10 Apps Every Producer Needs to Know

With artificial intelligence kicking at the film industry's heels, I've frankly been a little concerned. I know, everyone has strong feelings, but despite your opinions, it is sneakily encroaching on your life. Your work, your car, your cellphone, your fridge. Even I sit here writing this, wix.com has offered a "Content AI" button which will rephrase this post, lengthen it, or change the tone to "casual", "confident", or "funny" (because AI has a better sense of humor?)

To be a producer in this current climate, you have adopt AI like a new colleague at work. Think of it as the rookie hire who always asks the right questions during the meeting and offers to do a task you forgot to do. But also like the amateur, it doesn't always know what it's talking about or why the process is the way it is.

Producer's have to know what needs to get done AND how to get it done efficiently. AI doesn't know how to do that (...yet). Some apps and software programs are becoming standards for every production I work on. Knowing these apps will help you not only get things done fast, but they can help you communicate with your team, direct department heads to information sources, and generally make you feel more confident in your work.

Here are my top 10 apps every film and video producer should know, with 10 honorable mentions:

WRITING:

1. Final Draft

Honorable Mention: Celtx, Writer Duet

If you're here, you probably already know that Final Draft is the industry standard for screenplays. But Celtx and Writer Duet are great alternatives that offer more affordable or free versions, and have options for collaboration due to cloud storage. If you're a writer or aspiring to be one, I encourage you to license Final Draft and utilize the templates. If you're not ready to commit or just want to get your story on the page, try Celtx and Writer Duet.

CONTRACTS:

2. Docusign

Honorable Mention: Jotform

Another industry standard for producers is Docusign. It's worth every penny. How do I know? Let's just say I recently tried Adobe Sign (as part of my Adobe Acrobat subscription) on set and I still haven't received half of my crew's documents. It was clunky, lagged, and did not send email notifications when documents were complete. If you haven't used Docusign from the sender's perspective, it's pretty simple. First your will fill out the email of the person you wish to send to and the message (a little counter intuitive, but roll with it). Then upload your agreement and place pre-formatted boxes in the designated areas where your signer will fill out information, then send. Jotform gets a mention here because it allows you to build forms and contracts, and it integrates well Docusign.

BUDGETING

3. Movie Magic Budgeting

4. Quickbooks

Honorable Mentions: Google Sheets / Excel / Numbers

Now technically you can do a budget breakdown with many different software platforms, but MMB finally won me over. After years of the archaic interface (which you can still see via YouTube tutorials from 2017), Entertainment Partners finally gave the software an overall, making it more user-friendly and with cloud storage. The catch? Movie Magic Budgeting is subscription based only and you can't share it with other devices. However, I think it's totally worth it since you can apply industry standard calculations, union dues, tax credits, AND... if you don't need it, go monthly and cancel any time (and no, I'm not getting anything for this post).

Quickbooks is also a requirement for any professional film production. It is an accounting software that offers an array of services but the most important for producers is the ability to manage and track your film company's expenses. Most producers will create an LLC for each production and in order to file taxes for that LLC, you will need accurate accounting. Quickbooks is a great way to track and categorize your expenses so that come tax time, your LLC will not be audited and your production can keep its contractual obligations for distribution.

SCHEDULING:

5. Movie Magic Scheduling

6. StudioBinder

Honorable Mention: Simple Callsheet

Same goes for Movie Magic Scheduling! Scheduling breakdowns are much easier to draft here in the cloud and the customization of the stripboard is way more intuitive than it used to be. The DOOD (Day Out Of Days) page is just bigger and easier to read as well.

If MMS looks a little too intimidating to you, StudioBinder is a good alternative, especially if you are scheduling a movie for the first time. The subscription is pricier than MMS, $20 more, however, you can have 2 users and it includes script docs, shotlists templates, calendars, and call sheets.

Last is a little known scheduling help for those who don't want make a call sheet more complicated than it needs to be: simplecallsheet.com. This FREE site has the layout of your call sheet ready to go. You just enter your info in a pre-formatted boxes, download your pdf and go!

COMMUNICATIONS:

7. Zoom

Honorable Mentions: Slack/What's App

If you don't know how to use Zoom, I don't know how you made it this far in life. Zoom is the most reliable video meeting software thus far, and beats Google Meet and Teams any day (though Teams has the best privacy settings). If you have used it, but you don't know how to share screens, present, or use the chat box, go ahead and take some time to learn it.

What do you do when your leads are running around prepping for their own departments? Slack and What's App can be better for mass-communications in real time, without creating 20 different text message groups. You can also send files, photos, videos, and emojis, so you're not missing anything.

EDITING

8. Frame.i.o

So you have your film in the can and the editor is editing it right now. However, with them in Paris for 3 weeks, how do you give them notes? Frame.i.o is a life saver for any collaboration where you can't be in the same place as your editor. It does everything, from workflow management, to frame-by-frame notes, to setting up permissions. You can even customize the interface for your audience be it clients or investors. Once again, not making anything off of this blog, just putting my true producer experience out there...

MARKETING:

9. Facebook / Instagram Ads

10. IMDB

    Honorable Mention - Tik Tok

Now that you've produced the best film you could by using these applications, it's time to actually get your target audience to see it. Though it hurts to say it, Facebook and Instagram (collectively Meta) are still where your paying audience gets most of their information. It would behoove any aspiring business in any industry to know how to use these ad platforms. You can choose your ad campaign length, target location, target age, key words, key industries, and more. So much more, it can get overwhelming. The data that comes back is extremely important, so be sure to study it and adjust the campaign accordingly.

In addition to a website, you will also want to make your film "official" in some sort of way. The International Movie Database (or IMDb) is the industry standard for all film projects all over the world (It is actually the 51st most visited site on the internet, which I just learned). This is where film geeks verify their knowledge, where cast and crew credits actually count, and where agents, distributors, and producers get contact information. Get your film on here and be sure to give everyone who worked on your project their due.

Remember, these are just some of the software applications that I find to be the most used and the most useful as a producer. It's certainly not an exhaustive list and every project will be different depending on your involvement. The main take-away here is that there are tons of resources to help you complete your production and you should always stay abreast to the latest changes. It will save you so much time and energy in the long run.

Do you have some producer apps that I didn't mention? What's helped you or not helped you in the past? Leave a comment and let me know.

Stefano Gonzalez is the founder and CEO of Transgress Studios LLC, a film and video production company serving the San Francisco Bay Area. Since 2013, Stefano has produced an array of media including feature-length narratives, shorts, docs, promotional content, and live events. You can contact him directly at stefano@transgressstudios.com or call 415-580-2066.