Budgeting and expense software for film schools.

Saturation is the budgeting and expense tracking software working productions use, built by producers. Students budget their films in it, and instructors review and comment on the same budget.

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Trusted by 17,700+ producers managing $2.7 billion in production spend.

“Saturation has transformed the way we approach student thesis projects at AFI Film School. For the first time in our history, we’ve been able to efficiently manage spending across all thesis film budgets.”

Stephen Paratore

Associate Director, Production Finance and Distribution

AFI Film School

$4.8Mannual budget

Teach real-world production finance

Students budget, spend and report on the software working productions use, with instructors reading along.

Budget Engine 2.0

Your budget, your cost report and every export run on one engine.

Project Library

Seven kinds of reference data, current on every project.

Issue Cards

Virtual cards spend instantly, physical ships in a week. One at a time or twenty-five at once.

Payments

Every payment, in one place.

Reports

Drag blocks onto the page and split a row in two.

Comments

Threads and replies, anywhere.

A budget is a skill, not a spreadsheet.

Students learn budgeting on files they will never see again after graduation. Saturation teaches it on the software productions use, from the first template to the final cost report.

Templates for student films
Comments on any budget line
Free seats for reviewers

Feedback on the line it is about.

Right-click any account, add a comment and resolve it when the student has fixed it.

Explore budgeting

From assignment to finished budget.

Start it, review it, grade it.

Start from a template
Students pick a short film or documentary template and begin with real accounts.
Invite the reviewer
Add an instructor as a commenter or viewer. Those seats are free.
Comment and resolve
Notes sit on the line they are about and close out when the fix is made.

Add the class in one step.

Type a name and an email, choose the project and pick a role from admin to viewer.

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Try it with your next class.

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14 days free. No credit card required.

One budget, three views of it.

What instructors, students and programs each get from it.

Instructors

Review the budget, not a screenshot of it.

Open a student budget, leave a comment on the line it is about and resolve it when it is fixed.

Comments on accounts and lines
Viewer and commenter seats are free
Read-only links to a budget

Students

Learn it the way you will use it.

Start from a short film template and build the budget with real accounts, rates and fringes.

Short film and documentary templates
Fringes and markups on every line
Actuals tracked against the estimate

Programs and labs

Keep every student production in one place.

Group projects by class or term and give each person a role on the projects they work on.

Projects grouped into spaces
Roles set per project
One chart of accounts to teach from

Questions film schools ask

Straight answers, before you start.

No. A student can start from a short film template with the accounts already in place, and use only the budget. Purchase orders, cards and reports are there when a class is ready for them.

A student can try Saturation on the free Creator plan, which covers a single project. For a whole program, we work with schools to give every student access in a way that fits how the program runs. Book a demo and tell us about yours.Talk to us about your program See pricing

Yes. Invite an instructor as a commenter or viewer. They can read the budget and comment on any line, and they cannot change the numbers. Those seats are free.

Yes. Any class that ends in a shoot needs a budget. Directing, cinematography and thesis production courses can all start from the same templates.Film budget templates

They build the budget. Saturation also tracks what is spent against it, with far less typing: rates fill in for you and receipts are read automatically. It runs in the browser, so a team can work in one budget together and an instructor can comment on any line.Saturation vs Movie Magic Budgeting Saturation vs Hot Budget

A spreadsheet teaches the arithmetic. Saturation also shows how a budget is used: fringes applied to labor, actuals landing against the estimate and variance on every account.

Explore related solutions

See how Saturation works for other roles and production types.

Teach the budget the way it is used.

Put your next student production through it and see for yourself.

Start free

Book a demo

14 days free. No credit card required.

Budgeting and expense software for film schools.