dead zones, privacy, printing, and record keeping, with a late-night revision example for each. - [Documentary Script Breakdown: Interviews, B-Roll, and Archive](https://storiara.com/blog/documentary-script-breakdown): How to break down a documentary with no finished script: turn the outline into shoot blocks, then list subjects, releases, b-roll, archival clearances, and gear. - [Doubling Locations: How Georgia and New Zealand Play Somewhere Else](https://storiara.com/blog/doubling-locations-how-georgia-and-new-zealand-become-new-york-and-the-moon): Location doubling means shooting one place to read as another: Atlanta for Queens, Otago for Montana. How scouts, art, and VFX sell it, and what it saves. - [Exhibit G Walkthrough: Filling In the SAG-AFTRA Time Report](https://storiara.com/blog/exhibit-g-walkthrough): A column-by-column walkthrough of the SAG-AFTRA Exhibit G production time report, with a filled-in shoot day and the meal, rest, and signature checks to run before wrap. - [Exhibit G: Tracking Cast Time and SAG-AFTRA Compliance](https://storiara.com/blog/exhibit-g-tracking-cast-time-and-sag-aftra-compliance): How to keep a SAG-AFTRA Exhibit G: every column on the form, a filled-in shoot day with meal penalty and turnaround math, deadlines, and the errors that become claims. - [Extras Breakdown: How to Count Background Actors Scene by Scene](https://storiara.com/blog/extras-breakdown): How to build an extras breakdown: turn vague action lines into counts, split featured from general background, track matching faces, and total person-days per shoot day. - [Film Budget Assumptions: How to Keep From Running Out of Money](https://storiara.com/blog/film-budgeting-and-critical-assumptions-how-to-not-run-out-of-money): Every film budget rests on assumptions about days, hours, deals, exchange rates, and incentives. Write them down, price what happens if each one breaks, and fund it. - [Film Budget Contingency: How Much to Carry and How to Use It](https://storiara.com/blog/film-budget-contingency): How to set a film budget contingency: choosing the base, testing 10% against a real risk list, tracking draws week by week, and how contingency interacts with union caps. - [Film Budget Fringes: Payroll Taxes, P&H, and How to Budget Them](https://storiara.com/blog/film-budget-fringes): How to budget fringes on a film: payroll tax rates and wage caps, SAG-AFTRA and DGA percentages, IATSE hourly contributions, and worked examples for each. - [Film Budget Top Sheet Explained: How to Read Every Line](https://storiara.com/blog/film-budget-top-sheet-explained): What each block of a film budget top sheet means, how the totals roll up from detail, where fringes, contingency, and bond fees sit, and the errors that make it useless. - [Film Budgeting Software Compared: Movie Magic, Showbiz, and More](https://storiara.com/blog/film-budgeting-software-compared): Movie Magic Budgeting, Showbiz Budgeting, Hot Budget, Saturation, StudioBinder, and Storiara compared on current pricing, platforms, features, and cost tracking. - [Film Call Sheet Example, Annotated Section by Section](https://storiara.com/blog/call-sheet-example-annotated): A filled-in film call sheet for one shoot day, annotated block by block: why the call is 10:00 AM, how cast times were worked back, and what each note prevents. - [Film Chart of Accounts: Budget Account Numbers, With Examples](https://storiara.com/blog/film-chart-of-accounts): A sample film chart of accounts from 1100 to 6800: how the numbering works, how to code invoices, time cards, and petty cash, and the mistakes that break reports. - [Film Crew Day Rates: Union Minimums and Setting Non-Union Pay](https://storiara.com/blog/film-crew-day-rates): Union minimum day rates for film crew by position and region, converted to 12-hour days, plus how to set and budget non-union rates without getting the overtime wrong. - [Film Crew Per Diem: Rates, GSA Tables, and How to Budget It](https://storiara.com/blog/film-crew-per-diem): How to set and budget film crew per diem: FY2027 GSA meal and lodging rates, travel-day math, meal deductions, SAG-AFTRA background per diem, and the tax line to watch. - [Film Crew Time Cards: How to Fill Them In and Get Paid Right](https://storiara.com/blog/film-crew-time-cards): How film crew time cards work: what to record each day, who signs, how payroll turns hours into overtime and meal premiums, and a worked California week for a PA. - [Film Grants for Independent Filmmakers: Amounts and Deadlines](https://storiara.com/blog/film-grants-for-independent-filmmakers): Ten film grants checked on their own sites in September 2026, with amounts, eligibility, and the next deadline, plus how to budget and apply for grant money. - [Film P&L for Investors: What to Show and How to Present It](https://storiara.com/blog/film-pl-for-investors): Investors read a film P&L for their own return: position in the waterfall, multiple, timing, and downside. A worked $2M example with three cases and an IRR. - [Film P&L Projection: How to Model Revenue, Costs, and Break-Even](https://storiara.com/blog/the-p-l-projection-predicting-the-success-of-your-film): A film P&L projection estimates revenue by territory and window, subtracts fees, P&A, and the net budget, and shows the break-even point under low, base, and high cases. - [Film Permits in Los Angeles: FilmLA Fees, Deadlines, Insurance](https://storiara.com/blog/film-permit-los-angeles): How to get a City of Los Angeles film permit through FilmLA: the $931 application fee, the three-business-day deadline, $1M insurance, posting, and the Low Impact tier. - [Film Production Budget Template: How to Fill One In, Line by Line](https://storiara.com/blog/film-production-budget-template): How to fill in a film production budget template: set globals and fringes first, price each line as amount x units x rate, and avoid the errors that break totals. - [Film Production Paperwork Guide: Every Form, Phase by Phase](https://storiara.com/blog/film-production-paperwork-guide): Every piece of film production paperwork a student or indie shoot needs, from rights and releases to call sheets, production reports, and delivery, with who signs what. - [Film Rebates vs Tax Credits: Which Incentive Type Nets More Cash](https://storiara.com/blog/film-rebates-vs-tax-credits-which-one-is-best-for-your-production): Cash rebates, refundable credits, and transferable credits can carry the same rate and deliver different cash. Compare them on net amount, timing, and certainty. - [Filming in Public Without a Permit: What the Rules Actually Say](https://storiara.com/blog/filming-in-public-without-a-permit): When you can film in public without a permit in NYC, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, London, and US national parks, what triggers a permit, and the risks. - [Filming Location Rental Cost: What You Pay Beyond the Day Rate](https://storiara.com/blog/filming-location-rental-cost): What filming locations cost: how private owners price prep, shoot, and hold days, published public location fees in LA, NYC, and London, and the hidden lines. - [Filming Permission in London: Film London and Borough Rules](https://storiara.com/blog/film-permit-london): How filming permission works in London: Borough Film Services, small crew rules, Notices of No Objection, £2M liability cover, lead times, and 2026 borough fees. - [Free Film Production Software for Students: What Each Tier Gets](https://storiara.com/blog/free-film-production-software-for-students): Free and student tiers of StudioBinder, Celtx, Filmustage, WriterDuet, Fade In, Trelby, DaVinci Resolve, Storiara, and more, checked on each product's own site. - [From Script to Call Sheet in Storiara: A Full Walkthrough](https://storiara.com/blog/script-to-call-sheet-walkthrough): A step-by-step Storiara walkthrough from uploaded script to emailed call sheet: scenes, cast linked to characters, locations, the stripboard, and Callsheets. - [Hot Costs vs Cost Reports: What Each One Tells a Producer](https://storiara.com/blog/hot-costs-vs-cost-reports): Hot costs vs cost reports on a film: timing, scope, inputs, and audience, with one long shoot day traced from the daily hot sheet into the weekly cost report. - [How Film Tax Credits Work, From Application to Cash](https://storiara.com/blog/how-film-tax-credits-work): A film tax credit pays back a share of qualified local spend after an audit. See the steps, what counts, and a worked Illinois example from face value to cash. - [How Many Script Pages Can You Shoot in a Day on a Film Set?](https://storiara.com/blog/how-many-script-pages-can-you-shoot-in-a-day): Pages per day depends on setups, not page length. Work out your average, then test each day against setups, minutes per setup, and the camera hours you have. - [How Storiara Turns a Script Into a Stripboard, Step by Step](https://storiara.com/blog/how-storiara-turns-a-script-into-a-stripboard): What happens in Storiara between uploading a script and building a stripboard: scene parsing, page eighths, breakdown fixes, production dates, and the manual board. - [How to Become a SAG-AFTRA Signatory for Your Indie Film](https://storiara.com/blog/how-to-become-a-sag-aftra-signatory): Becoming a SAG-AFTRA signatory is free but takes weeks. What the application asks for, which documents to prepare, the security deposit, and a timeline that works. - [How to Break Down a Script in Final Draft 13 Using Tags](https://storiara.com/blog/how-to-break-down-a-script-in-final-draft): Step by step: number scenes, turn on Tags Mode, tag props and cast, link items to characters, customize categories, and run Tags reports in Final Draft 13. - [How to Budget a Commercial Shoot: The AICP Bid, Worked Through](https://storiara.com/blog/how-to-budget-a-commercial-shoot): How to budget a commercial shoot on the AICP bid form: the questions to ask before bidding, a two-day bid priced section by section, talent P&H, markup, and weather days. - [How to Budget a Documentary: Trips, Edit Weeks, and Archival](https://storiara.com/blog/how-to-budget-a-documentary): How to budget a feature documentary: research, shoot trips priced with GSA per diem rates, edit weeks driven by the shooting ratio, archival licensing, and E&O insurance. - [How to Budget a Music Video: A One-Day Shoot, Line by Line](https://storiara.com/blog/how-to-budget-a-music-video): How to budget a music video from the label's all-in number: a one-day stage shoot priced in bid-form sections, with fringes, production fee, and cuts. - [How to Build a Documentary Shooting Schedule (With an Example)](https://storiara.com/blog/documentary-shooting-schedule): A documentary schedule is built from subjects, events, and light, not script pages. See a six-week example with interview days, verité, b-roll, and holds. - [How to Calculate Film Script Page Counts in Eighths](https://storiara.com/blog/how-to-calculate-film-script-page-counts): Measure each scene in eighths of a page, add eighths into whole pages, check totals against the script, and use page counts to plan a shooting day, with worked math. - [How to Fill Out a Script Breakdown Sheet, Field by Field](https://storiara.com/blog/how-to-fill-out-a-script-breakdown-sheet): Fill out a script breakdown sheet field by field: the scene header, page count, script day, synopsis, and each element box, with a worked example scene start to finish. - [How to Finance an Indie Film: Building the Capital Stack](https://storiara.com/blog/how-to-finance-an-indie-film): Indie films are financed in layers: equity, incentives, pre-sales, gap loans, deferments, and grants. See the order to raise them and two worked finance plans. - [How to Hire a Film Crew: A Line Producer's Order of Operations](https://storiara.com/blog/how-to-hire-a-film-crew): Hire a film crew in the right order: department heads first, union status decided early, crew found through rosters and referrals, and paperwork signed before day one. - [How to Make a Call Sheet in Google Sheets (With Formulas)](https://storiara.com/blog/how-to-make-a-call-sheet-in-google-sheets): Build a film call sheet in Google Sheets: the tab layout, FILTER and XLOOKUP formulas that pull scenes and cast by day, page totals in eighths, and a rest check. - [How to Make a Film Call Sheet, Section by Section](https://storiara.com/blog/call-sheet-template-for-film): How a 2nd AD makes a film call sheet: what to put in each section, how to work out cast calls backward from set time, who signs off, and how to send it and revise it. - [How to Manage Production Costs With a Daily Hot Cost Report](https://storiara.com/blog/how-to-manage-production-costs-with-hot-costs): Build a daily hot cost from the production report, time cards, and Exhibit G, price the overages against the budget, and project the trend before the weekly cost report. - [How to Number a Film Script for Production (A and B Scenes)](https://storiara.com/blog/how-to-number-a-film-script-for-production): How to number scenes in a shooting script: when to do it, which headings get numbers, how to add A and B scenes, mark OMITTED, and lock pages once prep starts. - [How to Plan a Student Film in 30 Days: A Day-by-Day Plan](https://storiara.com/blog/how-to-plan-a-student-film-in-30-days): A 30-day pre-production plan for a student short: script lock, breakdown, budget, locations and permits, casting, crew, schedule, tech scout, and call sheets, in order. - [How to Plan a Vertical Drama Shoot, From Script to Shoot Days](https://storiara.com/blog/how-to-plan-a-vertical-drama-shoot): Plan a vertical drama shoot: number 60 episodes for production, count pages, group scenes by set, pick a page rate, and break the series into shoot days. - [How to Read a Film Call Sheet: A Guide for Cast and Crew](https://storiara.com/blog/how-to-read-a-film-call-sheet): How to read a film call sheet: your call vs crew call, shooting call, status codes like SW and WF, the advance schedule, and what to do when a revised sheet arrives. - [How to Read a Film Cost Report: Columns, Math, and Red Flags](https://storiara.com/blog/how-to-read-a-film-cost-report): How to read a film cost report: what each column means, how EFC and variance are calculated, the order to read it in, and warning signs in a sample week 3 report. - [How to Read a Stripboard: A Line-by-Line Guide for Crew](https://storiara.com/blog/how-to-read-a-stripboard): Learn to read a stripboard you've been handed: the cast ID header, every field on a strip, day break totals, and what two days of strips tell each department. - [How to Run a Shutdown Cost: Pricing a Hiatus vs a Full Stop](https://storiara.com/blog/how-to-run-a-shutdown-cost-for-film-production): A shutdown cost prices what it takes to pause or abandon a film mid-production: sunk costs, weekly holding costs, restart costs, and wind-down, net of insurance. - [How to Schedule a Short Film in One Weekend (With Call Times)](https://storiara.com/blog/how-to-schedule-a-short-film-in-one-weekend): A worked two-day schedule for an 11 4/8-page short: splitting pages, sunset timing, turnaround between Saturday night and Sunday, and full call times. - [How to Schedule Around Child Actors: California and New York Rules](https://storiara.com/blog/how-to-schedule-around-child-actors): Schedule minors inside California and New York limits on hours, school, rest, and time of day, with a worked school-day schedule for a 10-year-old actor. - [How to Set Call Times for a Film Shoot, Worked Back From Sunrise](https://storiara.com/blog/how-to-set-call-times): How ADs set call times: start from the first shot, back out setup and makeup, then check rest periods and meal timing. Worked example for a dawn exterior. - [How to Write a Film Business Plan Investors Will Read](https://storiara.com/blog/how-to-write-a-film-business-plan): What goes in a film business plan, section by section: summary, project, team, market, production plan, distribution, finance plan, returns, and risks, with