Cost Reporting

Get Certified in Cost Reporting

Taught by Maegan Philmore, Paramount’s Director of Production

Cost reporting is a critical skill that all producers, production managers, line producers, and production accountants need to know.

Once a budget is approved and a production begins, the money and cash flow are managed by consistent cost reporting. Proper cost reporting procedures allow for the producers of a production to manage the process with a complete understanding and picture of how much has been spent, and on what, so that adjustments can be made, issues identified and addressed and, if extra money is needed or desired for something that the creative team wants, then producers know if there is any extra money available to reallocate. Cost reporting is also how a studio or financier tracks the money being spent on a production throughout the production process, meaning strong cost-reporting skills are a requisite when working with the major companies in the industry.

The actual management of a production’s budget through proper cost-reporting is an essential job overseen by a show’s production manager, line producer and production accounting team.

In this certification course, you’ll learn the fundamentals of cost reporting. This knowledge will allow you to contribute immediately on any production team and be a critical step toward becoming a production manager or production accountant who can manage the cash flow on any shoot.

The course will cover:

• Software
  • Movie Magic
  • Celtx
  • Studio Binder
  • Excel
• Accounting/Production Coordinator
  • Production/Post Accountant
  • Production Coordinator
  • Hot Costs
  • Purchase Orders
  • Budget Tracking
  • General Ledger
  • Trial Balance
• Create your Cost Report
  • What it looks like
  • How to read it
  • What it will tell you
  • Why it matters

What is Individual Certification?

Individual Certification is a single course centered around one subject. Upon the completion of this course, you will be Stage 32 Certified in this area of production. (To be Master Certified in a particular area of expertise, please see the Master Certification section of the platform.)

After viewing the course you will be given a test of your knowledge and understanding of the subject matter. You have the ability to pause your course and go back to review sections as you are learning. You will be given three attempts to take the test. If you do not pass the test after the third time you will need to re-enroll in the course.

Once you pass the test you will be issued a Stage 32 Certificate recognizing your efforts in passing the course. You will also be listed in our master database accessible by film commissions, productions and any executives who are looking for talent. You will also receive a Stage 32 Certification badge that will be added to your Stage 32 profile, so people who are hiring on Stage 32 will know that you have completed a Stage 32 Certification course.

In addition to Stage 32, we highly recommend you post your Stage 32 Certificate on your LinkedIn and other social media profiles.

About the Instructor

Over 90 minutes of instruction, you will learn directly from Maegan Philmore. Maegan is a Director of Production at Paramount (formerly ViacomCBS) in Los Angeles, California, with a current focus on movies of the week for Paramount, MTV, Comedy Central and VH1. She previously worked as a production executive at The National Football League and YouTube Originals. She has worked on numerous productions including “Reno 911: The Hunt For QAnon” on Comedy Central, “Hip Hop Family Christmas” on VH1, "Draft A Thon 2021” for the National Football League, “The Jesus Strand: A Search for DNA” on the History Channel, "Welcome To Sweetie Pie’s" on OWN (winner of the 2013 NAACP Image Award “Reality Series”) and the 3 Time Emmy Winning show "Freedom Riders” on PBS.

(Payment plans available at checkout)