BoilerPlate Film TV Budgeting Templates

running on

Microsoft Excel for Windows and macOS

and now

Apple Numbers for macOS


Industry Standard Motion Picture Production Budgeting Software

Product Reviews


User Reviews


"I enjoy working with the software. It has successfully budgeted five indies that I have produced/directed. Thanks!"  --Michael Flynn, Harvest Films, LLC  (4/2011)


"I love your BoilerPlate software. It's easy to

use, it's affordable and simple to forward by email to my executive producers in France. They are able to read it easily, because it's an Excel program, and that seems to be one that people all over the world know how to use...using your program for our next feature documentary on big wave surfing (Riding Giants), featuring Laird Hamilton, also directed by Stacy Peralta." RIDING GIANTS was selected as the Opening Night film at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival." --Agi Orsi, Producer: "Riding Giants" & "Dogtown and Z-Boys" (4/2004)


"I just purchased your template for the Excel spreadsheet on the Mac - it is wonderful and simple to use. While many of the pages are non pertinent to our productions - we produce documentaries, have no casts or stages, etc. it is an easy to use software package. And I like the detail that is involved in your categories. Categories I hadn't thought of before to include." --Mike Sodano, Documentary Producer (4/2003)


"The template (with features much like Movie Magic's budgeting software) allowed me to quickly put together a workable budget, as well as make quick updates when the actuals came in." --Thomas Strodel, Independent Producer/Director,

"Swimming with the HD Sharks," Videography (1/2001)


"I have used the BoilerPlate Film/TV Template with great success. It is certainly a very complete, comprehensive and easy to use piece of software. I would not hesitate for even a micro second in highly recommending your product to others in the industry." --Robert Guertin, Communication Concepts LTD


"BoilerPlate is a solid product...and for the fraction of the cost of Movie Magic!" --Jonathan Sarno, Webcinema Founder/Director CNI Cinema


"It's (BoilerPlate) working great! Thanks a bunch!" --Walter Remus, MEVATEC Corp.


"Great program. Nice job." --Alan J. Levi, Producer/Director (1/2005)



Industry Reviews

"I am impressed with the complexity and thoroughness of the BoilerPlate templates. The author has provided a quick and inexpensive way to create a complete and fairly accurate budget. It is best suited for smaller, less complex projects, but would be an excellent tool for anyone who isn't ready to spend $499 on the industry standard."

--Robert Latham Brown has over 30 years of film production experience, is an adjunct professor at USC's School of Cinematic Arts and the author of Planning the Low-Budget Film. Indie Slate Magazine (6/2007)


"Fortunately, there are some very good film and video production ready-to-use templates available. One of the best is from BoilerPlate Software, and with a $99 list price, it's a bargain when you count up the number of hours it saves you. It's as detailed as most users would need, but customizable as well. The functionality of the top sheet alone makes it worth the price."--Frank Capria & Terence Curren, DV Magazine (9/2004)


"BoilerPlate, probably the most inexpensive budgeting program out...and the easiest to learn. The worksheet pages are very detailed...probably more so than any other program. The cool thing about BoilerPlate is that the budget is attached to several worksheet lists for location, props, crew, cast, and equipment. When specific information is entered into the budget, such as all the different props that need to be purchased and/or rented for a production, it will automatically show up on the props list part of the program. This is a great time-saver, as generating many different lists for all departments can be very tedious. BoilerPlate also has Cash Flow worksheets that is attached to each section of the budget. Money spent can be entered into the properly labeled Cash Flow Worksheet. This is the closest thing to an actuals column I have seen in any of the programs. This section is excellent for fast assessment when on the set." --Amanda Doss, New York-based Producer,

The Independent Film & Video Monthly (11/2002)


"BoilerPlate provides a tremendous amount of detail to create an accurate production budget. The post-production sections are impressive and extensive. There's at least one budget line for every person you see scroll by the end of your favorite blockbuster. And BoilerPlate provides quick links to jump to sections in the workbook. I see no reason why this template wouldn't fit the needs of small productions houses, commercial shoots, documentaries, epic features and everything in between." --Peter Bohush, NewEnglandFilm.com- Online Magazine & Resource (2001)


"A very simple and easy-to-use Film/TV budgeting program...The beauty of this application is that you don't have to know squat about accounting to get up and going. Once installed it literally opens up in Excel saving you time and effort creating templates for your production costs. There is even a cashflow report to enable you to see if you've got enough to finish the production. Best of all this program is a fraction of the cost of some other budgeting programs." --Diana Stoneberg Forbes,

Gadget Grrl/CBS News, SciTech (10/2000)


"BoilerPlate is the only program to include a cash flow report so you can tell when and how much money you'll need during each of the four phases of your project."

--Robert M. Goodman,

Independent Film & Video Review (8/98)

"These programs are quite flexible and inexpensive."

--P. Reed McKerrow,

DV-Digital Video Magazine Review (7/98)