The verdict in three sentences
A production company shooting 300 films a year with 150 freelance crew and 400 kit items often runs its profitability blind, between a shared calendar, a kit spreadsheet and separate accounting. Custom business software connects the budget, shoot scheduling, equipment booking, freelancer paperwork and real margin per project. At Kolonell, this kind of application sits between 2,500,000 and 15,000,000+ FCFA (3,810 to 22,870+ EUR) depending on complexity, with anything else priced on quote.
Where the margin disappears
Corporate film budgets in London range from £7,000 to £100,000 as a 2026 order of magnitude. On a £20,000 film, the target margin is around 20 to 30 %. It erodes in the details: an extra shoot day not recharged, a DoP booked twice, a camera hired from a rental house while one sat on the shelf, edit hours overrun without warning.
| Margin leak | Observed frequency (estimate) | Average impact per project |
|---|---|---|
| Edit overrun not recharged | 1 project in 3 | £500 to £1,300 |
| External hire of kit available in-house | 1 project in 5 | £250 to £800 |
| Crew double-booked, last-minute replacement | 1 project in 10 | £350 to £1,000 |
| Production expenses missed at invoicing | 1 project in 4 | £130 to £450 |
| Kit lost or damaged without trace | 2 to 3 % of inventory per year | £7,000 to £13,000 per year |
| Freelancer status or paperwork errors | Occasional | HMRC exposure and admin time |
The modules of production software
Quotes and budgets. Templates per film type (corporate, motion graphics, event capture, short series), standard lines (pre-production, shoot, edit, grade, mix), internal cost and sell price, client-approved budget version.
Shoot and crew scheduling. Calendar view of 25 staff and 150 freelancers, declared availability, conflict alerts, call sheets generated automatically with locations, times and contacts.
Equipment inventory. 400 items (cameras, lenses, lighting, sound, grip) with barcode or QR, booking per project, scanned check-out and return, condition, servicing, insured value. The tool suggests available in-house kit before any external hire.
Freelancers and payments. Profile for each freelancer (role, day rate per BECTU guidance or negotiated, company or sole trader), IR35 status determination record, purchase orders, invoice matching and export to the accounting system.
Margin tracking. Time logged, purchases, hires and expenses compared against budget in real time, with an alert at 80 % burn.
| Module | Expected gain | Indicative complexity |
|---|---|---|
| Quotes and budgets | Quote in 30 minutes instead of 2 hours | Simple |
| Scheduling and call sheets | No more double bookings | Medium |
| Scanned kit inventory | Losses cut by two thirds, fewer hires | Medium |
| Freelancers, IR35 records, finance export | Reliable paperwork, less rekeying | Medium to complex |
| Real-time margin tracking | 4 to 6 margin points recovered | Simple if previous modules exist |
| Client portal | Version approval, timestamped comments | Medium |
Under Kolonell's 2026 grid, a simple application costs 2,500,000 to 4,000,000 FCFA (3,810 to 6,100 EUR), medium 4,000,000 to 7,000,000 FCFA (6,100 to 10,670 EUR) and complex 7,000,000 to 15,000,000+ FCFA (10,670 to 22,870+ EUR). A company this size wanting every module, including finance export, is complex; a first lot of quotes, scheduling and kit stays medium. Specific integrations and hosting are priced on quote. Maintenance runs at 35,000, 75,000 or 120,000 FCFA per month (53, 114 or 183 EUR).
Custom build or off-the-shelf tool?
Production management tools cost roughly £25 to £75 per user per month in 2026. With 25 staff, that is £7,500 to £22,500 a year, often without detailed kit management or the freelancer paperwork specific to UK productions. A custom build makes sense when the company owns substantial kit and has its own quoting process.
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Mini case study
Oliver, head of production at a 25-person London company, delivers 300 films a year at an average budget of £19,000, or £5.7 million in revenue. Margin tracking and scanned kit help him recover 2 margin points by recharging overruns and avoiding needless hires: £114,000 a year. Kit losses fall from £10,000 to £3,500. Against a complex project around 10,000,000 FCFA (about 15,245 EUR) and premium maintenance of about 2,196 EUR a year, payback comes in under 2 months.
FAQ
Does the software replace our accounting or payroll system?
No, it prepares the data (days, rates, roles, purchase orders) and exports it to your finance system. That usually removes 70 to 80 % of rekeying.
Can it help with IR35 for freelance crew?
It stores each status determination statement, its date and reasoning, and flags engagements due for review. Medium and large clients have carried that responsibility since the April 2021 off-payroll reform.
How long does it take to tag 400 kit items?
Allow 3 to 5 days for one person, QR labels included. The kit module can go live from week 6 to 8 of the project.
Will freelancers actually declare their availability?
A simple mobile access lets them set availability and receive call sheets. Out of 150 freelancers, 60 to 70 % use it regularly after 3 months.
How long is a full rollout?
Allow 14 to 22 weeks for all modules, delivered in two lots. The first lot, quotes, scheduling and kit, is usable within 8 to 10 weeks.
Let's scope your project. We review your quotes, kit inventory and freelancer workflows, then propose a two-lot plan over 14 to 22 weeks. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
