The following requirements have
been developed during the past year and a half as
the principals of Synergist conducted meetings with
potential collaboration partners. These represent
input from a solid cross representation of the entertainment
industry. The collaboration partners will work with
Synergist to complete the detailed requirements design
as the initial part of the Synergist development cycle.
Preproduction Modules
Scripting
The Scripting Module automatically
formats while you write so you can focus on what you’re
writing, not where it goes on the page. It also formats
for television, stage, and movie scripts so you have
an all-in-one package for any story you want to write.
With a set of features designed to make the rewriting
process fast and simple you can get from fade in to
fade out effortlessly. Online collaboration, the ability
to compare drafts of screenplays and the most comprehensive
production features of any scripting software all
make the Scripting module the clear choice for getting
your stories from concept to screen. Features include:
- Online Collaboration with a Partner
- Publish scripts directly to the Internet
- Export Entire Script to PDF Format
- Register Scripts Online
- Integration with budgeting and scheduling modules
for breakdown
- Full Production Breakdown Reports
- Industry Standard Revision Draft Colors
- Generate Set List and Rundowns Sheet
- Storyboard Linking
- Real-time Scene Re-numbering
Production Budgeting
Create industry specific budgets with the exact categories
needed for any genre of creative production. Production
accountants may use either our built in budget system
or an existing off-the-shelf entertainment budgeting
program such as Movie Magic or AICP based on a two-way
integration. Budgeting is integrated with financials
to track actuals in real time as production managers,
staff, vendors or contractors insert data into the
system as they complete each job function or days
work.
The budgeting module is for professional estimators,
producers, UPMs, accountants or anyone responsible
for estimating and managing the costs of any production
project. The module is flexible and allows you to
quickly and easily estimate the costs of shooting
virtually any production, including live action, animated,
feature film, television, commercial or documentary
production.
- Quickly and Easily Estimate Costs
- Estimate the costs of shooting virtually any production
- Track expenses accurately while shooting in foreign
countries and with multiple organizations
- Globals - Quickly change any aspect or variable
(prep, shooting times, rates, wrap, etc) and automatically
update the entire budget
- Subgroups - Plan for and track different scenarios
(i.e. personnel, camera packages, locations or shooting
times) within a single budget
- Multiple Levels - Allows unlimited accounts and
details
- Create customized budget forms including budgets
in foreign languages
- Compare Budgets - Lock your budget and automatically
track new totals and variance. Manage versions of
budget updates to facilitate future analysis.
- Compare and Collaborate on Budgets
- Budgeting tracks all the changes made to a file,
showing you the original, total and variance for each
account
- Compare one budget against another to get quick
comparisons of pattern budgets
- Fringes and Contractual Charges - Easily add, calculate
and adjust
- Collaborate on a single budget
- Interactive integration with production scheduling
- Enables you to spend your time planning projects,
not on formatting or calculating
- Budgeting includes numerous standard film, television
and video templates
- Imports from Movie Magic Scheduling and Exports
data to Movie Magic Virtual Production Office and
most production accounting programs
- Also includes reference and tutorial manuals in
online help system
- Integrations
- Scheduling Module
- Scripting Module
- Job Costing Module
- Call Sheet Module
- Financials
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Production Scheduling
Set up project scheduling as episodes, series, features,
specials, commercials, web sites, and design builds.
Apply drill down scheduling, budgeting and job cost
accounting to individual project schedules with specific
scheduling reports including Gantt Charts and CPM.
Production scheduling will require maximum flexibility
with the functionality to provide resource leveling
and create economies of scale for the production company.
Production scheduling will be integrated with the
existing major project management systems such as
MS Project or FileMaker based on a two-way integration.
Production Scheduling is the functionality for assistant
directors, producers, and production managers who
want script breakdown and scheduling software that
is intuitive, easy to use and saves time. The scheduling
module facilitates the script breakdown and creation
of a shooting schedule for feature films and television
productions. It also will:
- Manage the calendar
o Add shoot days to the stripboard
o Track all work days
o Track and manage shooting days, holidays, days off,
etc.
