Production Accounting

This resource is based on the advice of established industry professionals and outlines the core skills and knowledge required for production accounting in film and television.

It is designed to encourage more people to consider a career as a production accountant and to help the UK film and television industries remain world beating. If you are already part of the industry or aspiring to join it, this resource gives a good overview of the role and how to develop a career path in production accounting. If you are a training provider or an employer this resource may help with assessing skills and knowledge, benchmarking training programmes or developing job roles in production accounting.

The big picture

The film and television industries have seen considerable growth in recent years and contribute significantly to the overall UK economy.
How the industry works

There are five stages within film and television production with different activities and outcomes for each. These are development, pre-production, production, post production and delivery/distribution.
Doing the job

This section offers a breakdown of the range of competencies required for the role of the production accountant – what you need to know and what you need to be able to do.
The inside track

The film and television industries are exciting places to work, but they are also highly regimented and hierarchical environments with distinct protocols.
Occupational map and job roles

This map offers a simplified version of a production accounting department.
Career paths

Although working in production accounting requires a very specific set of knowledge and skills, there is no one route into production accounting.
Facts & figures

British Film Institute figures for 2015 show a massive surge in film production in the UK, generating a total spend of £1.471bn, the second-highest figure since measurement began in 1994.
Industry partners and links

This resource pack on production accounting has been developed with partner organisations who have generously contributed content and information.