examples. - [IATSE Low Budget Theatrical Agreement: Tiers and Crew Rates](https://storiara.com/blog/iatse-low-budget-theatrical-agreement): The IATSE Low Budget Theatrical Agreement sets crew rates by budget tier, from Ultra Low up to $3.3M to Tier 3 at $16.5M. See 2026 thresholds, rates, and budget math. - [Indie Feature Film Budget, Line by Line: A $1.48M Example](https://storiara.com/blog/indie-feature-budget-line-by-line): A line-by-line indie feature budget for a 20-day SAG-AFTRA Low Budget shoot, from story rights to deliverables, with fringes, contingency, and the math for each account. - [Indie Film Pre-Production Checklist: 12 Weeks to Day One](https://storiara.com/blog/indie-film-pre-production-checklist): An indie film pre-production checklist organized by weeks before day one: rights, hires, breakdown, schedule, budget, casting, locations, insurance, and the final week. - [Kit Rentals and Box Rentals: How to Budget and Pay Them](https://storiara.com/blog/kit-rentals-and-box-rentals): How kit and box rentals work on a film: typical departments, deal memo wording, inventories, why they stay off payroll, 1099 reporting, and a 5-week budget worked out. - [Location Release Forms: Who Signs, What to Negotiate, What Fails](https://storiara.com/blog/location-release-forms): How film location release forms work in practice: who has authority to sign, the terms owners push back on, tricky rentals and businesses, and how releases fail. - [Location Scouting Checklist: What to Check Before You Say Yes](https://storiara.com/blog/location-scouting-checklist): A location scouting checklist for film: script prep, sound, sun path, power, parking and base camp, load-in, permits, and the photos to take so nobody rescouts. - [Meal Penalties Explained: Union Rates, Non-Union Rules, and Math](https://storiara.com/blog/meal-penalties-explained): How meal penalties work for IATSE crew, SAG-AFTRA actors, and non-union crew in California, with current rates, grace and NDB rules, and a worked example for a full day. - [Movie Magic Scheduling Tutorial: Build Your First Stripboard](https://storiara.com/blog/movie-magic-scheduling-tutorial): Step-by-step Movie Magic Scheduling 10 tutorial: import a script, fill breakdown sheets, arrange strips, add day breaks and banners, and print a one-liner and DOOD. - [Music Video Script Breakdown: From Treatment to Shoot Plan](https://storiara.com/blog/music-video-script-breakdown): How to break down a music video treatment: map the song by timecode, split performance and story setups, list looks, playback, and gear, then group setups into a day. - [Navigating Film Unions: A Guide to the DGA, SAG-AFTRA, and IATSE](https://storiara.com/blog/navigating-film-unions-a-guide-to-the-dga-sag-aftra-and-iatse): How the DGA, SAG-AFTRA, IATSE, and Teamsters shape a production: who each covers, the rules that cost money on set, and how claims and grievances get filed. - [NYC Film Permits: MOME Rules, the $500 Fee, and Insurance](https://storiara.com/blog/film-permit-new-york-city): How New York City film permits work: when MOME requires one, the $500 fee per 14-day period, $1M insurance filed 48 hours ahead, deadlines, and resident notice. - [Pre-Sales and Minimum Guarantees: How Film Pre-Selling Works](https://storiara.com/blog/pre-sales-and-minimum-guarantees): How pre-sales turn a film package into bankable contracts: estimates, deal terms, the MG payment schedule, bank discounting, and the delivery issues that stall payment. - [SAG-AFTRA Low Budget Agreements: Which One Fits Your Film](https://storiara.com/blog/sag-aftra-low-budget-agreements): SAG-AFTRA has six agreements for indie projects, from Micro-Budget ($20,000) to Low Budget Theatrical ($2M). Compare caps, day rates, background rules, and release terms. - [Scene Numbering Rules for Shooting Scripts, With Edge Cases](https://storiara.com/blog/scene-numbering-rules): Scene numbering rules for production: when to number, what gets a number, A-scenes, omitted scenes, intercuts, montages, merged scenes, and Final Draft settings. - [Scheduling Night Shoots: Turnaround, Call Times, and the Flip](https://storiara.com/blog/scheduling-night-shoots): Plan a week of night shoots with real call-time math: the dark window, rest periods, how calls drift, flipping back to days, and why Monday gets pushed late. - [Script Breakdown Color Codes: The Chart and How to Mark a Script](https://storiara.com/blog/script-breakdown-color-codes): The standard script breakdown color chart (red cast, orange stunts, green extras, purple props), the symbols for wardrobe and makeup, and how to mark a real scene. - [Script Breakdown Example: One Scene From Page to Finished Sheet](https://storiara.com/blog/script-breakdown-example): A worked script breakdown example: a 5/8 page scene marked element by element, measured in eighths, and turned into a finished breakdown sheet and department lists. - [Script Revision Colors: The Order and How Revisions Move](https://storiara.com/blog/script-revision-colors): The script revision color order (white, blue, pink, yellow, green, goldenrod, buff, salmon, cherry, tan), how revised pages are marked, and who updates what. - [Shooting in Australia: Producer Offset vs Location Offset](https://storiara.com/blog/shooting-in-australia-navigating-the-producers-offset-and-location-offset): Australia's Location Offset pays 30% of QAPE from A$20m, the PDV Offset 30% from A$500,000, and the Producer Offset 40% for Australian features. You get one. - [Shooting Schedule Example: A Complete 5-Day Short Film Schedule](https://storiara.com/blog/shooting-schedule-example): A complete shooting schedule example for a 24 4/8-page short film: the full one-liner, a long-form day with elements, call times, and the cast day out of days. - [Shooting Schedule Mistakes That Cost Days, and How to Catch Them](https://storiara.com/blog/shooting-schedule-mistakes): Twelve common shooting schedule mistakes, from filling days by page count to turnaround math off camera wrap, each with a worked example and the check that catches it. - [Shooting Schedule Template: How to Lay Out Each Shoot Day](https://storiara.com/blog/shooting-schedule-template): How to format a shooting schedule template: the day header, scene rows, element lines, end-of-day strip, and totals, with a filled-in example day and a free download. - [Shooting Schedule: What It Is and How to Build One](https://storiara.com/blog/what-are-shooting-schedules): A shooting schedule puts every scene of a film into shoot days in the order they'll be filmed. Here's how a 1st AD builds one from the breakdown, step by step. - [Short Film Budget Breakdown: A $50,000 Short, Line by Line](https://storiara.com/blog/short-film-budget-breakdown): A worked short film budget for a 12-page, 3-day shoot: cast, crew, gear, locations, post, payroll taxes, and contingency, with the math shown for every line. - [Short-Form Series Budget: How to Budget a Vertical Series](https://storiara.com/blog/short-form-series-budget): How to budget a short-form or vertical series: which costs follow shoot days and which follow episodes, a quantity worksheet for a 60-episode shoot, and per-minute math. - [Storiara for First Assistant Directors: What It Does in Prep](https://storiara.com/blog/storiara-for-first-assistant-directors): What a 1st AD can hand to Storiara and what stays manual: the scene list and eighths, a drag-and-drop stripboard, Day-Out-Of-Days, call sheets, and the limits. - [Storiara for Line Producers: Budget, Schedule, and Incentives](https://storiara.com/blog/storiara-for-line-producers): How a line producer can use Storiara: a budget built from the breakdown and schedule, rate tables to verify, incentive estimates, and the gaps in cost tracking. - [Stripboard Colors Explained: What Each Strip Color Means](https://storiara.com/blog/stripboard-colors-explained): Stripboard colors follow INT/EXT and day/night: white, yellow, blue, green. How to color dawn, dusk, car and tented scenes, and what a week of colors tells you. - [Taft-Hartley Explained: Hiring Non-Union Actors on a SAG Film](https://storiara.com/blog/taft-hartley-explained): How Taft-Hartley works on a SAG-AFTRA production: preference of employment, valid reasons for a non-member hire, the 15-day report, damages, and the actor's 30 days. - [Television Greenlighting: Pilots, Series Orders, and Streaming Economics](https://storiara.com/blog/television-greenlighting-pilots-series-orders-and-streaming-economics): How TV series get greenlit: pilot orders vs straight-to-series, license fees and deficits, pattern budgets with worked math, and how streaming changed the economics. - [The Core Production Team: Who Runs a Film Set?](https://storiara.com/blog/the-core-production-team-who-runs-a-film-set): Who runs a film set: producers, the UPM, the 1st AD, the production office, accounting, and department heads, with the order they're hired and who reports to whom. - [The Cultural Test: How Films Qualify for International Incentives](https://storiara.com/blog/the-cultural-test-how-to-qualify-for-international-film-incentives): Cultural tests decide whether a film counts as national for incentive purposes. How the UK, Canada, France, and Australia score them, with worked point tallies. - [The Film Greenlight Process: How Studios Decide to Make a Movie](https://storiara.com/blog/the-film-greenlight-process-how-studios-decide-to-make-a-movie): How a film gets greenlit: the budget, cast, and schedule package, a greenlight P&L with worked numbers, how studios and streamers weigh risk, and what kills a deal. - [The Post-Production Workflow: From Editor's Assembly to Final Delivery](https://storiara.com/blog/the-post-production-workflow-from-editors-assembly-to-final-delivery): The post-production workflow step by step: editor's assembly, DGA director's cut periods, picture lock, sound, music, color, QC, and what distributors expect delivered. - [The Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA): What Every Producer Needs to Know](https://storiara.com/blog/the-screen-actors-guild-sag-aftra-what-every-producer-needs-to-know): What producers need to know about SAG-AFTRA: signing on, picking an agreement, 2026 rates, consecutive employment, pay deadlines, and the paperwork due after wrap. - [Thesis Film Pre-Production Checklist, Week by Week](https://storiara.com/blog/thesis-film-pre-production-checklist): A week-by-week pre-production checklist for a thesis film: approvals, script lock, budget, casting, crew, locations, student permits, insurance, safety, and paperwork. - [Tier Projects: How a Film's Budget Size Sets Union Crew Rates](https://storiara.com/blog/understanding-tier-projects-how-budget-size-affects-crew-rates): Union low budget agreements set crew and cast rates by budget tier. Here's how IATSE and SAG-AFTRA tiers work, what counts toward the cap, and what going over costs. - [Transferable vs Refundable Tax Credits for Film Productions](https://storiara.com/blog/transferable-vs-refundable-tax-credits): Refundable film credits pay cash through a tax return; transferable ones are sold to taxpayers below face value. Compare net cash, timing, and lender treatment. - [Turnaround Rules Compared: SAG-AFTRA, IATSE, DGA, and Minors](https://storiara.com/blog/turnaround-rules-compared): Turnaround rules side by side for actors, IATSE crew, DGA assistant directors, and minors, with weekend rest, penalties for short turnaround, and worked call times. - [Vertical Series Production Schedule: Building the Shoot Days](https://storiara.com/blog/vertical-series-production-schedule): How to schedule a vertical series: a two-week shoot calendar, one 24-scene day built hour by hour, strip order by wardrobe look, and when each episode is ready to cut. - [Vertical Video Call Sheets: Adapting the Format for Series](https://storiara.com/blog/vertical-video-call-sheets): How to write call sheets for vertical video and micro-drama shoots: episode and scene numbers, wardrobe looks per block, frame notes, BTS rules, and a phone-first layout. - [VFX and Music Budgeting: How to Price Two High-Risk Accounts](https://storiara.com/blog/vfx-and-music-budgeting-high-impact-line-items): How to budget VFX by shot count and complexity, with bids, supervision, and shot creep, and music by composer package, union scoring sessions, and staged licenses. - [What Is a Film Production Budget? How One Is Built and Used](https://storiara.com/blog/what-is-a-production-budget): A film production budget is the itemized cost of making a film, from rights to delivery, built from the breakdown and schedule and organized into numbered accounts. - [What Is a One-Line Schedule? How to Make and Read a One-Liner](https://storiara.com/blog/what-is-a-one-line-schedule): A one-line schedule gives each scene one line under its shoot day. See a full week of a one-liner, how to write the lines, and how departments read it. - [What Is a Script Breakdown? A Complete Guide for Filmmakers](https://storiara.com/blog/what-is-a-script-breakdown): A script breakdown lists every cast member, prop, costume, vehicle, effect, and location in each scene so the film can be scheduled and budgeted. Here's how it's done. - [Why Productions Shoot Overseas: Film Tax Incentives and Real Costs](https://storiara.com/blog/tax-incentives-and-global-film-production-why-shoot-overseas): US productions shoot abroad when the UK's 34% AVEC or Canada's stacked credits beat a US state after travel, housing, visas, and payroll costs. Here is the math. - [Working With Minors on Set: Permits, Hours, and Studio Teachers](https://storiara.com/blog/working-with-minors-on-set): Child actor rules come from state law, not federal. Compare California and New York hours by age, permits, studio teachers, trust accounts, and SAG-AFTRA's minor terms. - [Wrap Report Guide: Closing Out a Film Production Step by Step](https://storiara.com/blog/wrap-report-guide): How to write a production wrap report: final schedule and page numbers against plan, department returns, loss and damage, owed shots for post, and the paperwork archive. ## Film incentives by jurisdiction - [Alabama Film Rebate](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/alabama): Alabama's film rebate pays 25% on in-state production spend and 35% on resident payroll, with a $500,000 minimum and a $22 million yearly program cap. - [Alaska Film Incentives](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/alaska): Alaska has no film tax credit or rebate. The state's film production credit was repealed in 2015, so budgets shooting in Alaska carry no state incentive. - [Arizona Film Tax Credit](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/arizona): Arizona's refundable film tax credit starts at 15% of qualified production costs, rises with spend, adds 2.5% uplifts, and is capped at $125 million a year. - [Arkansas Film Incentive Rebate](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/arkansas): Arkansas offers a 25% rebate or tax credit on in-state production spend, with extra for resident and veteran crew, a $200,000 feature minimum, and case-by-case approval. - [Australia Film Incentives: Location, PDV, and Producer Offsets](https://storiara.com/incentives/australia): Australia's Location Offset refunds 30% of QAPE on shoots spending A$20m or more, the PDV Offset 30% from A$500,000, and the Producer Offset 40% for Australian features. - [Belgium Tax Shelter for Film: How the Investor Mechanism Pays](https://storiara.com/incentives/belgium): Belgium's Tax Shelter lets Belgian companies invest in audiovisual works for a tax exemption. Producers typically net 38 to 40% of eligible Belgian spend after costs. - [Brazil Film Incentives: No Federal Rebate, São Paulo 20 to 30%](https://storiara.com/incentives/brazil): Brazil has no national cash rebate for foreign shoots. São Paulo refunds 20 to 30% of local spend, and federal tax breaks support Brazilian co-productions. - [California Film Tax