Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for documentary producers.
A checklist built from how documentary producers work, to print or save as a PDF and bring to any supplier meeting.
What the software should cover
Tick each one that matters to your business.
- Treatment, budget and funding tranches
- Contributor and location releases
- Rushes log and transcripts
- Archive and music clearance
- Cut versions and review notes
- Delivery list and cue sheets
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For producers
- For directors and story producers
- For archive researchers
- For editors and assistant editors
- For production accountants
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Budget against actuals by department and stage
- Funding tranches due and received
- Releases outstanding by contributor
- Archive and music licences by status and fee
- Cut versions with notes and approval
- Delivery list items missing
- Festival submissions and deadlines
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- Spreadsheet import
- Accounting export
- Cloud storage links
- Calendar
- Transcription tools
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- Is this edit software or a production system?
- Can it show which clips are in the timeline?
- How do we avoid losing a signed release?
- Does it handle co-productions?
- Can the commissioner log in to see progress?
- How do we pay crew and contributors from it?
- Can past films come across?
- Who owns the production records?
- What does it cost?
- Does a small company need this?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Releases are missing at the edit
- Archive clips are priced after they are cut in
- Funder reports do not match the ledger
- Versions of the cut multiply
- The delivery list is assembled at the end
Prefer to talk it through? See the documentary producers page.