Employee information management for Post-production Houses: a file for every editor and mixer
Post houses call the same few specialists again and again. A tidy record of skills, rates, availability and past work makes booking quick and payment accurate.
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Share your requirementsWhy employee information management matters in post-production houses
The best editor for a documentary and the colourist who understands a particular look are known to the suite manager, but not written down. The next scheduler has to ask around. Rates are remembered, not recorded, so a freelancer is paid differently on two similar jobs. When someone leaves, their history leaves with them.
A simple record fixes this. One entry per person with craft, software, rate, availability pattern, clients worked for, notes on reliability and any rules agreed. It should be kept in one place, with access limited to those who need it. It saves time on every booking and on every payment.
How to set it up
1. Decide the fields
Name, contact, craft, software and formats, rate, availability, past clients, engagement type and notes. Keep it to one row or page per person.
2. Collect the details
Ask each regular freelancer and staff member to confirm their entry, and fill gaps the next time they are booked.
3. Store it in one place
A shared sheet or folder with a named owner. Limit who may edit, and keep a copy off a single laptop.
4. Update after each session
The suite manager adds clients, hours, rate used and a short note on how it went.
5. Use it for booking and payment
Check the record when proposing an operator to a client, and when making payments, so rates are applied the same way.
Check these first
Before changing anything, find out what is true today. These take an afternoon and use your own records.
- Try to find the rate you paid a colourist last year, and time how long it takes.
- Count freelancers who have no record at all.
- Check who can see the records and who edits them.
- Ask your scheduler which name they call first and whether it is written anywhere.
GullyHR can do this with you. Read how we approach employee information management in general, or share your requirements and we will tell you where to start.
Questions owners ask
Enough to book and pay correctly: craft, tools, rates, availability and notes. Avoid private information you do not need. Confirm with a qualified professional what you may keep and for how long.
One person in the office, often the suite manager or an administrator. Others contribute but a single owner keeps the entries consistent and the access limited.
Yes. A well kept sheet beats an unused system. Choose clear column names, one row per person and a habit of updating after every session.