Hours+: How to Generate a Hot Cost Report

Watch: Running a Hot Cost Report

The Hot Cost Report allows you to use actual timecard data to see your show’s estimated spending, day by day. 

You can use the Hot Cost Report to: 

• Check actuals against budgeted pay hours and labor 
• Factor in estimated fringes 
• See meal penalties and turnaround penalties 
• Use Excel to pivot by episode or department  

Follow the steps below to run a Hot Cost Report: 

1. Click the Crew List tab to input the hot cost estimates, including pay hours, meal penalties, and fringe estimates. 
   
   
   

   TIP: The “Pay Hrs – Other" column can be used when you have crew members filming on location but technically still within the Studio zone and you would like to run your Hot Cost report against different budgeted values while calculating with Studio-zone payroll rules.

2. Click the Daily Timesheets tab to fill out times and other required fields to populate your timecards before running your report.
3. Once all required fields have been added, click the Reports tab. 
4. Next to “Hot Cost Report,” select a day.
   
   

   TIP: You can check the Include Splits checkbox if desired. If a day has a split, it will show as a new line in the hot cost export. Budget values will always be attributed to the base day level, so any split is assumed to be unbudgeted. This can always be easily manipulated in the Excel export.

5. Click Run. 
   
6. Select which Budget Value you want included on the report:

   

7. Click Run.
8. An Excel file will be exported to your device, complete with formulas and conditional formatting to help you change the values that are important to you.