Credit](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/california): California's Program 4.0 awards 35% film and TV tax credits (40% for relocating series) from a $750 million yearly pool, ranked by jobs ratio, through June 2030. - [Canada Film Tax Credits: CPTC, PSTC, and Provincial Credits](https://storiara.com/incentives/canada): Canada's federal PSTC pays 16% of Canadian labour on service productions and the CPTC pays 25% on Canadian ones. BC, Ontario, and Quebec credits stack on top. - [Colombia Film Incentives: 40% FFC Rebate and 35% CINA Certificate](https://storiara.com/incentives/colombia): Colombia's Law 1556 offers a 40/20% FFC cash rebate and a 35% transferable CINA tax certificate. Film minimum spend is 1,800 minimum wages, COP 3.15 billion in 2026. - [Colorado Film Tax Credit](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/colorado): Colorado's refundable film tax credit is up to 20% of qualified local spend, or 22% in an Enterprise Zone, with a $100,000 minimum and a $5 million annual cap. - [Connecticut Film Tax Credit](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/connecticut): Connecticut's transferable film tax credit pays 10%, 15%, or 30% of in-state production costs depending on total spend, starting at a $100,000 minimum. - [Croatia Film Incentive: 25% Cash Rebate, 30% in Less Developed Areas](https://storiara.com/incentives/croatia): Croatia pays a 25% cash rebate on qualifying Croatian spend, plus 5% in regions with below average development. Features need EUR 250,000 of local spend. - [Czech Republic Film Incentive: 25% to 35% Production Rebate](https://storiara.com/incentives/czech-republic): The Czech film incentive refunds 25% of eligible Czech costs on live action and 35% on animation, with minimum spends from CZK 2.5m and costs counted up to CZK 450m. - [Delaware Film Tax Credit](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/delaware): Delaware's new film tax credit, effective July 1, 2026, is 30% of qualified in-state spend over $100,000, transferable, with a $10 million yearly cap. - [District of Columbia Film Rebate](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/district-of-columbia): DC's Film, Television and Entertainment Rebate Fund pays up to 35% on taxable DC spend and up to 30% on resident payroll, with a $250,000 minimum spend. - [Dominican Republic Film Incentive: 25% Transferable Tax Credit](https://storiara.com/incentives/dominican-republic): The Dominican Republic gives a 25% transferable tax credit on local film spend under Law 108-10, with a US$500,000 minimum and no per-project cap. - [Film in Georgia Cash Rebate: 20 to 25% for Shooting in Georgia](https://storiara.com/incentives/republic-of-georgia): Georgia's Film in Georgia program refunds 20% of qualified local spend, plus up to 5% more for passing a cultural test. Here's the math, the caps, and the timeline. - [Florida Film Incentives](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/florida): Florida has no state film tax credit or rebate. Productions can get a sales tax exemption on equipment, sets, and props, and some counties run their own rebates. - [France TRIP Tax Rebate for International Productions](https://storiara.com/incentives/france): France's TRIP rebate pays 30% of qualifying French spend on international productions, 40% with over €2m of French VFX, capped at €30m per project. - [Georgia Film Tax Credit](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/georgia): Georgia's transferable film tax credit is 20% of qualified Georgia spend plus a 10% promotional uplift, with a $500,000 minimum, no annual cap, and a mandatory audit. - [Germany Film Funding: DFFF and GMPF 30% Grants in 2026](https://storiara.com/incentives/germany): Germany's DFFF and GMPF pay grants of 30% of eligible German production costs, up to €5m per film or €25m for DFFF II. 2026 funds ran out in August. - [Greece Film Incentive: 40% Cash Rebate Under Law 5105/2024](https://storiara.com/incentives/greece): Greece's Cash Rebate GR pays a flat 40% of eligible Greek production costs, capped at EUR 8 million per work. Features need EUR 200,000 of local spend. - [Hawaii Film Tax Credit](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/hawaii): Hawaii's refundable film tax credit is 22% on Oahu and 27% on the neighbor islands, plus 5% for an 80% local workforce, with a $100,000 minimum spend. - [Hungary Film Incentive: 30% Cash Rebate, Up to 37.5%](https://storiara.com/incentives/hungary): Hungary refunds 30% of direct production costs spent in the country, up to 37.5% by adding capped non-Hungarian costs. The scheme runs to the end of 2030. - [Iceland Film Reimbursement: 25% Standard, 35% for Big Shoots](https://storiara.com/incentives/iceland): Iceland reimburses 25% of production costs incurred in Iceland with no minimum spend, or 35% for projects over ISK 350 million and children's content. Valid to 2028. - [Idaho Film Incentives](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/idaho): Idaho has no state film tax credit, rebate, or production sales tax exemption, so budgets shooting there carry no incentive. Here's how to plan around it. - [Illinois Film Tax Credit](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/illinois): Illinois pays a 35% transferable credit on in-state vendor spend and resident wages, 30% on capped nonresident wages, with no program cap and a $100,000 minimum. - [India Film Incentive: Up to 40% for Foreign Audio-Visual Production](https://storiara.com/incentives/india): India reimburses foreign productions up to 40% of qualifying spend: 30% base plus two 5% bonuses, capped at INR 30 crore, with an INR 3 crore minimum for live shoots. - [Indiana Film Tax Credit](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/indiana): Indiana's Film and Media Tax Credit starts at 20% and reaches 30% with bonuses, capped at $250,000 per project and $2 million a year, transferable once. - [Iowa Film Incentives](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/iowa): Iowa's Film Rebate pilot pays up to 30% of qualified Iowa spend through in-state studios, from a $4 million fund that runs through June 30, 2027. - [Ireland Section 481 Film Tax Credit and the Scéal Uplift](https://storiara.com/incentives/ireland): Ireland's Section 481 credit pays 32% of the lowest of Irish eligible spend, 80% of total cost, or €125m. Lower-budget features can claim 40% under the Scéal Uplift. - [Italy Tax Credit for Foreign Film and TV Productions](https://storiara.com/incentives/italy): Italy gives a 40% tax credit on eligible Italian costs of foreign productions, 30% on non-EEA above-the-line, from €250,000, up to €20m per company per year. - [Japan Film Incentive: 50% Location Subsidy Under METI's IP360](https://storiara.com/incentives/japan): Japan's location subsidy pays 50% of eligible production and post costs, capped at JPY 1.5 billion per project, through a Japanese production partner. - [Kansas Film Incentives](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/kansas): Kansas has no film tax credit or rebate. SB 52 died in the 2025-26 session. The state offers a film commission, no state permit, and a long-stay hotel tax break. - [Kentucky Film Tax Credit](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/kentucky): Kentucky's refundable film credit pays 30% on spend and nonresident payroll, 35% on resident crew or in enhanced incentive counties, from a $75 million yearly pool. - [Lithuania Film Tax Incentive: Raise Up to 30% From Local Donors](https://storiara.com/incentives/lithuania): Lithuania's Film Tax Incentive lets Lithuanian companies fund up to 30% of a film's production costs in exchange for a corporate tax cut. Minimum spend EUR 43,000. - [Louisiana Film Tax Credit](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/louisiana): Louisiana's Motion Picture Production credit starts at 25% of in-state spend, reaches 40% with uplifts, and can be sold back to the state at 90% of face value. - [Maine Film Incentives](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/maine): Maine reimburses 12% of resident and 10% of nonresident wages (first $50,000 per person) plus a 5% nonwage credit, with a $75,000 minimum spend. - [Malaysia Film Incentive: FIMI 30% Cash Rebate Plus 5% Uplift](https://storiara.com/incentives/malaysia): Malaysia's FIMI pays a 30% cash rebate on qualifying Malaysian spend of at least MYR 5 million, plus up to 5% more for passing the cultural test. - [Malta Film Cash Rebate: 30% Base, Up to 40% With Local Elements](https://storiara.com/incentives/malta): Malta refunds 30% of eligible spend on live-action shoots, up to 40% for Maltese cultural elements and local crew. Minimum €100,000 in Malta; scheme ends October 2028. - [Maryland Film Tax Credit](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/maryland): Maryland's refundable film credit pays 28% of qualified direct costs (30% for TV series), needs $250,000 in state spend, and is capped at $12 million a year. - [Massachusetts Film Tax Credit](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/massachusetts): Massachusetts gives a 25% payroll credit at $50,000 in spend, plus 25% on production costs and a sales tax exemption when 75% of spend or shoot days are local. - [Mexico Film Incentive 2026: 30% Transferable Federal Tax Credit](https://storiara.com/incentives/mexico): Mexico's February 2026 decree grants a transferable tax credit of up to 30% of production cost in Mexico, capped at MXN 40 million. Features must spend MXN 40 million. - [Michigan Film Incentives](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/michigan): Michigan has no film incentive. A 2015 law bars new funding under its old film program, so productions look to Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, or Ohio instead. - [Minnesota Film Tax Credit](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/minnesota): Minnesota's film credit pays 25% of eligible costs once a project spends $1 million in 12 months. It's assignable, first come first served, and ends after 2030. - [Mississippi Film Incentives](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/mississippi): Mississippi pays cash rebates of 25% on local spend, 30% on resident payroll, and 25% on nonresident payroll, plus 5% for veterans, with a $50,000 minimum. - [Missouri Film Tax Credit](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/missouri): Missouri's Show MO Act credit starts at 20% of qualifying spend and can reach 42% with uplifts. It's transferable, with $8 million a year each for film and series. - [Montana Film Tax Credit](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/montana): Montana's MEDIA Act credit is closed to new productions: Commerce paused certification and the Department of Revenue says no new credit is available until 2031. - [Morocco Film Cash Rebate: 30% of Local Spend, MAD 18M Cap](https://storiara.com/incentives/morocco): Morocco's CCM refunds 30% of eligible pre-tax spend by foreign productions, with a MAD 10 million minimum, MAD 18 million cap, and 18-day minimum shoot in Morocco. - [Nebraska Film Tax Credit](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/nebraska): Nebraska's Cast and Crew Nebraska Act pays a refundable 20% credit, up to 35% with uplifts, but the whole program is capped at $500,000 a year. - [Netherlands Film Production Incentive: 35% Cash Rebate Rules](https://storiara.com/incentives/netherlands): The Netherlands Film Fund pays up to 35% of Dutch qualifying spend, capped at €3 million a year per applicant. Features need €1 million total budget to qualify. - [Nevada Film Tax Credit](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/nevada): Nevada offers a transferable 15% film credit with two 5% bonuses, a $500,000 spend minimum, a $6 million project cap, and only $10 million a year. - [New Hampshire Film Incentives](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/new-hampshire): New Hampshire has no film tax credit or rebate. Producers get no general film permit requirement, no general sales tax, and help from the NH Film Bureau. - [New Jersey Film Tax Credit](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/new-jersey): New Jersey's transferable film credit is 35% of qualified expenses, or 30% within 30 miles of Columbus Circle, with a 4% hiring bonus and 95% state buyback. - [New Mexico Film Tax Credit](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/new-mexico): New Mexico's refundable film credit is 25% of NM spend, up to 40% with rural and series or studio uplifts, under a fiscal-year cap of $140M to $160M. - [New York Film Tax Credit](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/new-york): New York's refundable film credit is 30% of qualified costs, plus 10% on labor upstate, with $700 million a year through 2036 and stage-use rules to meet. - [New Zealand Screen Production Rebate for International Productions](https://storiara.com/incentives/new-zealand): New Zealand pays international productions a 20% cash rebate on QNZPE from NZ$4 million, 25% with the uplift from NZ$20 million, and 20% on PDV work from NZ$250,000. - [North Carolina Film Incentives](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/north-carolina): North Carolina's Film and Entertainment Grant rebates up to 25% of in-state spend, with a $1.5M feature minimum, a $7M feature cap, and $31M a year. - [North Dakota Film Incentives](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/north-dakota): North Dakota has no film production incentive. The Tourism Division helps with scouting, crew directory listings, and permits, and no general film permit is required. - [Norway Film Production Incentive: 25% Refund and Budget Floors](https://storiara.com/incentives/norway): Norway refunds up to 25% of approved production costs spent in Norway. Features need a NOK 25 million budget, NOK 4 million local spend, and 30% foreign financing. - [Ohio Film Tax Credit](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/ohio): Ohio's Motion Picture Tax Credit is a refundable 30% of eligible in-state spend, with a $300,000 minimum and $50 million a year awarded on a rolling basis. - [Oklahoma Film Incentives](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/oklahoma): Oklahoma's Filmed in Oklahoma Act pays a 20% cash rebate, up to 30% with uplifts, on $50,000+ in spend, from a $30 million yearly cap through June 2031. - [Oregon Film Incentives](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/oregon): Oregon rebates 25% of in-state goods and services and up to 26.2% of payroll for projects spending $1M+, with a $21.2M OPIF fund and a local program from $75K. - [Pennsylvania Film Tax Credit](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/pennsylvania): Pennsylvania's transferable film credit is 25% of qualified in-state expenses, or 30% at a qualified stage, if 60% of production spend is in PA. $100M a year. - [Poland Film Incentive: 30% Cash Rebate from the Polish Film Institute](https://storiara.com/incentives/poland): Poland refunds 30% of eligible Polish costs on films and series, up to PLN 15m per project and PLN 20m per applicant per year, from a first-come annual budget. - [Portugal Film Incentive 2026: SCRI.PT Rebates of 25% to 40%](https://storiara.com/incentives/portugal): Portugal's SCRI.PT program replaced the cash rebate and cash refund in 2026. Medium productions get 30% (40% in low-density areas); large ones 30% on the first €2M. - [Puerto Rico Film Incentive](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/puerto-rico): Puerto Rico's film tax credit pays up to 40% on local production spend and 20% on nonresident talent, with a $50,000 minimum and $38 million a year available. - [Rhode Island Film Incentive](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/rhode-island): Rhode Island gives a 30% transferable tax credit on in-state production costs, with a $100,000 minimum budget, a $7 million per-project cap, and a 2029 