It's definitely a pain in the neck to bounce around between different programs to manage all of the information and data that comes into play during production. Maybe you'll keep all of your contacts in your phone, input location info in Excel, edit the screenplay in Final Draft, and refer to iCal for scheduling -- all the while communicating with your team through whichever email service you decide to use. It's exhausting -- and it's inefficient.
Production Minds have developed a platform called PMP (Production Minds Platform) that is designed to allow you to manage all of your pre-production business in one place through the cloud, as well as communicate and collaborate with your team in a more effective way. This video gives an overview of what PMP does:
PMP has a bunch of features that are worthy of getting excited about. It allows you to add a crew list and manage each member's personal, professional, and project-related info, as well as determine which areas of your project they have access to. You can also upload a treatment, import your screenplay from other programs like Celtx and Final Draft, add a storyboard, previz, as well as production design, equipment, casting info, and more to your project and be able to collaborate and edit them with team members.
PMP dashboard
A group of filmmakers, DP Bobby Marko, director David Wilkinson, and 1st AD Marisa Mylnarek, used PMP during pre-production of their film Fruitcake, and offer a closer look at how it works on a real-life production:
You can sign up for a free demo of PMP, which is what I did. My first impressions were that it's quite thorough. I'd even say there's a bit of a learning curve, because of all of the features and customization and data entry options, so when you first open it up it can look a little bit intimidating. However, once you get a hang of it, it's really no more complicated than what you'd be doing using a bunch of other programs -- plus, you have all of your info and data in once place.
Pricing
- Student: $9.95/mo
- Indie: $59/mo
- Pro: $199/mo
- Blockbuster: $349/mo
Chances are if you're working with a small crew of no more than 10 collaborators, the Indie plan is going to be totally sufficient for you, though you don't get access to features like the calendar, call times, equipment, rough cuts, and a few other things. (Though they do offer a scheduling feature à la carte for 14/mo.) You can see the rubric here.
If you're interested in signing up, but aren't too keen on the prices, not only can you save money by signing up for a 3, 6, and 12-month membership, but Production Minds is offering NFS readers an exclusive 25% discount on memberships. Just use the coupon code 2014-NFS-25
Exclusive NFS Pricing
- Student: $7.50/mo
- Indie: $44.25/mo
- Pro: $149.25/mo
- Blockbuster: $261.75/mo
To learn more about Production Minds and/or sign up for a discounted membership, head on over their website.
Source: Production Minds
