Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for tV and OTT production companies.
A checklist built from how tV and OTT production companies 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.
- Series, season and episode register
- Script breakdown and shooting schedule
- Call sheets and daily production reports
- Cast and crew deal memos
- Episode budget against actual cost
- Post-production and delivery tracker
- Clearances and music cue sheets
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For the executive producer
- For line producers and production managers
- For production coordinators
- For the first assistant director
- For post supervisors and editors
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Episode budget against actual cost and cost to complete
- Shoot days planned against shot, with pages completed
- Overtime and lost time by unit and week
- Deal memos unsigned or expiring
- Episodes by post-production stage
- Deliverables owed to the commissioner
- Clearances missing before delivery
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- Accounting export
- SMS
- WhatsApp or other messaging
- Cloud file storage
- Calendar
- Payroll export
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- Is this production software or a scheduling tool?
- Can we run several series in one account?
- How are episode costs tracked against the budget?
- Does it handle cast and crew contracts?
- Can the commissioner’s notes on a cut be recorded?
- What does the delivery list cover?
- Can the daily report be filled on a phone?
- Will it take our current spreadsheets?
- Who owns the production records?
- How is the price worked out?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Episode cost is known after the shoot
- Script versions and commissioner notes drift apart
- Cast and crew bookings sit in several sheets
- Deliverables are tracked by memory
- Daily reports are not tied to the schedule
Prefer to talk it through? See the tV and OTT production companies page.