sunset. - [Saudi Arabia Film Incentive: Up to 60% Cash Rebate and Film AlUla](https://storiara.com/incentives/saudi-arabia): The Saudi Film Commission's rebate pays up to 60% of eligible spend from SAR 750,000 for features. Film AlUla offers up to 40%, rising to 50% with Saudi hires. - [Serbia Film Incentive: 25% Cash Rebate, 30% Above EUR 5 Million](https://storiara.com/incentives/serbia): Serbia refunds 25% of qualifying Serbian spend on film and TV, 30% when Serbian spend tops EUR 5 million and 20% for commercials. Features need EUR 300,000. - [South Africa Film Incentive: 25% Foreign Film Rebate, R25m Cap](https://storiara.com/incentives/south-africa): South Africa's dtic rebates 25% of qualifying local spend on foreign productions, plus 5% with a black-owned service company, capped at R25 million. Minimum R15 million. - [South Carolina Film Incentive](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/south-carolina): South Carolina pays cash: a 25% rebate on resident wages, 20% on nonresident wages, and 30% on South Carolina suppliers, once a show spends $1 million in state. - [South Dakota Film Incentives](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/south-dakota): South Dakota has no film production incentive. Its old sales and excise tax refund for film and TV was repealed in 2011, so shows pay the 4.2% state sales tax. - [South Korea Film Incentive: KOFIC's 25% Location Cash Rebate](https://storiara.com/incentives/south-korea): KOFIC's location incentive pays 25% of spend on Korean crew and vendors, capped at KRW 300 million for foreign productions. No 2026 call has been posted yet. - [Spain Film Tax Incentive for International Productions](https://storiara.com/incentives/spain): Spain gives international productions a 30% tax deduction on the first €1m spent in Spain and 25% above that, from €1m of spend, capped at €20m per production. - [Tennessee Film Incentive](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/tennessee): Tennessee pays a 25% cash grant on qualified Tennessee spend for projects spending over $500,000, with resident wages counted to $500,000 per person. - [Texas Film Incentive](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/texas): Texas pays a cash grant of 5% to 25% of eligible Texas spend for film and TV, depending on spend tier, plus add-on awards that can bring the total to 31%. - [Thailand Film Incentive: Cash Rebate of Up to 30% on Local Spend](https://storiara.com/incentives/thailand): Thailand pays foreign productions 15% to 25% of Thai spend over THB 50 million, plus uplifts for Thai crew, soft power, provinces and post, up to 30%. - [UAE Film Incentive: Abu Dhabi's 35% to 50% Cashback Rebate](https://storiara.com/incentives/united-arab-emirates): Abu Dhabi Film Commission pays a 35% cashback rebate on local below-the-line spend, up to 50% through a points system, capped at AED 36.7 million for features. - [UK Film Tax Credit: AVEC and the Independent Film Tax Credit](https://storiara.com/incentives/united-kingdom): The UK pays a 34% Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit on film and high-end TV, 53% for independent films under £15m core costs, and 39% on VFX and animation. - [Utah Film Incentive](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/utah): Utah's Motion Picture Incentive Program pays 20% to 25% of dollars left in the state as a refundable tax credit or cash rebate, starting at $500,000 of spend. - [Vermont Film Incentives](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/vermont): Vermont has no film production tax credit or rebate, and no sales tax exemption for production purchases. Productions pay the 6% state sales and use tax. - [Virginia Film Incentive](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/virginia): Virginia's refundable film tax credit is 15% of Virginia spend (20% in distressed areas), plus 10% to 20% of Virginia resident payroll, from a $250,000 minimum. - [Washington Film Incentive](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/washington): Washington Filmworks pays up to 30% cash back on in-state spend for features and commercials, 35% for series of six or more episodes, plus a 10% enhanced incentive. - [West Virginia Film Incentive](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/west-virginia): West Virginia's film tax credit is 27% of in-state production spend, 31% with ten full-time West Virginia hires, transferable, with a $50,000 minimum and no caps. - [Wisconsin Film Incentive](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/wisconsin): Wisconsin's new film tax credit, live since 2026, pays 30% of in-state production spend with refundable and transferable parts, capped at $1 million per project. - [Wyoming Film Incentives](https://storiara.com/incentives/us/wyoming): Wyoming has no film production incentive. Its film statutes are repealed, so productions pay the 4% state sales tax and lean on the film office for location help. ## Crew roles - [Art Director](https://storiara.com/roles/art-director): The art director runs the art department day to day for the production designer: drawings, construction, schedules, and budgets. Duties, a prep week, and ADG rules. - [Assistant Accountant](https://storiara.com/roles/assistant-accountant): Assistant production accountants handle accounts payable, POs, invoice coding, petty cash, and bank reconciliations so the production accountant can run cost reports. - [Assistant Editor](https://storiara.com/roles/assistant-editor): An assistant editor ingests and syncs dailies, organizes bins, builds temp tracks, and prepares turnovers for sound, VFX, and color. What the job involves day to day. - [Assistant Location Manager](https://storiara.com/roles/assistant-location-manager): An assistant location manager runs the location on the day: opening it, parking, signage, neighbors, and lockup. Duties, a sample day, and Local 399 weekly rates. - [Assistant Production Coordinator](https://storiara.com/roles/assistant-production-coordinator): An assistant production coordinator backs up the POC: script revisions, crew paperwork, supply and walkie orders, office PA runs, and daily distribution. Local 161 rates. - [Assistant Prop Master](https://storiara.com/roles/assistant-prop-master): The assistant prop master preps, tracks, and resets props on set for the prop master, and often runs the prop truck. Daily work, continuity, and Local 44 pay. - [Associate Producer](https://storiara.com/roles/associate-producer): An associate producer takes on specific producing tasks assigned by the producer, like clearances, post supervision, or financing support. The credit is often negotiated. - [Best Boy Electric](https://storiara.com/roles/best-boy-electric): The best boy electric is the gaffer's second in command: crew hiring, time cards, the lighting truck, and rental orders. Local 728 2026-27 minimums included. - [Best Boy Grip](https://storiara.com/roles/best-boy-grip): The best boy grip is the key grip's second: crew calls, the grip truck, rental orders, and time cards. Daily duties, pay rules, and how people move into the job. - [Boom Operator](https://storiara.com/roles/boom-operator): The boom operator holds and aims the boom microphone to capture dialogue on every take while staying out of frame and shadows. Technique, a day on set, and Local 695. - [Camera Loader](https://storiara.com/roles/camera-loader): The camera loader loads film mags, tracks raw stock, and ships exposed film to the lab, or runs media as a utility on digital shows. Duties, rates, roster rules. - [Camera Operator](https://storiara.com/roles/camera-operator): The camera operator frames and moves the camera during takes for the DP. What the job involves on set, Local 600 minimums, and how operators get hired. - [Casting Associate](https://storiara.com/roles/casting-associate): A casting associate runs sessions, reviews self-tapes, and manages the casting office day to day. Duties, a weekly rhythm, Teamsters 399/817 minimums, and how to move up. - [Casting Director](https://storiara.com/roles/casting-director): A casting director finds actors, runs auditions, and negotiates cast deals. The casting process, a session day, Teamsters 399 and 817 minimums, and the career path. - [Catering](https://storiara.com/roles/catering): Film catering serves breakfast, lunch, and second meals from a kitchen truck at base camp. Here is how caterers plan headcount, timing, and Local 399 chef assistants. - [Co-Producer](https://storiara.com/roles/co-producer): Co-producer means different jobs: the line producer or UPM on a feature, a writing staff rank in TV, or a partner company on an international co-production. - [Composer](https://storiara.com/roles/composer): A film composer writes the original score: spotting sessions, cue lists, mockups, recording, and delivering stems and cue sheets, plus how composer deals work. - [Costume Designer](https://storiara.com/roles/costume-designer): The costume designer creates every character's wardrobe, from fittings and builds to background, and manages the costume budget. Duties, a prep timeline, and CDG rules. - [Costume Supervisor](https://storiara.com/roles/costume-supervisor): The costume supervisor runs costume department operations for the designer: crew, budget tracking, rentals, workroom, and continuity paperwork. Local 705 rules explained. - [Costumer](https://storiara.com/roles/costumer): Costumers prep, fit, dress, and maintain costumes and track wardrobe continuity on set. Set costumers, background dressing, a day's schedule, and Local 705 rules. - [Craft Services](https://storiara.com/roles/craft-services-role): Craft services keeps snacks, drinks, and coffee on set between meals. What the craft service crew does, how the table is budgeted, and how the job is covered in LA. - [Digital Imaging Technician](https://storiara.com/roles/digital-imaging-technician): The DIT manages camera data, on-set color, and image quality on digital shoots. Daily workflow, storage arithmetic, Local 600 rates, and how DITs get hired. - [Director](https://storiara.com/roles/director): What a film or TV director does in prep, on set, and in the edit, how DGA minimums and low budget levels work, and the documents a director signs off on. - [Director of Photography](https://storiara.com/roles/director-of-photography): The DP designs the look of a film and runs the camera, electric, and grip departments. Prep, set, and post duties, Local 600 minimums, and the roster rules. - [Dolly Grip](https://storiara.com/roles/dolly-grip): A dolly grip lays track, levels it, and pushes the camera dolly to hit marks on every take. What the job involves, the gear, and how grips move into it. - [Driver](https://storiara.com/roles/driver): Production drivers move a film's trucks, trailers, vans, cast, and crew. Here is the day, the license classes, Local 399 minimums, and how drivers get hired. - [Editor](https://storiara.com/roles/editor): A film editor turns dailies into a finished cut: the assembly during the shoot, the director's cut, notes, and picture lock. The workflow, tools, and hiring path. - [Executive Producer](https://storiara.com/roles/executive-producer): On features, executive producer credit goes to people who financed or brought the material early. In TV, executive producers sit at the top of the producing ladder. - [Extras Casting Director](https://storiara.com/roles/extras-casting-director): An extras casting director books background actors, stand-ins, and photo doubles for each shoot day. How bookings work, SAG-AFTRA background rates, and the paperwork. - [First Assistant Camera](https://storiara.com/roles/first-assistant-camera): The 1st AC preps the camera package, pulls focus, and runs lens changes and camera builds. Duties, a real day, Local 600 minimums, and how ACs get hired. - [First Assistant Director](https://storiara.com/roles/first-assistant-director): What a 1st AD does in prep, on set, and at wrap: the schedule, the call sheet and production report loop, DGA minimums, and the qualification list route. - [Gaffer](https://storiara.com/roles/gaffer): A gaffer (chief lighting technician) designs the electrical plan for each setup, runs the lighting crew, and manages power. Local 728 2026-27 minimums included. - [Grip](https://storiara.com/roles/grip): Grips set flags, silks, stands, and rigging, build camera support, and keep set equipment safe. Daily work, gear, and how to break into the grip department. - [Intimacy Coordinator](https://storiara.com/roles/intimacy-coordinator): An intimacy coordinator plans and oversees scenes with nudity or simulated sex, following SAG-AFTRA's standards: riders, consent, modesty garments, and set protocols. - [Key Grip](https://storiara.com/roles/key-grip): The key grip runs the grip department: rigging, light control with flags and silks, camera support, and set safety. What the job involves and how to get it. - [Key Hair Stylist](https://storiara.com/roles/key-hair-stylist): The key hair stylist designs and maintains every principal actor's hair, wigs, and facial hair through the shoot. Duties, continuity, box rental, and Local 706 rules. - [Key Makeup Artist](https://storiara.com/roles/key-makeup-artist): The key makeup artist designs and applies makeup for the lead cast, runs the makeup trailer, and tracks continuity. Duties, call time math, box rental, and Local 706. - [Key Set Production Assistant](https://storiara.com/roles/key-set-production-assistant): The key set PA runs the set PAs for the AD department: lock-ups, walkies, background holding, and first-in, last-out logistics. Duties, a real day, and next steps. - [Line Producer](https://storiara.com/roles/line-producer): A line producer builds and owns the production budget and logistics plan, hires department heads, and answers to the producers for whether the show wraps on budget. - [Location Manager](https://storiara.com/roles/location-manager): A location manager finds, negotiates, permits, and runs every practical location on a shoot. Duties by phase, a sample day, Local 399 rates, and how people get hired. - [Location Scout](https://storiara.com/roles/location-scout-role): A location scout finds and photographs real places that can stand in for the script's settings. What the job involves, a scouting day, AICP rates, and how to break in. - [Office Production Assistant](https://storiara.com/roles/office-production-assistant): An office PA is the entry-level job in the production office: runs, deliveries to set, copies, supplies, lunch orders, and phones, working under the APOC and coordinator. - [Payroll Accountant](https://storiara.com/roles/payroll-accountant): A production payroll accountant checks time cards against deal memos and union rules, sends payroll to the payroll company, and reconciles every check. - [Post-Production Supervisor](https://storiara.com/roles/post-production-supervisor): A post-production supervisor runs the schedule, budget, and vendors for post: dailies, editorial, sound, VFX, color, and the deliverables list that ends the job. - [Previs Artist](https://storiara.com/roles/previs-artist): A previs artist builds rough animated 3D versions of complex sequences before filming so the director and crew can plan cameras, stunts, and VFX. Duties and path in. - [Producer](https://storiara.com/roles/producer): A film producer originates or manages a project from development through delivery: rights, script, financing, hiring the director and key crew, and overseeing release. - [Production Accountant](https://storiara.com/roles/production-accountant): A production accountant tracks every dollar on a film: POs, payroll, petty cash, the weekly cost report, and the estimates producers use to decide what to cut. - [Production Coordinator](https://storiara.com/roles/production-coordinator): A production coordinator runs the production office: crew lists, start paperwork, script and schedule distribution, travel, shipping, and