What figures appear in the Actuals cost report?

Each budget account shows the locked budget, working estimate, committed cost, paid actual cost, and remaining variance, with category and production totals.

How are committed costs and actual costs calculated?

Unpaid purchase orders, invoices, contracts, time cards, reimbursements, and P-card entries are carried as commitments. Paid entries are carried as actual costs.

Can one production expense be divided between accounts?

Yes. Split a charge into separate descriptions, quantities, units, rates, amounts, and budget accounts. The split lines carry into the corresponding account totals.

What information can be kept with a production expense?

Keep the transaction date and name, amount, account, type, reference number, paid or unpaid status, payment date, paid number, vendor or contact, incentive state, qualified-spend status and reason, notes, and supporting documents.

Can Actuals track vendors and incentive-qualified costs?

Yes. Vendor records include company and contact details, W-9 status, states of incorporation, residence and registration, documents, qualified cost, total cost, and the expenses charged to that vendor.

Does Actuals use the production budget accounts?

Yes. Actuals reads the project current budget and uses its account structure for expense coding, commitments, paid costs, variance, category totals, and the production total.

Production actuals

Production Actuals

Carry the current production budget against purchase orders, invoices, contracts, time cards, reimbursements, P-card charges, and paid costs.

Read the locked budget, working estimate, commitments, actual costs, and variance by account, then trace every figure back to the production expense and vendor behind it.

Track Production Costs

CURRENT BUDGETFeature Working Budget

COST REPORT

3000Camera$52,000$12,500$31,250$8,250

3300Grip & Electric$43,500$18,750$20,100$4,650

4000Locations$68,000$25,000$51,800-$8,800

Total$163,500$56,250$103,150$4,100

Open commitmentsPaid actualsOver budget

From estimate to cost position

Keep the cost report tied to the budget accounts

Actuals starts with the budget marked current for the production. Its accounts become the coding structure for expenses, commitments, paid costs, and variance, so the line producer can read the show from the same chart of accounts used to build the estimate.

Set the current budget

Use the working budget and its account structure as the basis for production cost tracking.

Enter the expense

Record the charge, paperwork type, status, vendor, dates, reference numbers, and supporting files.

Code or split the cost

Charge the full amount to one account or divide it across several production accounts.

Read the variance

Review commitments and actuals against the working estimate at account, section, and production total.

The actuals ledger

Read the production cost position account by account

The ledger carries each budget category through the same five cost positions and rolls them into above-the-line, below-the-line, fringe, and production totals where those sections exist in the current budget.

Locked budget

Keep the approved figure visible beside the changing cost report.

Working estimate

Compare production spending with the active estimate carried by the current budget.

Committed costs

Carry unpaid POs, invoices, contracts, time cards, reimbursements, and P-card charges as open commitments.

Actual costs

Move paid production expenses into actuals without losing their account, vendor, or supporting paperwork.

Variance

Calculate the working estimate less committed and actual costs, with color calling attention to tight balances and overages.

Account and show totals

Roll expense coding into category subtotals and the full production total, including the budget’s fringe accounts.

Production expense log

Keep the transaction and the accounting detail together

Add, revise, or remove costs as the production office receives the paperwork. Each row can carry the information needed to identify, code, clear, and support the charge.

Transaction date, transaction name, amount, budget account, and notes.
ACH, check, credit card, wire, cash, petty cash, PO, invoice, contract, time card, reimbursement, P-card, or journal entry.
Reference number, paid or unpaid status, payment date, and paid number.
Vendor or individual contact responsible for the charge.
Incentive state, qualified-spend mark, and the reason the cost qualifies.
PDF, JPG, and PNG attachments for invoices, receipts, POs, contracts, and other backup.

PRODUCTION EXPENSEUnpaid

Transaction: Camera package - Week 2
Type / Ref: PO 2417
Vendor: Northlight Camera
Amount: $18,750.00
Account: 3000 Camera
Backup: PO-2417.pdf

COMMITTED COST$18,750.00

SPLIT EXPENSE$4,800.00

Generator fuel1$1,2003300$1,200

Picture vehicles2 day$9004100$1,800

Company vehicles3 day$6004200$1,800

Split total$4,800.00

Split coding

Divide one charge across the accounts that used it

A single invoice, card statement, or petty-cash envelope may cover several departments. Split the expense into its working parts instead of forcing the whole amount into one account.

Add as many split lines as the charge requires.
Enter a description, quantity, unit, rate, amount, and account for each split.
Use percentage, day, week, or a direct amount where appropriate.
Carry each split into the correct committed or actual account total.
Keep the original transaction amount tied to the split detail.

Committed versus actual

Keep open obligations separate from money already paid

Status and paperwork type determine where a cost lands. Unpaid commitment paperwork remains visible in committed costs; once an expense is marked paid, it is carried in actuals. Variance always reflects both columns.

COMMITTED

Paper issued or received, payment still open

Purchase orders, invoices, contracts, time cards, reimbursements, and P-card expenses marked unpaid.

ACTUAL

The production has paid the cost

Paid expenses move into actuals while retaining their account code, vendor, payment detail, notes, and documents.

Vendors and qualified spend

See what the production has spent with every supplier

The vendor view gathers company details and the expenses assigned to that vendor, giving the line producer and production office a clear supplier cost history.

Add and revise supplier records as vendors come onto the production.
Company name, entity type, vendor category, address, and contact details.
State of incorporation, state of residence, and registered states.
W-9-on-file status, vendor notes, and supporting documents.
Total cost and incentive-qualified cost by vendor.
Expand a vendor to review expense date, reference, type, account, amount, incentive state, and qualified-spend status.
Print the vendor cost list with the required page settings.

VENDOR COST HISTORYW-9 ON FILE

Northlight CameraCamera rental house

TOTAL COST$44,650

QUALIFIED$38,900

PO 23843000 Camera$25,900

PO 24173000 Camera$18,750

Working controls

Handle a long expense log without losing the paper trail

Find an expense or vendor

Search transaction details, supplier information, cost totals, and qualified totals.

Sort and page the log

Sort expense and vendor columns and work through long lists in manageable page lengths.

Open the backup

Attach multiple files, open the paperwork from the expense or vendor, and remove outdated backup when permitted.

Undo and redo

Reverse or restore recent cost-entry changes while entering expenses, splits, vendors, and supporting detail.

Project currency and decimals

Display production costs in the project currency with the project’s decimal setting.

Production access

Give production accounting and approved production staff edit access while other crew retain the cost visibility assigned to them.

Production actuals FAQ

Common cost-report questions

Where do the accounts come from?

Actuals uses the chart of accounts from the budget marked current for the project.

What makes a cost committed?

An unpaid PO, invoice, contract, time card, reimbursement, or P-card entry is carried as a commitment.

What makes a cost actual?

When an expense is marked paid, its amount is carried into actuals for the coded account.

How is variance calculated?

Variance is the working estimate less committed costs and paid actuals.

Can a charge hit several accounts?

Yes. Split the transaction into separate descriptions, quantities, rates, amounts, units, and account codes.

Can I track incentive-qualified spend?

Yes. Mark the transaction as qualified, enter the incentive state and reason, and review qualified totals by vendor.

Know the cost position before the next decision is made.

Carry the working budget against commitments, paid actuals, account variance, production expenses, and vendor totals.

Track Production Costs