Introduction
In production budgeting, flexibility and precision are key. Saturation's "Phases" feature offers an innovative solution, allowing you to manage multiple budget scenarios — from initial estimates and working budgets to comparing financial implications of different shooting locations for tax incentives. Phases enhance your budget with the capability to adjust currency per phase, selectively share specific phases, and combine phases for advanced analysis through phase rollup.
How to Use Phases in Saturation:
Setting Up and Managing Phases
Create a Phase: Within your project budget, find the "Phases" section to create and name a new phase (e.g., Estimate, Working Budget, Location A vs. B).
Adjust Budget for Each Phase: Choose copy phase to duplicate your main budget into this new phase to modify as needed, reflecting the unique aspects of each scenario.
Reorder Phases: You can reorder phases to match your workflow. Open the phases section, click on the drag button on the left of the phase option, and drag it to the desired position.
Enhanced Features Within Phases
Currency Customization: For projects spanning multiple countries, adjust the currency for each phase to reflect local financial contexts, simplifying international budgeting.
Selective Sharing via Share View: Use phases to share particular budget scenarios with stakeholders or team members, focusing their attention on relevant financial data for informed decision-making.
Phase Rollup: Combine and compare phases, creating custom columns for advanced analysis.
Using Phase Rollup
Phase Rollup is a powerful tool that allows you to combine and compare phases, offering deeper insights into your budget.
How to Use Phase Rollup:
Go to any phase column header settings
Click on "Add phase rollup"
Choose the phases you want to include and how to combine them (add or subtract)
Name your rollup phase for easy reference
Key Benefits of Phase Rollup:
Create custom columns for advanced budget analysis (e.g., working variance, estimated to complete)
Easily compare different phases of your project
Total up multiple videos or episodes in a series
Generate Estimated to Complete and EFC (Estimate at Completion) columns
Utilizing Phases for Comprehensive Analysis
Compare scenarios side-by-side, such as different shooting locations, to visualize cost-effectiveness.
Employ phases to assess the impact of various cost-saving strategies or to weigh initial estimates against the actual working budget.
Use Phase Rollup to create custom comparisons, such as variance between estimate and actuals.
Benefits of Using Phases
Versatile Budget Management: Navigate through different budget versions with ease, maintaining clarity.
Informed Decisions: Make strategic choices backed by detailed financial comparisons.
Targeted Sharing: Communicate specific budget aspects with stakeholders, ensuring clarity and focus.
Advanced Analysis: With Phase Rollup, perform complex budget calculations and comparisons directly within Saturation.
FAQs
Q: Can I share just one phase with external stakeholders? A: Absolutely. Saturation's Share View allows for the sharing of individual phases, tailoring the information presented to your audience.
Q: How do I change the currency for a specific phase? A: In the phase settings, you'll find an option to select the currency. Choose the desired currency from the dropdown to apply it to that phase's budget.
Q: Can I combine more than two phases in a rollup? A: Yes, you can add or subtract multiple phases in a single rollup, allowing for complex comparisons and totals.
Q: How many rollup phases can I create? A: There's no set limit on the number of rollup phases you can create. You can make as many as you need for your analysis.
Q: Can I edit a rollup phase after creating it? A: Yes, you can edit a rollup phase at any time. Simply go back to the phase settings to adjust which phases are included or how they're combined.