permits. Local 161 rates inside. - [Production Designer](https://storiara.com/roles/production-designer): The production designer heads the art department and designs every set, location dressing, and prop look. What the job involves from script to wrap, and ADG rules. - [Production Secretary](https://storiara.com/roles/production-secretary): A production secretary runs the front of the production office: phones, visitors, drive-on passes, crew list updates, filing, and distribution support. - [Production Sound Mixer](https://storiara.com/roles/production-sound-mixer): The production sound mixer records dialogue on set, runs the sound package, and delivers files and sound reports to post. The job, the gear rental, and Local 695 rules. - [Production Supervisor](https://storiara.com/roles/production-supervisor): A production supervisor handles day-to-day production logistics under the line producer and UPM: vendors, equipment, office systems, crew paperwork, and set support. - [Prop Master](https://storiara.com/roles/prop-master): The prop master breaks down, sources, and manages every prop an actor handles, from coffee cups to hero props and firearms. Duties, safety, and Local 44 pay. - [Script Supervisor](https://storiara.com/roles/script-supervisor): The script supervisor tracks continuity, lines the script, times scenes, and writes the daily report editors use. Duties, Local 871 rates, and roster rules. - [Second Assistant Camera](https://storiara.com/roles/second-assistant-camera): The 2nd AC slates takes, keeps camera reports, lays actor marks, and runs the camera cart and media handoffs. Duties, Local 600 minimums, and the path up. - [Second Assistant Director](https://storiara.com/roles/second-assistant-director): The 2nd AD builds the call sheet, runs cast logistics, and writes the production report. Daily workflow, DGA minimums, and the routes onto the 2nd AD list. - [Second Second Assistant Director](https://storiara.com/roles/second-second-assistant-director): The 2nd 2nd AD runs the set floor for the AD team: background, lock-ups, moving actors to set. What the job involves, DGA minimums, and how to get it. - [Set Decorator](https://storiara.com/roles/set-decorator): The set decorator chooses and sources every piece of furniture, drape, and object on a set, then runs the dressing crew. Duties, budgets, and Local 44 rules. - [Set Dresser](https://storiara.com/roles/set-dresser): Set dressers load, place, adjust, and strike the furniture and objects on a set for the set decorator. The day-to-day work, crew structure, and Local 44 rules. - [Set Lighting Technician](https://storiara.com/roles/set-lighting-technician): Set lighting technicians, or electricians, rig, power, and adjust lamps for each setup under the gaffer. Duties, a day on set, and Local 728 2026-27 minimums. - [Set Medic](https://storiara.com/roles/set-medic): A set medic gives first aid on a film set, keeps the injury log, knows the nearest hospital, and starts the workers' comp paperwork when someone gets hurt. - [Set Production Assistant](https://storiara.com/roles/set-production-assistant): What a set PA does for the AD department, a real shoot day from call to wrap, the mistakes that get PAs cut, and how the job leads to 2nd AD work. - [Showrunner](https://storiara.com/roles/showrunner): A showrunner runs a TV series as head writer and lead executive producer. The writers' room, prep and post duties, the career ladder, and the WGA training program. - [Sound Utility](https://storiara.com/roles/sound-utility): The sound utility, or utility sound technician, wires actors, manages wireless and batteries, runs second boom, and supports the mixer. Duties and Local 695 rules. - [Special Effects Makeup Artist](https://storiara.com/roles/special-effects-makeup-artist): Special effects makeup artists design and apply prosthetics, wounds, aging, and creature makeup. Lab work, application times, safety, box rentals, and Local 706 rules. - [Special Effects Supervisor](https://storiara.com/roles/special-effects-supervisor): A special effects supervisor designs and runs practical effects like rain, fire, breakaways, and pyrotechnics. Safety duties, licensing, Local 44 rates, and a rain night. - [Steadicam Operator](https://storiara.com/roles/steadicam-operator): A Steadicam operator wears a body-mounted stabilizer to get smooth moving shots. How the rig works, planning a long take, rig rental deals, and how operators train. - [Storyboard Artist](https://storiara.com/roles/storyboard-artist): A storyboard artist draws a scene shot by shot so the director and crew can plan coverage, stunts, and VFX before shooting. The job, the tools, and ADG membership. - [Studio Teacher](https://storiara.com/roles/studio-teacher-role): A studio teacher schools minors on set and protects their health and safety under California's Title 8 rules: hours by age, ratios, schooling, and the power to stop work. - [Stunt Coordinator](https://storiara.com/roles/stunt-coordinator): A stunt coordinator designs, rehearses, and supervises every stunt and fight, and hires the stunt team. Safety duties under Bulletin #4, SAG-AFTRA rates, and a stunt day. - [Transportation Captain](https://storiara.com/roles/transportation-captain): A transportation captain runs the drivers on the day: truck moves, shuttles, cast pickups, and parking, working from the call sheet and the coordinator's plan. - [Transportation Coordinator](https://storiara.com/roles/transportation-coordinator): The transportation coordinator runs a production's vehicles and drivers: trucks, trailers, vans, and picture cars, plus the budget and schedule for moving all of them. - [Travel Coordinator](https://storiara.com/roles/travel-coordinator): A production travel coordinator books flights, hotels, and ground travel for cast and crew, writes travel movement memos, and tracks union travel rules on location shows. - [Unit Production Manager](https://storiara.com/roles/unit-production-manager): A unit production manager runs the physical production: crew hiring, budget and schedule control, union compliance, and the daily fixes. DGA 2026-27 minimums included. - [Unit Publicist](https://storiara.com/roles/unit-publicist): A unit publicist handles a film's publicity during production: set visits, production notes, bios, stills approvals, and the press materials marketing uses later. - [Still Photographer](https://storiara.com/roles/still-photographer): The unit still photographer shoots publicity and marketing photos on set during rehearsals and takes. Duties, silent shooting, approvals, and Local 600 minimums. - [VFX Producer](https://storiara.com/roles/vfx-producer): A VFX producer budgets visual effects, runs vendor bids, and tracks each shot's cost and schedule to delivery. Duties, a worked bid, cost tracking, and career path. - [VFX Supervisor](https://storiara.com/roles/vfx-supervisor): A VFX supervisor plans each visual effects shot, oversees how it is filmed, and approves vendor work through delivery. Prep, on-set data, post, and the career path. - [Writers' Assistant](https://storiara.com/roles/writers-assistant): A writers' assistant takes notes in a TV writers' room and keeps its documents. What the job involves, the Local 871 rate, and how it differs from script coordinator. ## Glossary - [A-pages](https://storiara.com/glossary/a-pages): A-pages are extra pages inserted into a locked script, such as 23A after page 23, so new material fits without renumbering the pages that follow. - [A-scenes](https://storiara.com/glossary/a-scenes): A-scenes are new scenes added to a locked script between existing numbers, like 42A and 42B between 42 and 43, so the rest of the numbering stays put. - [Abby Singer shot](https://storiara.com/glossary/abby-singer): The Abby Singer shot is the second-to-last shot of the day, named for AD Abby Singer, who announced it so crews could get ready to wrap or move sooner. - [Above-the-line](https://storiara.com/glossary/above-the-line): Above-the-line costs are the budget accounts for the people and rights that shape a film creatively: story rights, writers, producers, director, and principal cast. - [ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement)](https://storiara.com/glossary/adr): ADR (automated dialogue replacement) is re-recording an actor's lines in a studio during post, synced to picture, to fix noisy production sound or change a line. - [Advance call sheet](https://storiara.com/glossary/advance-call-sheet): An advance call sheet previews the next one to three shoot days so cast, crew, and vendors can prep. It lists scenes, cast, and special needs, not firm call times. - [Advance schedule](https://storiara.com/glossary/advance-schedule): The advance schedule is the section at the bottom of a call sheet that previews the next shoot day or two: scenes, sets, cast, and pages, so departments can prepare. - [Animal wrangler](https://storiara.com/glossary/animal-wrangler): An animal wrangler supplies, trains, and handles animals on set, from a dog in a kitchen to horses in a western, and is booked from the breakdown's animal tags. - [Assembly Cut](https://storiara.com/glossary/assembly-cut): An assembly cut is the editor's first full string-out of a film, every scripted scene in script order using the circled takes, usually far longer than the finished movie. - [B-Roll](https://storiara.com/glossary/b-roll): B-roll is supplementary footage cut over or between primary material, such as location details, cutaways, and establishing shots in documentaries and corporate video. - [Back to one](https://storiara.com/glossary/back-to-one): Back to one is the call for actors, background, and camera to return to their starting positions for another take. Reset time between takes adds up across a day. - [Backend points](https://storiara.com/glossary/backend-points): Backend points are percentage shares of a film's profits promised to cast, crew, or producers. Their value depends entirely on how profits are defined in the contract. - [Background actors](https://storiara.com/glossary/background-actors): Background actors are the non-speaking performers who fill a scene, like diners, commuters, or crowds, tagged in green and listed by count in a breakdown. - [Backlot](https://storiara.com/glossary/backlot): A backlot is an outdoor area on a studio lot with standing exterior sets, like city streets and small-town squares, that productions rent and redress. - [Banner strip](https://storiara.com/glossary/banner-strip): A banner strip is a non-scene strip on a stripboard that carries a note, such as a company move, holiday, travel day, or schedule reminder, between scene strips. - [Base camp](https://storiara.com/glossary/base-camp): Base camp is where a film unit parks its trailers, honeywagon, makeup, wardrobe, and catering on location, usually a short walk or shuttle ride from set. - [Below-the-line](https://storiara.com/glossary/below-the-line): Below-the-line costs cover the crew, equipment, locations, and post work that turn a script into a finished film, and they scale with the number of shoot days. - [Block shooting](https://storiara.com/glossary/block-shooting): Block shooting groups several episodes, or several scenes at one location, into one production block that the same crew and usually one director shoot together. - [Blocking](https://storiara.com/glossary/blocking): Blocking is the rehearsal where the director and actors work out movement and positions for a scene, then show the crew so camera and lighting can plan. - [Box rental](https://storiara.com/glossary/box-rental): A box rental is a fee a production pays crew for using their own tools or small equipment, such as a grip's tool box or a sound mixer's personal gear. - [Breakdown color codes](https://storiara.com/glossary/breakdown-color-codes): Breakdown color codes assign a color or mark to each element type when tagging a script: cast red, stunts orange, extras green, props purple, SFX blue. - [Breakdown element](https://storiara.com/glossary/breakdown-element): A breakdown element is any single item a scene needs that someone must supply, such as a character, a prop, a car, a costume change, or a rain rig. - [Breakdown sheet](https://storiara.com/glossary/breakdown-sheet): A breakdown sheet is a one-page form per scene listing its number, set, day or night, page count, cast, and every element the departments must supply. - [Budget variance](https://storiara.com/glossary/budget-variance): Budget variance is the difference between an account's budgeted amount and its estimated final cost, showing whether each part of a film is heading over or under. - [Burn rate](https://storiara.com/glossary/burn-rate): Burn rate is how much a production spends per day or week, used to plan cash, spot overspending early, and price the cost of adding or losing a shoot day. - [Call sheet](https://storiara.com/glossary/call-sheet): A call sheet is the one-day plan sent to cast and crew the night before: call times, scenes, locations, parking, weather, and the nearest hospital. - [Call time](https://storiara.com/glossary/call-time): Call time is the time a specific person or department must report to work, listed on the call sheet. Cast, crew, and departments often have different calls. - [Camera report](https://storiara.com/glossary/camera-report): A camera report is the per-roll or per-card log kept by the camera assistant: scene, take, lens, stop, filter, frame rate, circled takes, and notes for post. - [Cash flow schedule](https://storiara.com/glossary/cash-flow-schedule): A cash flow schedule spreads a film budget across the calendar, week by week, to show when money must be available so financiers can fund production on time. - [Cash Rebate](https://storiara.com/glossary/cash-rebate): A cash rebate is a film incentive paid directly by a government agency as a percentage of eligible local spend, with no tax return or credit buyer needed. - [Certificate of insurance](https://storiara.com/glossary/certificate-of-insurance): A certificate of insurance (COI) is a one-page summary of a production's policies and limits, issued by its broker to permit offices, locations, and rental houses. - [Chain of title](https://storiara.com/glossary/chain-of-title): Chain of title is the set of documents proving a producer owns or controls the rights to a script and its underlying material, needed for insurance and sales. - [Chart of accounts](https://storiara.com/glossary/chart-of-accounts): A chart of accounts is the numbered list of budget and ledger accounts a production uses to code every cost, so the budget, purchase orders, and cost reports line up. - [Check request](https://storiara.com/glossary/check-request): A check request is the accounting form a department fills out to get a check issued for a payment, with payee, amount, account code, backup, and approvals. - [Circle take](https://storiara.com/glossary/circle-take): A circle take is a take the director marks as a keeper, noted by the script supervisor and camera and sound reports so the editor looks at it first. - [Clearance](https://storiara.com/glossary/clearance): Clearance is securing rights and permissions for everything identifiable in a film, from music and artwork to brand logos and names, before it's released. - [Co-production Treaty](https://storiara.com/glossary/co-production-treaty): A co-production treaty lets a film made by producers from two or more countries count as a national film in each, with access to each country's incentives. - [Collection Account](https://storiara.com/glossary/collection-account): A collection account is an account run by an independent manager that receives a film's revenue and pays financiers and profit participants in waterfall order. - [Color Grading](https://storiara.com/glossary/color-grading): Color grading is the post stage where a colorist adjusts color, contrast, and exposure shot by shot to match scenes and set the final look of the film. - [Company