Sargent Disc at Cannes 2025

The team was excited to be back in France last week for the opening weekend of the 78th Festival de Cannes. Sargent-Disc got involved in several great events that brought international delegates together.

At the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, several British productions have garnered significant attention, showcasing the UK’s diverse cinematic talent.

Harry Lighton’s Pillion, a BFI backed production, received the festivals longest standing ovation, averaging 7.3 minutes, making it one of the most warmly received films of the festival. Premiering in the Un Certain Regard section, the film is nominated for both the Caméra d’Or and Queer Palm. Akinola Davis Jr’s My Fathers Shadow, also showcased Un Certain Regard and nominated for the Caméra d’Or, is being celebrated for its intimate storytelling and cultural significance as the first Nigerian film to be selected for Cannes’ Official Selection. My Fathers Shadow is also backed by the BFI and was developed by BBC Film.

The Caméra d’Or, which recognises the best first feature film, will be awarded on Saturday, May 24.

The Sargent-Disc International Producers Reception

This year marked the 10th anniversary of the Sargent-Disc International Producers Reception, held at the Members Club, Plage du Festival on Saturday 17th May! It’s was a landmark year as it is also the 10th anniversary of DPO (Digital Purchase Order) and the launch of APA. Read more about the exciting new feature here.

 It was amazing to catch up with familiar faces and meet some new ones too, all over a fun evening of drinks, chats, and great company! Huge thanks to everyone who came along, we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did (and that your shoes survived the sand)!

Special thanks to our partners of the reception the British Film Commission, Canadian Media Producers Association, Fédération Internationale des Associations de Producteurs de Films Independent Film and Television Alliance, Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television, Production Guild of Great Britain, Screen Australia, Screen Producers Ireland and New Zealand Film Commission for their support with the event.

If you missed any contact information or would just like to reach out to us please email marketing@sargent-disc.com

Women in Film and Television Brunch

We were proud to once again sponsor the annual Women in Film and Television (WFTV) brunch, hosted aboard the very stylish Coutts boat on Sunday 18th May. It was a brilliant chance for women, whether seasoned pros or just starting out, to connect, share insights, and chat about the ever-evolving world of film and TV (with a pretty great view, too!)

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Speed Dating for Entertainment Industry Professionals

This year, Cast & Crew and Sargent Disc proudly sponsored the 2nd annual Speed Dating for Entertainment Industry Professionals, brilliantly organised by the fabulous Vinca Jarrett. Filled with rapid-fire questions and professional sparks, it was a lively, energising event brimming with fun, connection, and creative chemistry.

UK Launch of AP Automation

On November 20th, we were thrilled to host the UK launch of AP Automation—a ground breaking new feature in DPO that transforms how productions manage their accounts payable processes. The event began with an engaging showcase of the feature, followed by a audience Q&A session. We want to express our heartfelt thanks to everyone who attended and contributed insightful questions to the discussion.

After the presentation, attendees had the chance to network over some canapés and drinks, while also exploring the new system hands-on. Laptops were set up around the room, allowing participants to experience AP Automation first hand and discover how it simplifies and streamlines AP workflows.

So, what is AP Automation? The innovative new DPO feature is designed to significantly reduce the time and effort that currently goes into traditional AP processes. By automatically suggesting best match purchase orders for invoices sent directly to DPO, users can shift their focus to higher-value activities, while DPO handles the tedious work—such as data entry, document collation, and approval routing.

With PO and AP approvals integrated into DPO, as well as seamless integration into PSL+, productions can benefit from a one-stop-shop approval workflow. This streamlined process not only enhances efficiency but also improves visibility, enabling departments to track the real-time status of invoices and purchase orders with ease. The result? Faster, more transparent approvals that keep your production running smoothly.

If you’d like to see AP Automation in action or learn more about its integration with PSL+, we’d love to hear from you! Contact us at sales@sargent-disc.com to schedule a demo or for more information.

Supporting production accountants since 1986

At Sargent-Disc we understand the production process and the pressure on production accountants to deliver accurate results, on time, every time. For over 35 years, Sargent-Disc has been proud to support their efforts as they work hard to bring us the best in global film and television. 

Today, as part of Cast & Crew, we deliver a full range of integrated production payroll and accounting solutions including CrewStart™, Digital Purchase Order and PSL+ to productions at the forefront of the entertainment industry. These solutions save time when breaking out timecards, sending and approving contracts, onboarding cast and crew, approving expenditure, and cost reporting efficiently and securely.

Alongside this we are committed to investing in and supporting the film and television community at home and abroad. We are a member of the Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television (PACT), a major patron of the Royal Television Society (RTS), a business partner of the Production Guild of Great Britain (PGGB), and work with them to inform and educate their members.

This year also marks the 10th year of Sargent-Disc being a proud sponsor of two Production Management Diploma at the National Film and Television School (NFTS).  The John Sargent Scholarship was also setup to support production accounting new entrants. Working with the film school is just one of the ways we strive to support emerging filmmakers.

Looking to the future, together with Cast & Crew, we value the importance of continuing to develop our offering and believe that technologies will increasingly allow us to make intelligent solutions that can take even more of the stress out of production accounting.

Contact the team to discuss how our solutions can streamline your production workflows.

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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