Film Accounting Glossary
Top sheet
What is the top sheet?
Also called budget top sheet, or summary page.
The top sheet is the one-page summary of a budget, showing each major account's total, the above-the-line, below-the-line, and post subtotals, contingency, fringes, and the grand total.
It is the page everyone reads and the page that hides everything: the assumptions live in the detail pages underneath. Financiers compare top sheets across drafts to see what moved, then go to the detail to find out why.
Example
Two budget drafts, both totalling $8.4M. The top sheets look nearly identical; the detail pages show construction down $180,000 and post up $180,000, which is a materially different picture. Financiers compare top sheets to find what moved, then read the detail to find out why.
Figures are illustrative, chosen to show the mechanics rather than to quote market rates.
Where you'll see it
Page one of the budget, showing each major account, the ATL and BTL subtotals, fringes, contingency, and the grand total.
Common mistake
Comparing budget drafts on the top sheet alone. Two versions can total identically while large sums have moved between departments.
Related questions
- What is on a film budget top sheet?
- Each major account's total, the above-the-line, below-the-line, and post subtotals, fringes, contingency, and the grand total on a single page.
- Why is the top sheet not enough to review a budget?
- Because it shows outcomes rather than assumptions. Rates, quantities, and weeks live on the detail pages, and so does any error.