Celebrating the return to the Festival de Cannes!

After two years of COVID disruption, it was a welcome return to normality at this years’ 75th Festival De Cannes (17-28 May). Sargent-Disc and parent company Cast & Crew were delighted to have a strong combined representation at the festival, and to produce and sponsor a number of industry events that brought international delegates together.

Attending from the UK were Laurence and Lara Sargent, Co-Heads International at Cast & Crew and Sargent-Disc Directors, were accompanied by Sargent-Disc executives Sarah McKenzie (Business Development) and Emma Hicks (Marketing Manager); from Cast & Crew in the US were Andrew Jablonski (Vice President – East Coast and International Sales), David Benavente (VP Head of Independent Sales and Services), Diedre Owen (Incentive Financing Vice President, Production).

Sargent-Disc and Cast & Crew’s Cannes Festival Lounge at the Grand Hotel on Boulevard de la Croisette, welcomed the steady flow of festival delegates dropping in for meetings, refreshments – and access to those all-important device charging points!

The Cast & Crew and Sargent-Disc Team: (Left ot right) Elizabeth Harsh; Andrew Jablonski; Emma Hicks; Imogen Mohr; Bretiel Danipour; Lara Sargent; Laurence Sargent; Alicia Lane
Lara Sargent – Sargent-Disc; Andrew Jablonski – Cast & Crew
John Gleeson – Saffery Champness and Laurence Sargent
Deirdre Owen – Cast & Crew; Francine De Raveney; Max Rumney – PACT; Sarah McKenzie – Sargent-Disc; Kate Kinninmont

On the Festival’s opening weekend, Cast & Crew with Sargent-Disc co-hosted the seventh International Producers Reception. Taking place at the Members Club, Long Beach on Saturday 21 May, the return of this event after a two-year hiatus gave producers and financiers from across the globe the valuable opportunity to gather in person, strengthening existing relationships and building new connections. We extend our thanks the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF), Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television (PACT), The Production Guild of Great Britain (PGGB), Screen Producers Ireland, the British Film Commission and New Zealand Film Commission, for their support for the event.

Sargent-Disc was also delighted to sponsor the 2022 Screen International Cannes UK Reception on 23 May alongside headline sponsor British Film Commission. Welcoming guests to the always popular event, which this year took place on the beach at Le Gray d’Albion, were Matt Muller (Editor, Screen International), Laurence Sargent (Co-Head International Cast & Crew and Director Sargent-Disc) and Adrian Wootton OBE (CEO, British Film Commission & Film London). View photos from the Reception here.

Away from the buzz of parties and receptions, it was a strong year for UK film at Cannes, with five UK features and seven shorts in selection, and the coveted Palme d’Or going to Ruben Östlund for black comedy satire Triangle of Sadness, a Swedish/UK/German/French co-production starring Woody Harrelson, produced by the UK’s Mike Goodridge.

“It was wonderful to be able to meet colleagues face to face again at the world’s biggest film festival, leaving behind the virtual settings of video calls that have dominated throughout the pandemic,” says Laurence Sargent, Sargent-Disc Director and Co-Head International at Cast & Crew. “The production industry has stayed strong throughout the challenges of COVID-19 but the return of Cannes is a real reminder of how worthwhile it is to be able to reconnect again in person.”

“We were particularly proud to see two films supported by Sargent-Disc going on to shine at Cannes. Scottish filmmaker Charlotte Wells’ debut Aftersun, which we provided Payroll, CrewStart, PSL+ and Digital Purchase Order services to, received the French Touch Prize of the Jury in Critics’ Week, and Alex Garland’s latest feature Men starring Jessie Buckley, which we provided Digital Purchase Order support to, had its World Premiere in Directors Fortnight. Congratulations to everyone involved in those films!”

For more information about Sargent-Disc’s Digital Production Office suite of applications, click here.

Sargent-Disc’s Digital Payroll Workflow Masterclass

Sargent-Disc, a Cast & Crew company presents:

The Digital Payroll Workflow Masterclass Wednesday 26th January and on Wednesday 16th February at 10.00

The Digital Payroll Workflow Masterclass is for Financial Controllers, Production Accountants, Payroll Accountants, Line Producers, Production Managers, along with the finance and production office teams working with them on production.

