Cost tracking for media production
Log the work as it happens, against the lines you quoted. See budget used, cost and margin on every job — before the invoice, not after it.
Cost tracking — Tracked amounts against each quoted line
Know where every job stands while it's still running
Many production companies only find out whether a job made money weeks after it wrapped. Someone rebuilds the numbers in a spreadsheet, and by then it's too late to act.
Mediawork tracks the work against the quote while the job runs. Every entry is tied to the line it was quoted on, so each job shows what was planned, what has been tracked and what's left. When it's time to bill, the tracked work is already there.
Track work against the quote
Log time, services and kit against the quote lines your client approved. Work that wasn't quoted can be tracked against a service, or as freeform work.
Several people per entry
Each with their own quantity and rate.
Rates filled in for you
From the quote line, the client's rate card or a freelancer's own rates.
Dates, notes and work orders
Every entry has a date range, an internal note and an optional work-order link.
Overtime, adjustments and taxes
The awkward parts of a production budget are captured where they happen, not pieced together at month end.
Overtime
Its own quantity, rate and cost, kept apart from standard time.
Discounts and adjustments
On the entry itself, so the reason sits next to the number.
Per-line taxes
The right tax on each line, ready for the invoice.
Billable or not
Mark goodwill work as non-billable and still see what it cost.
Budget versus actual, and margin
Every job has a summary of planned against tracked — price, cost and margin. You can see a job drifting before it overruns.
Percentage of budget used
Against the awarded, quoted or estimated figure.
Cost next to price
Record what the work cost you. Supplier invoices that arrive late can be added after billing.
Burn-up chart
Tracked value over time, against the plan.
A summary per currency
Jobs in more than one currency are summarised side by side, never blended.
From the schedule to the cost sheet
Time logged on the schedule can be posted into cost tracking. Mediawork groups it by day and by person, so nobody types the hours in twice.
Overtime kept separate
Standard and overtime hours land on the right lines.
Check before you post
Review the proposed entries before they reach the job.
Shared with the client, on your terms
Clients can follow tracking on the quotes they've awarded. They see the lines you make visible to them — never your costs.
Read-only client view
Progress against the awarded quote.
Costs stay private
Cost prices and margins are never shown to clients.
Permissions for your team
Roles decide who sees costs and who sees revenue.
Bill what you tracked
Tracked work flows straight into billing. Choose the entries and the invoice is built from them, with overtime and discounts as their own lines.
Unbilled work view
Everything tracked but not yet invoiced, in one list.
Billing runs
Export tracked work as CSV for Xero or another accounts package.
Cost tracking questions
What is cost tracking in media production?
It's recording the work actually done on a job — hours, services, kit and overtime — against what was quoted. It shows how much of the budget is used and whether the job is still making money.
Can I track what work costs us as well as what we charge?
Yes. Each entry can carry a cost price and an overtime cost price next to the sell price, so Mediawork shows margin per job. Costs that arrive late, such as a supplier invoice, can be added after the work is billed.
Can clients see our cost tracking?
Only what you share. Clients get a read-only view of tracking on quotes they've awarded, limited to the lines you make visible. Cost prices and margins are never shown to them.
Does cost tracking work with more than one currency?
Yes, on plans that include multi-currency. Each job is summarised per currency rather than converted, so the figures stay exact.
How does tracked work become an invoice?
Open the unbilled work view, choose the tracked entries and create the invoice. Overtime and discounts come through as their own lines.
Works with the rest of Mediawork
Every part shares the same jobs, clients and rates. Work is entered once and carries through from quote to invoice.
- CRMAccounts, contacts, titles and a sales pipeline built for media.
- QuotingQuotes from templates and rate cards, with margin and versions.
- SchedulingPeople, rooms and equipment on one timeline, with templates.
- BillingInvoices built from tracked work, with billing runs and Xero.
- Asset trackingDrives, tapes and kit — labelled, scanned and traced.
Know your margin before the job wraps.
Start free with the Starter plan, or book a demo and we'll walk you through it.