o Use to track multiple units or to plan scenarios
- Manage the shoot schedule - Powerful sorting
tools group your scenes by location, sets and sequence
- Easily break down scripts
o Break down your script by creating scenes for your
project and enter all elements required for a scene
o Have the scenes and a stripboard automatically created
for you
o Easily add elements to new scenes by only typing
an element once then simply retrieving it later from
our database
o Group strips by locations and sets to help manage
shoot schedule
o Drag, Drop, Cut and Paste - Easily adjust stripboard
to create the perfect schedule
- Support schedule change decisions with what-if
scenarios
o Schedule changes will automatically recalibrate
all subsequent activities and resource leveling to
help evaluate the broader impact of schedule changes
o As the schedule and budget are integrated, what-if
scenarios can show the projected financial impact
of a change
o Versions of what-if scenario schedules can be saved
and used as the actual change when the schedule change
decision is made
- Generate Reports
o Reports include one-liners, shooting schedules and
cast and prop lists
o A Day Out Of Dates feature automatically tracks
hold days
o Also includes reference and tutorial manuals in
online help system
o Gantt and CPM charts
o Slack time
o Resource leveling
- Integrations
o Budgeting Module
o Scripting Module
o Job Costing Module
o Call Sheet Module
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Production Modules
Production Job Costing
Track actuals in real time as production managers,
staff, vendors or contractors insert data into the
system as they complete each job function or days
work. With interfaces into the portals, call sheet
module, scheduling module, financials, and HR and
payroll system, the job costing module captures all
location, equipment and labor costs and employee histories.
Features include electronic receipt of edits, purchase
card interface, and remote location check printing.
Dashboard views of real-time status of schedule and
budget to actuals are available for performance monitoring
by directors, production managers, and producers.
Drill down capabilities help managers collaborate
about proactive changes and options.
Vendor Management
One of the major problems in contract production is
timekeeping. By integrating all production functionality
into one system Synergist will facilitate accurate
time keeping that can be matched to purchase orders
and invoices.
Clients have created procurement departments in order
to save money. Procurement has played a role in the
emergence of a multitude of agency or producer compensation
models. “Branded Entertainment” for instance
requires that small production companies must interface
directly with large corporate sponsors to track placement
of advertising in programs and account for a return
on investment. Some models are so complex third parties
must administer them because neither the agency nor
the client has the expertise.
The Synergist system will automate these process issues
and move the responsibility for managing workflow
away from central control and toward the individuals
on the ground.
- Synergist easily converts all known existing production
management systems
- Provides anywhere, anytime access for managers
at every level
- Password portal access by personal profile and
job function
- Portals can be customized to provide access to
relevant areas
- Managers update their own activity, costs and
other information in real time
- Producer has total control of every function with
real time information
- Eliminates hours of work keeping track of details
and managing unwieldy client procurement demands
Call Sheet and Timekeeping Module
An automated call sheet module utilizing RFID technology
will automatically track all personnel in the studio
or on location eliminating the need to manually enter
and track payroll and contractor invoicing; the only
human intervention would be for exceptions, i.e. sending
someone off site on an errand. This module will automatically
track and validate required breaks. The system would
automatically notify management when scheduled resources
are not on site and provide contact information to
find them quickly. This module would integrate into
the Order Management, Accounts Receivable, Human Relationship
Management and Payroll modules providing automated
invoice validation and payroll processing; payroll
can be processed internally or via a third party solution
such as EP or ADP.
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Location Management
An automated personnel and equipment
tracking module utilizing RFID technology will automatically
track all personnel and equipment in the studio and
on location. An overhead map view would provide the
exact location of all staff and equipment on location
in real time to facilitate direction. Production staff
may move resources on the map utilizing a stylus that
will automatically notify the resource where to go.
This module, combined with a camera angle viewer will
expedite the setting of scenes and verify shooting
results saving valuable time and resources.
As personnel all have unique
electronic tracking, the director can locate critical
personnel instantly. Alerts can be sent to the director
if critical personnel are missing from the shoot,
to avoid delays.
Automated tracking of all personnel
and equipment will support security management. Alerts
can be sent to appropriate personnel if equipment
is moved outside of the shoot parameters without authorization.
The system can also send alerts when unauthorized
personnel enter the shoot. Additional equipment can
be easily tagged and tracked, helping for up-to-date
security management.
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Post-Production Modules
Post-Production Reservation
The post-production reservation
module is utilized to get quotes and reserve post
production facilities. In cases where the production
company has post-production facilities that are available
as a service to other production companies, this module
also facilitates the quote and reservation process,
but will also provide credit and invoicing information
to AR. Features include the generation of work orders,
labeling, shipping, element tracking, purchasing and
project management. This module is integrated with
the scheduling module, budget module, job costing
module, FA and AR.
