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Introduction to the Background Manager

Updated by Herman Phillips

The Background Manager is where you plan, organize, and budget background (also called BG, SAs (supporting artists), extras, or atmosphere) for every shoot day. It reads the background elements already on your breakdown sheets and schedule, so you can turn them into groups with accurate headcounts, estimate costs with your production's rates and fringes, and create a Background Breakdown report for other departments.

The Background Manager is available on Studio and Enterprise plans.

How to open it

Open your schedule and click the Background icon (the theater masks) in the top bar, between Events and Reports. If you don't see the icon, your production isn't on a Studio or Enterprise plan.

What's on the screen

  • Left sidebar: pick a Board, then pick a shoot day from the list of Shooting Days. Each day shows how much background is grouped (for example "24 BG"), and a red diamond if something on that day needs attention. Show only days with background is on by default. Uncheck it to see every day.
  • Background Groups tab: your groups for the selected day, plus any Ungrouped BG (background scheduled that day that isn't in a group yet).
  • Schedule tab: the day's strips with a background line on each strip, so you can check your groups against the board.
  • Day summary (right panel): grouped and ungrouped counts, union and non-union totals, estimated hours, estimated costs and fringes, plus All Days Summary and Create Background Report.

Click the (i) icon next to the tabs any time for a quick walkthrough.

The basic workflow

  1. See what's scheduled. Every background element on the day starts as Ungrouped BG.
  2. Group your background. Use Auto-group or select elements and click Create BG group. See How to group background
  3. Estimate costs. Enter Estimated hours on each group. Cinapse calculates paid hours, overtime, and fringes. See How background cost estimates work
  4. Create a report. Click Create Background Report in the day summary. See How to create a Background Breakdown report

Background rates and fringes are set in Production Settings. You can jump there with View rates & fringes at the top of the Background Manager. See How to set background rates and fringes

Need more help? Email us at support@cinapse.io, or ask the help assistant using the chat button in this Help Center.