Sargent Disc’s Digital Payroll Workflow is designed to provide a digital production payroll service – specifically for the entertainment industries in the UK and Ireland.

Before COVID-19, efficiency and sustainability were the predominant reasons for productions going paperless. As expected, the pandemic has accelerated the demand for reliable online systems, with productions needing to reduce the handling of physical documentation to ensure a safer working environment for crew, artists, and other employees.

Covering every step of the payroll process, Sargent-Disc’s Digital Payroll Workflow is a safe, efficient, and comprehensive solution for production accountants wherever they find themselves working. Easy to use, the solution can be tailored to meet the needs of each production—regardless of type or size. It consists of three elements powered by the CrewStart™, Payroll, and Payslips applications within Sargent Disc’s Digital Production Office®.

The Masterclass will take you through the process from start to finish – including:
• Start forms and contracting
• Time and attendance
• Hot costs
• Calculation and approval of timesheets
• Creation of secure payroll worksheets
• Payroll reports
• Online payslips
• Secure auto enrolment notices

Speakers include:

Dr. Laurence Sargent – Co-Head of International at Cast & Crew and Director Sargent-Disc
Laurence is Co-Head of International, Cast & Crew and a Director of Sargent-Disc. Founded in 1986, Sargent-Disc is now a Cast & Crew company and is the UK’s leading supplier of integrated payroll, residual, accounting and software services for the film and television production industries.

Jade Riley – Product Trainer, Sargent-Disc
Jade has worked across Sargent-Disc departments, recently moving from her role within the Production Accounting team to become Sargent-Disc’s Product Trainer. She is familiar with the range of the Sargent-Disc’s Digital Production Office® software applications and helps productions and their personnel to use them with confidence.

To register your Masterclass place on either Wednesday 26 January or Wednesday 16 February please email marketing@sargent-disc.com specifying the date most convenient for you.

For more information about Sargent-Disc’s Digital Payroll Workflow download our brochure

Sargent-Disc’s Digital Payroll Workflow

Our Digital Production Office® end-to-end digital payroll workflow has been designed to allow safe and efficient remote working for production and accounts teams. It includes CrewStart™ start forms, contracts and timesheets, secure payroll messaging and reporting, and online payslips accessible by employees. .

Due to the pandemic increasing the need to minimise paper usage, we are asking all of our clients to use CrewStart™, our digital onboarding platform. Integrated with Sargent-Disc’s payroll, CrewStart™ improves accuracy and streamlines the payroll process, allowing digital approval and signing of contracts and other start paperwork. Other features include hot costing and electronic timesheets that save you time and provide real time visibility of labour costs.

Onboarding

With CrewStart™, onboarding crew has never been easier. Use existing production start paperwork and contracts to streamline the process, from initial invitation and completion through to final approval and signing. Crew need only complete their data once; it can then be re-used when completing another start form.

Hot costing

CrewStart™ allows you to easily track the time and attendance of crew and ensure they’re paid accurately. Hot costs can be tracked in real time giving accounts teams an accurate view of labour spend, even when operating under complex union rules such as the Pact/Bectu Feature Film Agreement.

Timesheets

At the end of each week, CrewStart™ can batch generate timesheets and send them digitally for completion and signing via an approval chain specific to each department. From the moment a batch is created, your payroll worksheet is available, saving days of work previously spent breaking out timecards manually.

Payroll and Auto Enrolment

Integration with Sargent-Disc’s payroll systems ensures an accuratey and efficient payroll process. All crew payroll data and reports are instantly available via the web and the iOS and Android Payroll applications.

Payslips and Notices

With a single login, your crew can view their payroll record online or via the Payslip app. Payslips, Auto Enrolment and other notices are published securely each time a payment is made and a full payment history is available for each crew member and artist to run on demand.

Production workflows

CrewStart™ has a range of templates that can be adapted to meet your requirements. to easily circulate any other documents or data to different departments for approval.

With our end-to-end digital workflow you can onboard and pay crew safely, securely, efficiently and sustainably. For further information or an online demo of CrewStart™, contact marketing@sargent-disc.com.

DPO Invoice Approval now available

Developed in response to COVID-19 limiting the ability to distribute physical documentation, we’re delighted to launch the new Invoice Approval feature for Sargent-Disc’s Digital Purchase Order (DPO) web application.

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