Cueing
The system can be triggered
to automatically import and format cue sheets for
reporting music licensing to ASCAP / BMI directly
out of the time line of an editing platform such as
AVID or Final Cut Pro. This information may be integrated
with a rights management system such as Sophoi. In
addition, network time sheets and air reports can
be automatically generated.
Advertising Sales and ROI Calculator
Most content producers and studios
have the need to develop relationships with advertising
agencies and advertisers to develop advertising support
or revenue either inclusive in their content, to fund
its creation or to support its airing. The Advertising
Sales and ROI calculator supports this endeavor and
provides functionality to analyze the advertising
benefit to both the agencies and the eventual sponsors.
Production Contracts
Easily set up the terms and
conditions of all contracts in the system and enable
triggers based on milestones that create invoices
and purchase orders that affect all other aspects
of the production budget, schedule and job costing.
Contracts dealing with rights and licensing issues
may be integrated into a rights management system
such as Sophoi, which is already integrated with Oracle.
Digital Asset Management
The Synergist system will have
an advanced Digital Asset Management system for the
storage and subsequent reworking of creative content.
This system will be integrated with all production
management functionality and will provide library
functionality for post-production.
International Distribution
Handle all phases of film distribution:
- Release planning
- Booking
- Flash fross processing
- Holdover negotiation
- Box office report processing
- Settlement Negotiation
- Statement processing
- Payment entry and application
- Real time trial balance
- Booking and financial reporting
- Leverage the needs of multiple distributors when
negotiating with exhibition
Royalty and Licensing
This module enables production
companies to identify and organize their rights, simplify
the process by which their customers can locate and
license the rights to desired assets, automate licensing,
and streamline the generation and management of contracts
involved in acquisition or licensing. It also tracks
all royalties and license fees due as a result of
the production process eliminating the difficult tracking
of royalty payables. For larger companies and studios
this process may be integrated with a rights management
system such as Sophoi.
Media Amortization
- Contract: Details on your contract information:
start date, end date, syndicator, number of titles,
number of plays
- Amortization:
- Current Month Amortization
- Film Usage Amortization on a per-run basis
- Barter Amortization: per-spot, per-play, per-day part or total value
- Time Amortization Schedule by Contract
- Syndicated Contract Balances
- Film Contract Balances
- Net Realizable Value
- Amortization Projection
- Monthly Usage for a specific film or program, a specific syndicator
or distributor on designated contract
- Provides a concise history of film or episode usage for individual
contracts
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Portals
Dashboards will be available
that succinctly show all pertinent information on
one screen in real time; for example, a producer could
see budget versus actuals, run rates and the planned
schedule versus actual time spent by task on one screen.
Portals will be customized for any individual based
on their need to access a particular area, such as:
Producer
- Global view of all functions and modules
- Manage individual and multiple projects simultaneously
with moving scheduling modules, budgets with automatically
updated actuals
- Manage teams of people in real time with accurate
data
Production Manager
- Set up a production with complete control of all
budget items with negotiated pricing, crew, equipment,
logistics and call sheet programs
- Keep track of all writers, coordinators, field
producers, production assistants and all of their
expenditures on a daily real time basis
Field Producer
- Input daily data from anywhere any time
- Information is reported as actuals against a budget
- Access confined to Field operations only
Coordinator
- Input daily data from anywhere, any time
- Information is reported as actuals against a budget
- Access confined to Field operations only
Office Manager and Production Accounting
- Works in conjunction with the producers view to
process invoicing
- Insurance issues
- Budgeting
- Global and project view lf all AR and AP
- Project view of project schedule, budget and job
costing
Editorial
- Submits daily work log for hours worked for all staff
- Inserts exported data for CUE sheets and air reports
Sound Mix
- Submits daily work log for hours worked for all
staff
Designer
- Keep track of all hours worked
- Materials used
- Subcontractors
Production Company Management
- Global view of all functions and modules
- Dashboard for all projects and financials
Vendors and contractors
- Two way interface to track work and invoicing
- Vendor and contractor data automatically will
update schedule and job costing
Talent
- Two way interface to track work, expenses and invoicing
- Talent data automatically will update schedule
and job costing
Integrations
The Synergist system will require
many two-way integration with existing production
systems including:
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