move](https://storiara.com/glossary/company-move): A company move is when the entire shooting unit packs up and relocates to a new location during the same shoot day, costing time for wrap, travel, and setup. - [Completion bond](https://storiara.com/glossary/completion-bond): A completion bond is a guarantee to a film's financiers that the picture will be finished and delivered on the approved script, schedule, and budget, or the money repaid. - [Completion Guarantor](https://storiara.com/glossary/completion-guarantor): A completion guarantor issues a completion bond, promising financiers a film will be finished and delivered on budget, and can take over production if it isn't. - [Conform](https://storiara.com/glossary/conform): A conform rebuilds the locked edit from full-resolution camera original files in place of proxies, so grading and finishing work from the best source. - [Contact sheet](https://storiara.com/glossary/contact-sheet): On a film production, a contact sheet lists cast reps, crew, vendors, locations, and emergency numbers. In photography, it also means a page of image thumbnails. - [Contingency](https://storiara.com/glossary/contingency): Contingency is a reserve line in a film budget, commonly 10%, set aside for overages and surprises. It is not a pot of money for things the budget forgot. - [Continuity](https://storiara.com/glossary/continuity): Continuity is keeping every visible detail consistent from shot to shot and scene to scene, from coffee levels to wounds, when a film shoots out of order. - [Continuity report](https://storiara.com/glossary/continuity-report): A continuity report is the script supervisor's take-by-take record of action, dialogue changes, props, wardrobe, and eyelines so shots match when edited. - [Coogan account](https://storiara.com/glossary/coogan-account): A Coogan account is a blocked trust account for a child performer. California requires employers to deposit 15% of the minor's gross earnings into it. - [Cost report](https://storiara.com/glossary/cost-report): A cost report is the weekly accounting statement comparing each budget account with money spent, money committed, and the estimated final cost of the film. - [Cover set](https://storiara.com/glossary/cover-set): A cover set is an interior set kept ready as a backup so the company can keep shooting if bad weather or another problem stops a planned exterior scene. - [Coverage](https://storiara.com/glossary/coverage): Coverage is every shot of a scene filmed besides the master, like singles, over-the-shoulders, and inserts, giving the editor options to cut the scene. - [Craft services](https://storiara.com/glossary/craft-services): Craft services is the snack and drink station that runs all day on a film set, separate from catering, which serves the hot sit-down meals. - [Crew list](https://storiara.com/glossary/crew-list): A crew list is the production's department-by-department roster of every crew member with position, phone, and email, maintained by the production coordinator. - [Cross-boarding](https://storiara.com/glossary/cross-boarding): Cross-boarding is scheduling scenes from multiple episodes (or multiple scripts) on one stripboard, grouped by location or cast, instead of shooting episode by episode. - [Cultural Test](https://storiara.com/glossary/cultural-test): A cultural test is a points system a country uses to decide whether a film counts as national content and can claim its incentive. The UK's BFI test has 35 points. - [Dailies](https://storiara.com/glossary/dailies): Dailies are the raw footage from each shoot day, synced with sound and delivered overnight so the director, producers, and editor can check the work. - [Daily production report](https://storiara.com/glossary/daily-production-report): The daily production report (DPR) records what actually happened on a shoot day: scenes and pages shot, setups, cast and crew times, meals, delays, and incidents. - [Day break](https://storiara.com/glossary/day-break): A day break is the strip on a stripboard that marks the end of one shoot day, carrying the day number, date, and total page count for the scenes above it. - [Day for night](https://storiara.com/glossary/day-for-night): Day for night means shooting a night scene in daylight and darkening it with exposure and color grading, which avoids night work but limits what can be in frame. - [Day out of days](https://storiara.com/glossary/day-out-of-days): A day out of days (DOOD) is a grid showing which shoot days each actor works, holds, or travels, using codes like SW, W, H, WF, and SWF, with totals per person. - [Day rate](https://storiara.com/glossary/day-rate): A day rate is pay quoted per workday for crew, cast, or equipment. For hourly workers it has to state the guaranteed hours so overtime can be calculated. - [Day/night](https://storiara.com/glossary/day-night): Day/night (D/N) is the breakdown field that records whether a scene plays in daylight or darkness. It sets strip color, call times, and whether you shoot nights. - [DCP (Digital Cinema Package)](https://storiara.com/glossary/dcp): A DCP (Digital Cinema Package) is the set of MXF picture and sound files, plus XML playlists, that a cinema server plays for theatrical and festival screenings. - [Deal memo](https://storiara.com/glossary/deal-memo): A deal memo is the short signed agreement that sets a crew member's or actor's rate, guaranteed hours, kit rental, dates, and credit before they start work. - [Deferred pay](https://storiara.com/glossary/deferred-pay): Deferred pay is compensation promised now but paid later from a film's revenue. It lowers cash needs but still counts toward union budget caps and has legal limits. - [Deliverables](https://storiara.com/glossary/deliverables): Deliverables are the picture, sound, paperwork, and legal items a production must hand a distributor or sales agent under the contract before payment. - [Development](https://storiara.com/glossary/development): Development is the stage before a film is financed, when rights are acquired, the script is rewritten, key talent is attached, and the budget and finance plan are built. - [DGA](https://storiara.com/glossary/dga): The DGA (Directors Guild of America) is the union for directors, unit production managers, and assistant directors in US film, TV, and commercials. - [Distribution Agreement](https://storiara.com/glossary/distribution-agreement): A distribution agreement licenses a distributor to release a film in set territories and media for a term, fixing the advance, fees, expense caps, and delivery. - [Drop and pickup](https://storiara.com/glossary/drop-pickup): A drop and pickup lets production release an actor during a long gap in their schedule and bring them back later, skipping paid hold days if the contract allows. - [EDL (Edit Decision List)](https://storiara.com/glossary/edl): An EDL (edit decision list) is a plain text list of every edit in a cut, with source reel and timecodes, used to rebuild the edit in color or online finishing. - [Equity Financing](https://storiara.com/glossary/equity-financing): Equity financing is money invested in a film in exchange for a share of its revenue and profits, repaid only if the film earns, and last in line behind the lenders. - [Errors and omissions insurance](https://storiara.com/glossary/errors-and-omissions-insurance): Errors and omissions (E&O) insurance covers a film against claims of copyright or trademark infringement, defamation, and privacy violations, and distributors require it. - [Estimate to complete](https://storiara.com/glossary/estimate-to-complete): Estimate to complete (ETC) is the amount a budget account still needs to spend from today through delivery, used on cost reports to project a film's final cost. - [Exhibit G](https://storiara.com/glossary/exhibit-g): Exhibit G is the SAG-AFTRA Performers Production Time Report: a daily sign-off of each union performer's work, meal, and travel times, used for pay and claims. - [Favored nations](https://storiara.com/glossary/favored-nations): Favored nations is a contract clause promising a person terms at least as good as anyone else in the same group, like cast fees, credits, or trailers. - [Featured extra](https://storiara.com/glossary/featured-extra): A featured extra is a background actor placed where the camera clearly sees them or given a specific action, like a bartender serving the lead, but no scripted line. - [Festival Strategy](https://storiara.com/glossary/festival-strategy): A festival strategy is the plan for where a film premieres, which festivals it plays next, and on what budget, usually built around selling the film. - [Film commission](https://storiara.com/glossary/film-commission): A film commission is a government or government-backed office that attracts productions to an area and helps with locations, permits, crew, and incentives. - [Film permit](https://storiara.com/glossary/film-permit): A film permit is a city or county's written permission to film at a location, usually requiring an application, a fee, insurance, and a set lead time. - [Financial core](https://storiara.com/glossary/financial-core): Financial core, or fi-core, lets a union-covered performer drop full membership, pay reduced fees, and take non-union work, at a steep cost with SAG-AFTRA. - [Fine Cut](https://storiara.com/glossary/fine-cut): A fine cut is a late edit where structure is settled and the editor refines frame-level timing, performances, and transitions before the film goes to picture lock. - [First team](https://storiara.com/glossary/first-team): First team means the principal actors who will appear in the shot. 'First team in' calls them to set to replace stand-ins once lighting is ready. - [Flat rate](https://storiara.com/glossary/flat-rate): A flat rate is a fixed payment for a job or period regardless of hours. It works for exempt roles and contractors but doesn't cancel overtime law for hourly crew. - [Foley](https://storiara.com/glossary/foley): Foley is sound recorded in sync with picture on a Foley stage, such as footsteps, cloth movement, and props, performed by Foley artists to replace or add everyday sounds. - [Forced call](https://storiara.com/glossary/forced-call): A forced call is when a cast or crew member is called back before their required rest period ends. Union contracts treat it as a violation with penalty pay. - [Fringes](https://storiara.com/glossary/fringes): Fringes are the payroll taxes, union pension and health contributions, workers' comp, and payroll fees added on top of wages in a film budget, usually as percentages. - [Gap Financing](https://storiara.com/glossary/gap-financing): Gap financing is a loan covering the last shortfall in a film's budget, secured against sales estimates for unsold territories and repaid from future sales. - [General crew call](https://storiara.com/glossary/general-crew-call): General crew call is the main call time for most of the crew on a shoot day, printed large at the top of the call sheet. Some departments get earlier pre-calls. - [Golden time](https://storiara.com/glossary/golden-time): Golden time is the premium pay union crew earn after a long day passes a set number of elapsed hours, at double time or more under the IATSE studio agreements. - [Greenery](https://storiara.com/glossary/greenery): Greenery is the breakdown category for plants on camera, real or artificial: trees, hedges, lawns, flowers, and vines, supplied and dressed by the greens department. - [Greenlight](https://storiara.com/glossary/greenlight): A greenlight is the formal decision to fund a film and start pre-production, given by a studio or, on an indie, reached when the financing closes. - [Hair and makeup](https://storiara.com/glossary/hair-and-makeup): Hair and makeup covers every look applied to cast and background, from a clean daily look to wounds, aging, and wigs. Breakdowns mark it with an asterisk. - [Hand prop](https://storiara.com/glossary/hand-prop): A hand prop is a small prop an actor carries or uses in their hands, like a phone, pen, wallet, or cigarette, handed out and reset by the props team. - [Hard costs](https://storiara.com/glossary/hard-costs): Hard costs are the money spent physically making a film: crew, equipment, sets, locations, and post work, as opposed to fees, financing charges, and overhead. - [Hero prop](https://storiara.com/glossary/hero-prop): A hero prop is the most detailed version of a prop, built to hold up in close-ups and inserts, with cheaper stunt or background copies for other shots. - [Hold day](https://storiara.com/glossary/hold-day): A hold day is a shoot day an actor is not working but is still on the payroll because it falls between their start and finish dates. Marked H on the DOOD. - [Holding area](https://storiara.com/glossary/holding-area): The holding area is the space where background actors, and sometimes cast, wait between shots, check in with vouchers, and get sent to set by the ADs. - [Honeywagon](https://storiara.com/glossary/honeywagon): A honeywagon is a trailer at base camp with restrooms and a row of small dressing rooms, used by crew and by day players and smaller cast roles. - [Hot costs](https://storiara.com/glossary/hot-costs): Hot costs are a daily report comparing what a shoot day actually cost against what the budget assumed, flagging overtime, meal penalties, and extra spending early. - [Hot set](https://storiara.com/glossary/hot-set): A hot set is a dressed set that is still being shot or will be again, so nothing on it can be moved or struck. Crews mark it with signs and keep hands off. - [IATSE](https://storiara.com/glossary/iatse): IATSE is the labor union for most behind-the-camera crafts in film and TV, from camera and grip to costume, editing, and script supervision, organized in locals. - [INT./EXT.](https://storiara.com/glossary/int-ext): INT. and EXT. mark whether a scene plays inside or outside. INT./EXT. covers scenes that play in both, most often a car or a doorway, and it shapes the schedule. - [Kit rental](https://storiara.com/glossary/kit-rental): A kit rental is a fee production pays a crew member for using their own supplies or equipment on the job, like a makeup kit, and it's budgeted separately from wages. - [Last looks](https://storiara.com/glossary/last-looks): Last looks is the 1st AD's call for hair, makeup, and wardrobe to make final touch-ups on actors in position, right before the camera rolls on a take. - [Lined script](https://storiara.com/glossary/lined-script): A lined script is the script supervisor's marked-up script, with vertical lines showing which setups cover which lines, used by editors to find coverage. - [Loan-out company](https://storiara.com/glossary/loan-out-company): A loan-out company is a corporation or LLC owned by an actor, director, or crew member that contracts their services to productions and receives their pay. - [Location agreement](https://storiara.com/glossary/location-agreement): A location agreement is the full contract for renting a filming location: fees by day type, overtime, holding days, deposits, alterations, restoration, and cancellation. - [Location fee](https://storiara.com/glossary/location-fee): A location fee is what a production pays a property owner to use a location, usually a daily rate for shoot days with separate rates for prep, strike, and holds. - [Location lockdown](https://storiara.com/glossary/location-lockdown): Location lockdown is controlling foot and vehicle traffic around set during takes, with PAs on walkies politely holding people until the cut. - [Location Offset](https://storiara.com/glossary/location-offset): The Location Offset is Australia's 30% refundable tax offset on qualifying Australian spend, aimed at large international films and series. - [Location release](https://storiara.com/glossary/location-release): A location release is the signed permission from a property owner to film on their property and use the footage, covering