Releases, archive licences, rushes, cut versions, budgets and commissioner delivery, kept on each film.
Manage a documentary production company in one system. Each film carries its treatment, budget, funding tranches, contributor releases, location permits and archive licences. Rushes are logged and transcribed, cut versions collect their notes, and the delivery list for the commissioner builds up as material is cleared. Producers, directors, editors and accountants work from the same film record.
- Budget headings, funding tranches and delivery list entered as your company works
- Existing releases, licence sheets and rushes logs imported by our team
- Edits to forms and report layouts handled by GullySystem staff when asked
Factual film makers get one place for clearance and delivery. Producers, directors, researchers, editors and production accountants work from it. Each film holds its budget, funding tranches, releases, archive licences, rushes log, transcripts, cut versions and the delivery list the commissioner expects. Gaps in clearance show before the final cut is locked.
What goes wrong before the software.
How the work flows through it, step by step.
- 1
Development and funding
The treatment, the first budget and the applications to funders and broadcasters go on a film record. Each tranche is tied to the stage that releases it.
- 2
Pre-production
Contributors are listed, releases are sent, locations and permits are noted, and shoot days are planned with crew and kit.
- 3
Shoot and ingest
Each day produces cards that are ingested and logged. Releases signed on the day are attached to the contributor.
- 4
Research and clearance
Archive and music requests are raised with owners. Quotes, fees, territories and terms are recorded against each clip or track.
- 5
Edit and review
Assembly, rough cut and fine cut are saved as versions. Notes from the director, the executive producer and the commissioner stay with the version.
- 6
Delivery
The delivery list is ticked off item by item, a final cost report goes to the funder, and the film closes with its clearances on record.
What is inside.
Every module can be switched on, left out or changed to match how your team already works.
The business modules it is built from.
Each one is also available on its own, or inside a system built for you.
- Estimate/Quotation Management
The film budget is built by department, each funder tranche is tied to its stage, and later revisions are kept beside the first.
- Contract Management
Release forms, interview dates and usage limits sit on each contributor’s record, so an editor can see what a face in the timeline permits.
- Project Timelines with Gantt Charts
Development, shoot blocks, edit weeks and delivery dates sit on one calendar, so a slipped location pushes the edit start on screen.
- Vendor Management
Libraries, rights holders and composers are held as suppliers, with the quote, the fee, the territory and the term for each clip.
- Project Document Management
Each assembly, rough cut and fine cut is filed with the notes it received and the version the commissioner signed off.
- Expense Tracking
Fees, day rates, travel and expenses are logged against the film and the budget line, with the date each person was paid.
- Workflow and Approvals
Each deliverable moves from requested to received to approved, and the film closes only when the commissioner’s list is complete.
- Task Management
Transcription, logging and select-marking jobs go to named assistants with due dates, and open jobs show beside the day’s cards.
How we would put it in.
Setup, data migration, integrations and anything built on top.
One system, each person sees their part.
For producers
See budget against actuals, funding stages due, releases outstanding and which licences block the lock of the cut.
For directors and story producers
Search transcripts, see selects and check which contributors are cleared before building a sequence.
For archive researchers
Hold open requests, quotes received, fees agreed and the clips that still have no owner answer.
For editors and assistant editors
Open the rushes log, the cut versions and the notes, and see which clips carry a restriction.
For production accountants
Record costs, reconcile funder tranches and issue stage reports from the same figures.
The numbers the owner asks for.
- 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
Who this is built for.
- Independent documentary production companies
- Producers of long-running factual series
- Companies working on commissions from broadcasters and streaming services
- Producers funded through grants and co-production partners
- Archive-heavy history and current affairs filmmakers
- Studios running several films across different edit rooms
When it is not the right choice.
- A solo filmmaker with a single short and two interviews can keep a release folder and a sheet.
- A company that makes mainly scripted drama or live events will find a production system for scripted work fits better.
Adapted to your business before it goes live.
You are not handed a login and left to it. The product is set up around your records, your people and the tools you already use.
Works alongside
- Spreadsheet import
- Accounting export
- Cloud storage links
- Calendar
- Transcription tools
Questions owners ask before a demo.
Is this edit software or a production system?
A production system. It records what the film needs and holds, such as releases, licences and notes. Your editing suite and the drives stay as they are.
Can it show which clips are in the timeline?
Only what you enter or import. Editors tick clips as selected or used, and the clearance list updates from that, so cut-in clips without a licence show at once.
How do we avoid losing a signed release?
Each contributor has a record that holds the scanned form, the date and any limits on use. Anyone opening a clip sees the contributor’s status beside it.
Does it handle co-productions?
Yes. A film can list several partners, each with a share of budget and a separate funding schedule, and stage reports are produced for each partner.
Can the commissioner log in to see progress?
A read-only view can be set up for cut versions and the delivery list. Which items they see is decided with your executive producer.
How do we pay crew and contributors from it?
Fees and expenses are recorded and listed as payable by date. Payment itself happens in your bank or accounts system, and an export can be added.
Can past films come across?
Yes. Earlier releases, their licence sheets and delivery records are read in, so when a commissioner asks about a film from years ago, one record holds the answer.
Who owns the production records?
Your company does. How the records leave, and in which file types, is agreed on paper before any film is loaded.
What does it cost?
No price is listed. After a demonstration we quote in writing, shaped by how many films are in production at once, who needs a login and how many commissioner delivery lists apply.
Does a small company need this?
Yes, if you run two or three films a year with many contributors and archive clips. For one short film, a sheet can serve, and we will tell you so.
Wondering what it would cost? Share your requirements and an engineer will come back with a scope.
Businesses that use this.
See Documentary Producer Management Software with your own data.
Tell us how you run things today. We’ll show you the parts that matter to you and say plainly what would need changing.
- No obligation
- A reply within one business day
- Your details stay private
Start with your requirements
Seven short steps that tell us what you need. An engineer reads them before getting in touch.
Share your requirements