Budget Top Sheet

The budget top sheet is the first page of a film budget: a one-page summary of totals by major category. It's usually organized into above-the-line costs (story rights, writers, producers, director, principal cast) and below-the-line costs (crew, equipment, locations, post-production), plus contingency, insurance, and fees.

Financiers often read the top sheet first, because it shows at a glance whether the money is allocated sensibly for the film's budget tier.

For estimating from the script itself, see budget your screenplay from the page. Pitch-ready scripts on our platform also receive a budget summary in their production pack.