dates, fee, access, and damage. - [Location scout](https://storiara.com/glossary/location-scout): A location scout is both the person who finds filming locations and the trip to look at them: photographing, measuring, and checking access, power, and noise. - [Lock-up](https://storiara.com/glossary/lock-up): A lock-up is holding pedestrians, traffic, or crew out of a shot or away from set during a take. PAs 'lock it up' on the AD's call and release after cut. - [Locked budget](https://storiara.com/glossary/locked-budget): A locked budget is the approved version of a film budget, frozen when financing closes, that every cost report measures against. Later changes are tracked separately. - [Locked script](https://storiara.com/glossary/locked-script): A locked script has its page and scene numbers frozen, so later revisions add A-pages, A-scenes, and colored pages instead of renumbering the whole draft. - [Lookbook](https://storiara.com/glossary/lookbook): A lookbook is a visual document for a film project, with reference images, color, and tone, that shows investors, cast, and crew how the film will look and feel. - [Low Budget Agreement](https://storiara.com/glossary/low-budget-agreement): SAG-AFTRA's Low Budget Theatrical Agreement covers US films under $2,000,000, paying performers $834 a day or $2,896 a week from July 1, 2026, with background covered. - [Lunch break](https://storiara.com/glossary/lunch-break): The lunch break is the first meal period on a shoot day, due within six hours of call under SAG-AFTRA rules and California's motion picture wage order. - [LUT (Look-Up Table)](https://storiara.com/glossary/lut): A LUT (look-up table) is a file that maps one set of color values to another, used to turn flat log footage into a viewable image on set and in the edit. - [M&E Tracks (Music and Effects)](https://storiara.com/glossary/m-and-e-tracks): M&E tracks are the film's full soundtrack with the dialogue removed, music and effects only, so foreign distributors can dub the film into another language. - [Marks](https://storiara.com/glossary/marks): Marks are tape or sandbag markers placed on the floor for actor positions and camera stops, so focus, lighting, and framing repeat on every take. - [Martini shot](https://storiara.com/glossary/martini-shot): The martini shot is the last shot of the shoot day. It's called on set so crew know wrap is next; the name jokes that the next shot will be in a glass. - [Master shot](https://storiara.com/glossary/master-shot): A master shot is a wide take that covers a whole scene from start to finish, showing every actor, and anchors the closer coverage shots around it. - [Meal penalty](https://storiara.com/glossary/meal-penalty): A meal penalty is the payment owed to union cast and crew when a meal break isn't called within six hours, charged per half hour of delay and rising with each unit. - [Minimum Guarantee (MG)](https://storiara.com/glossary/minimum-guarantee): A minimum guarantee (MG) is the advance a distributor pays for a film's rights in a territory, recouped from local revenue before the producer gets overages. - [Minimum Spend](https://storiara.com/glossary/minimum-spend): Minimum spend is the lowest amount of local, qualifying expenditure a production must reach to be eligible for a film tax credit or rebate in that jurisdiction. - [Minor work permit](https://storiara.com/glossary/minor-work-permit): A minor work permit is the state-issued permit a child performer needs before working on a production, like California's Entertainment Work Permit. - [Moderate Low Budget Agreement](https://storiara.com/glossary/moderate-low-budget-agreement): SAG-AFTRA's Moderate Low Budget Agreement covers US films under $700,000, paying performers $449 a day or $1,560 a week from July 1, 2026, with casting incentives. - [MOS](https://storiara.com/glossary/mos): MOS means a shot filmed without recording sync sound. It's marked on the slate, camera report, and sound report so post doesn't search for missing audio. - [Music playback](https://storiara.com/glossary/music-playback): Music playback is pre-recorded music or audio played on set so actors can sing, dance, or react to it in sync. It needs clearance, tracks, and a playback operator. - [Must-join](https://storiara.com/glossary/must-join): A must-join is a SAG-AFTRA eligible performer whose 30-day window has passed, so they have to join the union before taking another union job. - [Negative cost](https://storiara.com/glossary/negative-cost): Negative cost is the total cost to produce a film through the finished master, including cast, crew, and post but excluding prints, advertising, and distribution. - [Negative Pickup](https://storiara.com/glossary/negative-pickup): A negative pickup is a deal where a studio or distributor agrees to buy a finished film for a set price on delivery, and the producer borrows against it. - [Neighborhood notification](https://storiara.com/glossary/neighborhood-notification): Neighborhood notification is telling residents and businesses near a shoot about filming dates, hours, parking, and contacts, as permits often require. - [New Media Agreement](https://storiara.com/glossary/new-media-agreement): SAG-AFTRA's New Media Agreement covers original and derivative programs made first for internet and mobile platforms, with budget-based residual terms. - [Night shoot](https://storiara.com/glossary/night-shoot): A night shoot is a shoot day with most work after dark, which shifts call times, meals, and turnaround and needs planning for the flip back to day work. - [Non-union production](https://storiara.com/glossary/non-union-production): A non-union production hasn't signed agreements with SAG-AFTRA, the DGA, IATSE, or the Teamsters, so pay and work rules come from contracts and state law. - [Omitted scene](https://storiara.com/glossary/omitted-scene): An omitted scene is a cut scene whose number stays in the locked script with the word OMITTED, so nothing downstream gets renumbered or confused. - [One-line schedule](https://storiara.com/glossary/one-line-schedule): A one-line schedule (one-liner) is a condensed shooting schedule with one line per scene: scene number, set, day or night, pages, and cast IDs by shoot day. - [Option Agreement](https://storiara.com/glossary/option-agreement): An option agreement gives a producer the exclusive right, for a set period and fee, to buy the film rights to a script, book, or story at a price agreed up front. - [Overhead fee](https://storiara.com/glossary/overhead-fee): An overhead fee is a charge a production company or studio adds to a film's costs to cover its ongoing office, staff, and development expenses, often a percentage. - [Overtime](https://storiara.com/glossary/overtime): Overtime is premium pay for hours past a daily or weekly threshold, set by state and federal law for non-union crew and by union agreements for guild members. - [Page count](https://storiara.com/glossary/page-count): Page count is the total script length in eighths for a scene, a shoot day, a location, or the whole script, used to size shoot days and compare schedules. - [Page eighths](https://storiara.com/glossary/page-eighths): Page eighths are the unit for measuring script length in production: each page splits into eight one-inch sections, so scenes are counted like 1 3/8 or 5/8. - [Parking permit](https://storiara.com/glossary/parking-permit): A filming parking permit reserves street space for production trucks and equipment, usually by posting Temporary No Parking signs days before the shoot. - [Pay or play](https://storiara.com/glossary/pay-or-play): Pay or play is a contract term where a producer must pay a hired actor or director their fee even if the production cancels or replaces them. - [Payroll company](https://storiara.com/glossary/payroll-company): An entertainment payroll company processes cast and crew pay, taxes, union benefits, and workers' comp for a production, often acting as the legal employer of record. - [PDV Offset](https://storiara.com/glossary/pdv-offset): The PDV Offset is Australia's 30% federal rebate on qualifying post, digital, and visual effects spend in Australia, for projects with at least A$500,000 of PDV QAPE. - [Pension and health](https://storiara.com/glossary/pension-and-health): Pension and health (P&H) is the employer contribution to union benefit plans on top of wages, a percentage of gross for SAG-AFTRA and hourly amounts for IATSE. - [Per diem](https://storiara.com/glossary/per-diem): Per diem is a daily allowance paid to cast and crew on overnight or distant locations to cover meals and incidentals, budgeted per person per day away from home. - [Petty cash](https://storiara.com/glossary/petty-cash): Petty cash is the money advanced to crew for small on-the-spot purchases, tracked in coded envelopes with receipts that accounting reconciles before replenishing. - [Pickup Day](https://storiara.com/glossary/pickup-day): A pickup day is a short, scheduled shoot after principal photography to capture missing shots, inserts, or fixes the edit revealed, usually with a reduced crew. - [Pickup shot](https://storiara.com/glossary/pickup-shot): A pickup shot is a small shot filmed after a scene's main coverage to fill a gap, such as an insert or a line. It can also mean restarting a take mid-scene. - [Picture Lock](https://storiara.com/glossary/picture-lock): Picture lock is the point where the edit is final and no more changes to shot order or length are made, so sound, music, VFX, and color can finish against fixed timings. - [Picture vehicle](https://storiara.com/glossary/picture-vehicle): A picture vehicle is any car, truck, bike, or boat seen on camera. Breakdowns tag them pink, separate from the production vehicles that carry crew and gear. - [Pitch Deck](https://storiara.com/glossary/pitch-deck): A pitch deck is a short slide presentation for a film project that covers story, team, budget, finance plan, and comparables, used to raise money or attach partners. - [Practical location](https://storiara.com/glossary/practical-location): A practical location is a real, existing place used for filming, like a working diner or a house, as opposed to a set built on a soundstage or backlot. - [Pre-production](https://storiara.com/glossary/pre-production): Pre-production is the planning phase between greenlight and the first shoot day: hiring, casting, scouting, breakdown, scheduling, and budgeting to lock the shoot. - [Pre-Sales](https://storiara.com/glossary/pre-sales): Pre-sales are territory distribution deals signed before a film is made. The buyer promises a minimum guarantee on delivery, and producers borrow against it. - [Prep week](https://storiara.com/glossary/prep-week): A prep week is one week of paid pre-production for a crew member or department, counted back from day 1 of shooting. Deal memos list how many prep weeks each person gets. - [Principal photography](https://storiara.com/glossary/principal-photography): Principal photography is the main shooting period of a film with the principal cast, from day 1 to picture wrap. Many deals and insurance terms key to its start date. - [Prints and advertising](https://storiara.com/glossary/prints-and-advertising): Prints and advertising (P&A) is the money spent releasing a finished film: DCPs, trailers, media buys, and publicity. It sits outside the production budget. - [Producer fee](https://storiara.com/glossary/producer-fee): A producer fee is the compensation paid to a film's producers for their work, budgeted above the line and often paid in installments tied to prep, shooting, and delivery. - [Producer Offset](https://storiara.com/glossary/producer-offset): The Producer Offset is Australia's refundable tax offset for Australian productions: 40% of qualifying spend for cinema features and 30% for other eligible projects. - [Production board](https://storiara.com/glossary/production-board): A production board is the folding board that held a film's paper strips, with a header listing cast and element numbers. Today it often just means the stripboard. - [Production budget](https://storiara.com/glossary/production-budget): A production budget is the line-by-line estimate of what a film will cost, from rights and cast through crew, gear, post, insurance, fringes, and contingency. - [Production insurance](https://storiara.com/glossary/production-insurance): Production insurance is the package of policies that protects a film against liability, equipment loss, cast illness, damaged footage, and extra expense from delays. - [Props](https://storiara.com/glossary/props): Props are objects actors handle or use in a scene, like phones, weapons, food, and letters. They are tagged purple in a breakdown and run by the prop master. - [Proxy Files](https://storiara.com/glossary/proxy-files): Proxy files are small, lower resolution copies of camera footage made for editing. The finished cut is later relinked or conformed to the camera originals. - [Purchase order](https://storiara.com/glossary/purchase-order): A purchase order is a numbered, approved commitment to spend money with a vendor, coded to a budget account so the cost shows up before the invoice arrives. - [QC Report (Quality Control Report)](https://storiara.com/glossary/qc-report): A QC report is a timecoded list of technical faults found when a lab reviews a film master, graded by severity, that decides whether the distributor accepts delivery. - [Qualification list](https://storiara.com/glossary/qualification-list): A qualification list is a union-administered roster of workers eligible for jobs, like the DGA lists for ADs and UPMs that signatory employers must hire from first. - [Qualified Spend](https://storiara.com/glossary/qualified-spend): Qualified spend is the part of a production budget that an incentive program counts toward its credit or rebate, usually local labor and goods, after exclusions and caps. - [Recoupment](https://storiara.com/glossary/recoupment): Recoupment is a party getting back money it put into a film, such as an investor's equity or a distributor's advance and marketing costs, before profits are shared. - [Refundable Tax Credit](https://storiara.com/glossary/refundable-tax-credit): A refundable tax credit pays the production any part of the credit that exceeds its tax bill as a refund, so a company with no local tax still receives the full amount. - [Rehearsal day](https://storiara.com/glossary/rehearsal-day): A rehearsal day is a scheduled, paid day for cast to rehearse scenes, stunts, or choreography without shooting. It shows as R on the day out of days. - [Residuals](https://storiara.com/glossary/residuals): Residuals are payments owed to union performers, directors, and writers when a production is reused beyond its original market, such as streaming or TV. - [Revision colors](https://storiara.com/glossary/revision-colors): Revision colors are the paper colors used for script changes after lock: white, blue, pink, yellow, green, goldenrod, buff, salmon, cherry, then more. - [Right-to-work states](https://storiara.com/glossary/right-to-work-states): Right-to-work states ban union-security agreements, so workers can't be required to join or pay a union. As of 2026, 26 states have such laws. - [Rolling](https://storiara.com/glossary/rolling): Rolling is the call that the camera and sound are recording. PAs relay it so the set and lockups go silent and still until the director calls cut. - [Room tone](https://storiara.com/glossary/room-tone): Room tone is 30 to 60 seconds of recorded silence at a location, captured with the crew frozen, so dialogue editors can fill gaps in the edit. - [Rough Cut](https://storiara.com/glossary/rough-cut): A rough cut is an early edit of a film after the assembly, with scenes shaped, trimmed, and reordered, but still missing final music, effects, sound mix, and color. - [Safety bulletin](https://storiara.com/glossary/safety-bulletin): Safety bulletins are industry guidelines for hazards like