Last Updated 2 days ago
Filmmaking Dictionary: Letter Q / Quote-to-Cash (QTC)
Definition
Quote-to-cash, often shortened to QTC or Q2C, is the business process from preparing a customer quotation through agreement, fulfilment, invoicing and collecting payment. It applies to film suppliers, production companies and freelancers as well as many other industries.
It is a general commercial term, not a camera technique or a specific production document. Its purpose is to connect what was promised, what was supplied and what was paid.
How It Applies to Film Work
A rental company quotes an equipment package, confirms the booking, prepares and supplies the equipment, records its return, issues the appropriate invoice and tracks payment. A post-production company follows a comparable path with agreed deliverables instead of a physical kit.
The process can include deposits, staged invoices or changes to the original scope. It does not require one particular software platform, and its steps do not always happen in a perfectly straight line.
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The Main Stages
- Define and quote: describe the job or package and the proposed price.
- Agree and book: record the accepted scope, dates and commercial terms.
- Fulfil: provide the equipment, service or deliverables and record relevant changes.
- Invoice: issue the payment request according to the agreement.
- Collect and reconcile: confirm receipt and match payments to the correct invoices.
The quote sheet belongs near the beginning. The process is not finished merely because the client approved the quote or received the work.
Keeping Changes Connected
Production plans change. A shoot adds a day, a rental package gains another fixture, or a client requests an extra edit version. Record who requested the change, what was agreed and which quotation or job it affects.
For example, a freelancer quotes one interview video with two revision rounds. The client later requests a second language version. The additional scope needs its own clear record so delivery and invoicing reflect the same agreement.
Keeping those records together makes discrepancies easier to resolve. A supplier should not need to reconstruct the job from several unlabelled emails when preparing an invoice.
Common Points of Confusion
A quote is proposed work, an invoice is a payment request, and a receipt records a payment. Treating those as interchangeable makes the job harder to track. Likewise, sending an invoice does not mean the money has arrived.
A customer’s purchase-order process can also be part of the workflow. Confirm the correct billing contact, required reference and accepted delivery method early, particularly when the person giving creative notes is not the person processing invoices.
This is workflow organisation rather than a universal rule about when money is legally due; the agreement and applicable requirements determine the actual obligations.
Production Context
The production manager and production coordinator may handle different parts of supplier communication and paperwork. Agree who owns each step so a completed job does not remain unbilled or an invoice sit with the wrong contact.
Related Terms
Browse terms beginning with Q or return to the filmmaking dictionary.