Movie Magic Budgeting 5.6

Rating:
Summary: A LOT of work!
Review: I first used this program 10 years ago when it was just about the only film budgeting program available. I've since used other programs which were a lot easier to use.

First of all, it's just too complicated! I mean, after you buy the program you have to PAY for classes (or buy another CD), just to learn how to use it. For this much money I expected more.

Many of the "templates" for major and minor studios are for companies long since out of business. (By-the-way, I've never had a studio, distributor, etc., EVER ask me to provide a budget on a specific template.)

The latest version is still pretty much the same thing they sold years ago. You're was forced to go through level after level of detail just to change one thing. I don't think a program should be designed this way. You ought to be able to just change a figure here or there and see the difference. Heck, even a spreadsheet can do this very easily.

Also, the program STILL prints out a bunch of largely blank pages...a waste of paper and time.

Even though there are a bunch of templates included with the package, they all kind of look the same anyhow...just moved around a bit.

I don't know about others, but for me a film budget is something you make to prove to others you can make the film (or commercial, documentary, etc.), for what you say you can. That is, I plan to spend this much above the line and this much below the line...and this is how I want to spend it all. So, all that budgeting detail (which is fine), is kind of a waste of time. Exactly how much you spend/spent on something is something best left for an accounting program.

But the BIG problem with Movie Magic is that you can't share an electronic version of your budget with anyone else unless they have a copy of the program too!

The good news is that the program didn't crash on me this time. It's a much more stable program than before. But I still think you should save your budget often...and with different names so if it does crash you haven't lost everything.

At [$$$'s] I don't think it's worth the money.

Rating:
Summary: A LOT of work!
Review: I first used this program 10 years ago when it was just about the only film budgeting program available. I've since used other programs which were a lot easier to use.

First of all, it's just too complicated! I mean, after you buy the program you have to PAY for classes (or buy another CD), just to learn how to use it. For this much money I expected more.

Many of the "templates" for major and minor studios are for companies long since out of business. (By-the-way, I've never had a studio, distributor, etc., EVER ask me to provide a budget on a specific template.)

The latest version is still pretty much the same thing they sold years ago. You're was forced to go through level after level of detail just to change one thing. I don't think a program should be designed this way. You ought to be able to just change a figure here or there and see the difference. Heck, even a spreadsheet can do this very easily.

Also, the program STILL prints out a bunch of largely blank pages...a waste of paper and time.

Even though there are a bunch of templates included with the package, they all kind of look the same anyhow...just moved around a bit.

I don't know about others, but for me a film budget is something you make to prove to others you can make the film (or commercial, documentary, etc.), for what you say you can. That is, I plan to spend this much above the line and this much below the line...and this is how I want to spend it all. So, all that budgeting detail (which is fine), is kind of a waste of time. Exactly how much you spend/spent on something is something best left for an accounting program.

But the BIG problem with Movie Magic is that you can't share an electronic version of your budget with anyone else unless they have a copy of the program too!

The good news is that the program didn't crash on me this time. It's a much more stable program than before. But I still think you should save your budget often...and with different names so if it does crash you haven't lost everything.

At [$$$'s] I don't think it's worth the money.