firearms, stunts, fog, and water work, published by the Industry-Wide Labor-Management Safety Committee. - [Safety meeting](https://storiara.com/glossary/safety-meeting): A safety meeting is a briefing the 1st AD holds before stunts, effects, firearms, or hazards, walking cast and crew through the risks and who does what. - [SAG-AFTRA](https://storiara.com/glossary/sag-aftra): SAG-AFTRA is the US union for film and TV actors, background actors, stunt performers, and broadcasters. Producers must sign its agreements to hire members. - [SAG-AFTRA tiers](https://storiara.com/glossary/sag-aftra-tiers): SAG-AFTRA tiers are the budget-based theatrical agreements (Ultra Low, Moderate Low, Low Budget) that set lower actor rates for films under set cost caps. - [Sales Agent](https://storiara.com/glossary/sales-agent): A sales agent licenses a film's rights to distributors in different territories on the producer's behalf, earning a commission and recouping marketing expenses. - [Scene heading](https://storiara.com/glossary/scene-heading): A scene heading is the all-caps line that opens a scene, giving INT. or EXT., the location, and the time of day, like INT. DINER - NIGHT. - [Scene number](https://storiara.com/glossary/scene-number): A scene number is the number printed beside each scene heading in a shooting script. Once locked, it never changes, and inserts get letters like 42A. - [Script breakdown](https://storiara.com/glossary/script-breakdown): A script breakdown is the scene-by-scene inventory of everything a script needs to shoot: cast, extras, props, wardrobe, vehicles, effects, and equipment. - [Script day](https://storiara.com/glossary/script-day): A script day is the story-timeline day a scene belongs to, written as D1, N1, D2 on breakdown sheets and strips so wardrobe and makeup match across shoot days. - [Script supervisor report](https://storiara.com/glossary/script-supervisor-report): The script supervisor report is the daily summary of scenes, pages, setups, and screen time shot, plus first shot, meal, and wrap times. It feeds the DPR. - [Second meal](https://storiara.com/glossary/second-meal): Second meal is the next meal period on a long shoot day, due no later than six hours after lunch ends, whether crew stops to eat or not. - [Second team](https://storiara.com/glossary/second-team): Second team is the group of stand-ins who replace principal actors on their marks while the crew lights and rehearses camera moves for a setup. - [Second unit](https://storiara.com/glossary/second-unit): A second unit is a separate crew that shoots material without principal actors, such as establishing shots, stunt doubles, driving plates, and inserts. - [Set dressing](https://storiara.com/glossary/set-dressing): Set dressing is everything placed on a set that actors don't handle, like furniture, curtains, lamps, and wall art. If an actor uses it, it becomes a prop. - [Setup](https://storiara.com/glossary/setup): A setup is one camera position and lighting arrangement for a shot. Crews count setups per day to measure pace and plan how much can be shot. - [Seventh day](https://storiara.com/glossary/seventh-day): A seventh day is a seventh day of work in one workweek. It triggers the steepest overtime rules under state law and union agreements, so productions avoid it. - [Shoot day](https://storiara.com/glossary/shoot-day): A shoot day is one day of photography on the schedule, numbered in order (Day 6 of 18). Travel, prep, and days off don't count toward the total shoot days. - [Shooting Ratio](https://storiara.com/glossary/shooting-ratio): Shooting ratio is footage shot divided by footage used in the final cut. A 10:1 ratio means ten minutes recorded for every minute on screen. - [Shooting schedule](https://storiara.com/glossary/shooting-schedule): A shooting schedule lists every scene in shoot-day order with cast, locations, page counts, and the elements each scene needs, built from the breakdown. - [Shooting script](https://storiara.com/glossary/shooting-script): A shooting script is the production version of a screenplay with locked scene numbers, page numbers, and revision tracking, used by the whole crew to prep and shoot. - [Shot list](https://storiara.com/glossary/shot-list): A shot list is the director's scene-by-scene list of planned camera setups, with shot number, size, angle, movement, lens, and notes for the camera team and ADs. - [Shutdown costs](https://storiara.com/glossary/shutdown-costs): Shutdown costs are what a production keeps spending while shooting is stopped, from stage rent and equipment holds to crew kept on payroll and cast pay-or-play. - [Sign-in sheet](https://storiara.com/glossary/sign-in-sheet): A sign-in sheet records who arrived on set, when they arrived, their meal break, and when they left. It's used for background, day players, and non-union crew. - [Signatory](https://storiara.com/glossary/signatory): A signatory is a production company that has signed a union's collective bargaining agreement, so it can hire that union's members under those terms. - [Sixth day](https://storiara.com/glossary/sixth-day): A sixth day is the sixth day worked in a workweek. Union agreements pay it at a premium, and low budget SAG-AFTRA agreements allow a no-premium sixth day with conditions. - [Slate](https://storiara.com/glossary/slate): A slate is the clapperboard filmed at the head of each take, showing scene, take, and roll so editors can sync sound and identify every shot. - [Slugline](https://storiara.com/glossary/slugline): A slugline is a capitalized heading line in a screenplay. Master sluglines start new scenes; secondary sluglines like KITCHEN or LATER mark shifts within one. - [Soft costs](https://storiara.com/glossary/soft-costs): Soft costs are film budget expenses that don't go directly into shooting or post: legal, insurance, financing fees, interest, overhead, bond fees, and producer fees. - [Soft Money](https://storiara.com/glossary/soft-money): Soft money is film financing that doesn't need to be repaid from revenue or gives up little in return, such as tax credits, rebates, grants, and public fund support. - [Sound report](https://storiara.com/glossary/sound-report): A sound report is the production sound mixer's log of every recorded file: scene, take, track names, timecode, and notes like wild lines and room tone. - [Soundstage](https://storiara.com/glossary/soundstage): A soundstage is a large soundproofed building where sets are built and filmed, with overhead rigging, stage power, and controlled light and sound. - [Spec Script](https://storiara.com/glossary/spec-script): A spec script is a screenplay written without being hired or paid, on speculation, which the writer then tries to sell, option, or use as a writing sample. - [Special effects](https://storiara.com/glossary/special-effects): Special effects (SFX) are practical effects created on set during the take, such as rain, wind, smoke, fire, squibs, and breakaways. Breakdowns mark them blue. - [Special equipment](https://storiara.com/glossary/special-equipment): Special equipment is gear a scene needs beyond the standard camera, grip, and electric package, like cranes, drones, underwater housings, or a process trailer. - [Splinter unit](https://storiara.com/glossary/splinter-unit): A splinter unit is a small group split off from main unit, usually for a few hours on the same day, to shoot inserts or simple shots while main unit keeps working. - [Split day](https://storiara.com/glossary/split-day): A split day is a shoot day with a midday call so roughly half the work is in daylight and half after dark, often used to move a crew between day and night schedules. - [Spotting Session](https://storiara.com/glossary/spotting-session): A spotting session is a screening where the director and composer or sound team go through the locked cut and decide where music, effects, and ADR start and stop. - [Stand-in](https://storiara.com/glossary/stand-in): A stand-in is a person matched to a principal actor's height and coloring who takes the actor's marks while the camera and lighting crews set up each shot. - [Start paperwork](https://storiara.com/glossary/start-paperwork): Start paperwork is the packet every hire completes before being paid: deal memo, Form I-9, tax withholding forms, payroll start card, and production policies. - [Start work finish](https://storiara.com/glossary/start-work-finish): Start work finish (SWF) is the day out of days code for a performer who starts and finishes on the same shoot day, part of the SW, W, H, WF code set. - [Station 12](https://storiara.com/glossary/station-12): Station 12 is SAG-AFTRA's cast clearance process, where producers confirm every performer's membership status and good standing before they work. - [Story day](https://storiara.com/glossary/story-day): A story day is a single day in the film's internal timeline. Script supervisors map every scene to a story day so continuity holds when scenes shoot out of order. - [Storyboard](https://storiara.com/glossary/storyboard): A storyboard is a sequence of drawn panels showing each planned shot's framing and action, with shot numbers, camera moves, and dialogue cues written underneath. - [Strip](https://storiara.com/glossary/strip): A strip is one scene on a stripboard: a single colored line holding scene number, INT/EXT, set, day or night, page count, and the cast ID numbers. - [Stripboard](https://storiara.com/glossary/stripboard): A stripboard is the color-coded board of scene strips that a 1st AD rearranges into shoot days. White, yellow, blue, and green mark INT/EXT and day/night. - [Studio teacher](https://storiara.com/glossary/studio-teacher): A studio teacher is a state-certified teacher who schools minors on set and, in California, also protects their health, safety, and morals while working. - [Stunts](https://storiara.com/glossary/stunts): Stunts are actions with a risk of injury, like falls, fights, car hits, or fire, performed by trained stunt performers and tagged orange in a breakdown. - [Taft-Hartley](https://storiara.com/glossary/taft-hartley): In film, Taft-Hartley means hiring a non-union performer on a SAG-AFTRA production and reporting it within 15 days, which starts a 30-day window for the actor. - [Tailgate setup](https://storiara.com/glossary/tailgate-setup): A tailgate setup is when grip, electric, or camera work straight off the truck's liftgate instead of building a staging area close to set with carts. - [Take](https://storiara.com/glossary/take): A take is one continuous recording of a shot, from action to cut. Takes are numbered on the slate and logged by the script supervisor, camera, and sound. - [Talent release](https://storiara.com/glossary/talent-release): A talent release is a signed form in which a person lets a production use their image, likeness, voice, and name in the finished work and its promotion. - [Film Tax Credit](https://storiara.com/glossary/tax-credit): A film tax credit is a government incentive that returns a percentage of a production's qualified local spend, paid as a tax offset, a refund, or a credit you can sell. - [Teamsters Local 399](https://storiara.com/glossary/teamsters-local-399): Teamsters Local 399, the Hollywood Teamsters, represents drivers, location managers, casting directors, animal wranglers, and more in LA and New Mexico. - [Tech scout](https://storiara.com/glossary/tech-scout): A tech scout is the late-prep visit where department heads walk each chosen location with the director and 1st AD to plan equipment, power, parking, and the shoot. - [Time card](https://storiara.com/glossary/time-card): A time card is the weekly form each crew member fills with daily call, meal, and wrap times so payroll can calculate straight time, overtime, and penalties. - [Top sheet](https://storiara.com/glossary/top-sheet): A top sheet is the one-page summary of a film budget that lists each account category with its total, split into above-the-line, below-the-line, post, and other. - [Transferable Tax Credit](https://storiara.com/glossary/transferable-tax-credit): A transferable tax credit is a film incentive the production can sell to a local taxpayer, usually below face value, turning a credit it can't use into cash. - [Travel day](https://storiara.com/glossary/travel-day): A travel day is a scheduled day when cast or crew travel to or from a distant location without working. It is marked T on the DOOD and usually paid. - [Turnaround](https://storiara.com/glossary/turnaround): Turnaround is the minimum rest between wrap and the next call. SAG-AFTRA theatrical performers get 12 hours in the studio zone; IATSE Local 80 crew get 10. - [Ultra Low Budget Agreement](https://storiara.com/glossary/ultra-low-budget-agreement): SAG-AFTRA's Ultra Low Budget Project Agreement covers US-shot films with total budgets up to $300,000, paying day performers $257 a day from July 1, 2026. - [Union scale](https://storiara.com/glossary/union-scale): Union scale is the minimum rate a union agreement requires for a job, like a SAG-AFTRA day performer or IATSE grip. Talent deals often start at scale plus ten. - [Video village](https://storiara.com/glossary/video-village): Video village is the monitor station near set where the director, script supervisor, and producers watch the camera feeds during takes and rehearsals. - [Visual effects](https://storiara.com/glossary/visual-effects): Visual effects (VFX) are images created or altered in post, such as set extensions, screen replacements, wire removal, and CG creatures, planned from the breakdown. - [Walkie channels](https://storiara.com/glossary/walkie-channels): Walkie channels split radio traffic by department on a film set. Production takes channel 1, and other channels go to transport, camera, grip, and electric. - [Wardrobe](https://storiara.com/glossary/wardrobe): Wardrobe is the clothing characters wear on camera, tracked by change numbers per story day. Breakdowns circle wardrobe items and note changes and multiples. - [Waterfall (Recoupment Waterfall)](https://storiara.com/glossary/waterfall): A film's waterfall is the agreed order in which revenue gets paid out: fees first, then lenders, then investors and their premium, then deferments and profits. - [Weather cover](https://storiara.com/glossary/weather-cover): Weather cover is the backup plan for exterior shoot days: alternate interior scenes, cast on hold, and a decision deadline so bad weather doesn't waste a day. - [Weekly rate](https://storiara.com/glossary/weekly-rate): A weekly rate is pay quoted for a full workweek, usually five days with guaranteed hours. It's often cheaper than day rates for cast and crew working most of a week. - [Workers' compensation](https://storiara.com/glossary/workers-compensation): Workers' compensation is state-required insurance that pays medical costs and lost wages for employees hurt on the job, budgeted as a fringe on production payroll. - [Wrap](https://storiara.com/glossary/wrap): Wrap is the end of shooting, either for the day (camera wrap), for a performer, or for the whole production. Wrap times feed turnaround, overtime, and reports. - [Wrap report](https://storiara.com/glossary/wrap-report): A wrap report summarizes a production or department at the end of shooting: days and pages against plan, overages, incidents, returns, and what's still open. ## Data - [Film incentives dataset (CSV)](https://storiara.com/incentives/data.csv): Rates, minimum spend, caps, and last-verified dates for every jurisdiction page ## Optional - [Full text of core guides](https://storiara.com/llms-full.txt) - Every guide, glossary term, template, role, and incentive page is also available as markdown by adding .md to its URL. ## Contact - Support: support@storiara.com - Sales: sales@storiara.com - X: https://x.com/storiaraai - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/storiara - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@madewithstoriara Last updated: 2026-09-21