Production Ledger
Guides

Guides for working film crews

The business side of production, written plainly: getting paid, charging right, and keeping the paperwork that protects you. No account needed to read any of it.

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Getting paid

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How to Invoice a Production Company

What belongs on a freelance film crew invoice: labor, kit, expenses, deposits, terms, with a full example and an accounts-payable send checklist.

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A receipt connecting into a recorded money entry.

Net 30: Start Date, Due Date, and Status

What Net 30 actually means, what starts the clock, and a due-date calculator.

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How to Follow Up on a Late Invoice

Figure out where the invoice is stuck, then run the follow-up ladder with copy-paste scripts.

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Rates & deal terms

Film Crew Day Rates: What Freelancers Actually Charge

Realistic ranges by role, what a day really means, and how to quote without underpricing yourself.

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Kit Fee vs Day Rate

The four kinds of money on a crew invoice: labor, owned kit, rentals, and reimbursements.

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Deal Memos for Film Crews

What a deal memo is, what belongs in one, and how to get it signed without making it weird.

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Running the job

Call Sheet Basics for Small Crews

What belongs on a call sheet, what small crews can skip, and when to send it.

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Tracking Your Camera, Grip and Lighting Kit

A real gear list: values for insurance conversations, and check-out sheets when gear leaves.

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Records & taxes

1099s for Freelance Film Crew, Explained

The W-9 connection, worker classification basics, self-employment tax, and when you may owe your own crew a 1099.

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