An important note to leave on is there are always options for affordable film rental in chicago. After all, without marketing dollars no one will ever see your movie. Successful project management depends on the creation of a comprehensive and accurate project budget. To assist you in your budgeting efforts, this sample budget can also be downloaded as a template in excel for a yearlong project. Browse our selection of budget friendly film equipment rentals now.
The ultimate film budgeting guide free film budget template. Unlike studio productions, as an independent filmmaker, you have limited resources. How to effectively budget a script breakdown michael epstein. However, careful planning is also a huge part of creating the budget. A short film budget is vastly different from a kung fu action film budget. Also, when creating a budget for a studio you need to get ahold of their budgeting guidelines documentation and chart of accounts. Even myself, when doing an independent film will use my own derivation of a budget my template. Earlier this year i produced a very low budget short film, affections, directed by bridey elliott and premiering at the 2016 sundance film festival.
How to fix your independent film budget like a boss. Whether you simply need a budget top sheet or to hire a line producer for a production, our film budget services have you covered. This is important so you can include their wages and other incidental costs in your budget. Many people like to go to the cinema to spend their free time. Film sourcing production documents and templates are not intended to be legal advice and are for educational purposes only. This is the ultimate guide to film budgeting, including a free template, and a detailed breakdown of each section, plus everything you need to know and plan for. Every line producer has their own, however all of them are a sum of basically the same parts. Especially for low budget independent films, the budget can vary dramatically. Creating a budget for your independent film how do i determine a budget for my independent film. A must see for aspiring and established film makers. Over the years, i have utilized film budget pros services to create budgets and schedules for independent films. Independent films can cost one dollar to fifty million dollars. James camerons avatar remains the highest grossing film of all time internationally. These forms should only be used as guidelines as you develop.
I highly recommend film budget pro to any filmmaker as a first step in moving your project towards getting a green light. The independent feature film took 24 days to shoot in and around london. Whats the average budget of a low or microbudget film. Filmproposals the site for independent film financing welcome to filmproposals, the site for independent film makers serious about raising film financing. This film ended up having the best box office haul of any independent film. Example of a project budget project management strategies. In this film budgeting template, theres a dedicated sheet for abovetheline talent. The reason why its an independent film is because thats where the money is coming from. Being a short film budget template, the information displayed is less. You need to know how many personnel you would need for the making of your film.
Another example came in the hotel when we found a shopping cart in one of. You cant make a film without a budget this series is a fantastic primer on budgets for film for realworld filmmaking taught by filmmakers. You may need to give the breakdown of the budget to the departments or the crew. The main problem is that the budget is over 75 pages. Making a documentary, short film or feature film budget. What is the breakdown of costs associated with making a. Some independent films spend all their money on getting bigname actors and go cheap on the production, while other independent films will make sure that the film looks nice and has great locations, but will use some sort of unknown actors so they can save money. In order to do this, he will need a film production budget template. Consult an entertainment attorney for advice on any specific situation. This compilation of templates will help make sure that you dont lose sight of your financial statements. Simple film budget breakdown free template amy clarke films. In november i am leading along with james cotton a fourmonth parttime programme around microbudget films.
What about the average feature film or an independent film. This is the ultimate guide to film budgeting, including a free template. If you know what questions to ask of yourself and others when breaking down a script and thinking about the challenges of the project, youll be able to start filling in the needed details of the budget and overall production plan. The same can be said of sample budget templates, as there are indeed ways to streamline the entire process of planning a film budget. Indie film howto budget for a real independent film.
But im an indie filmmaker too, so believe me, i know the struggles of film budgeting. Typically, the distribution costs of a film are not included in the budget breakdown. Click over to our forum to download a free template that can help you start building a budget for your next film. One example is a business budget, but you can also make and use personal budgets if you wanted to watch your own spending. The ultimate guide to indie film budgeting indiefilmto.
We offer 100s of tools, templates, articles, contacts and resources for both new and experienced movie producers. Jan 14, 2019 creating an independent film budget requires that you get very creative. Film budget template sample movie production budgeting. Provide line by line information, adding rows where required, for each cost that is specific to your project. Want to see a sample of what the agreements look like. What is the breakdown of costs associated with making a high.
And what sorts of things can you include not include. Their work is unparalleled in terms of accuracy, thoroughness, and cost effectiveness. Even a nobudget film will have some costs travel, props, lunch for cast and crew a budget breakdown will help you understand how. Jacob aaron estes writer director rings, 7 minutes, the details, mean creek over the years, i have utilized film budget pros services to create budgets and schedules for independent films. Armed with a masters degree and several experiences assisting producers in the past, i assumed i knew everything i needed to in order to create an accurate budget. A few years ago, my company and i produced two feature films, from. The largest costs were art department they had to build a chip shop in an empty shop. Contracts and resources for independent filmmakers sagindie. Some independent films spend all their money on getting bigname actors and go cheap on the production, while other independent films will make sure that the film looks nice and has great locations, but will use some sort of unknown actors so they can save money there. Heres a graphic breakdown of a typical independent film.
The finance plan of a film a breakdown filmarket hub medium. Nov 12, 2018 this film ended up having the best box office haul of any independent film. There are many reasons for this that extend beyond the creative use of the budget, but the quality of the actual film. Jul, 2015 feel free to take a look at where we put our money, at least on paper, to give you an idea of where you should allocate funds in your own films budget. With decades of experience, our consultants can build the documents you need for independent film, big budget film, tv, documentary. This download is for a sample movie budget template as a static pdf file. Try to find sample film budgets in the same realm as the budget you are creating. Knowing what to look for and how to think is the best way to.
Eleven04 offers a variety of film equipment rental options for indie filmmakers on a budget. Studios and film makers often try to keep the information secret and will use accounting tricks to inflate or reduce announced budgets. Production usually entails the first through the last days of shooting, although on medium to large productions, this will overlap with the other budget categories. With many films, the bulk of the budget is spent in the production phase. The largest costs were art department they had to build. In a low budget indie film this may be negligible, but at least budget for gas. A general breakdown of a budget of an independent films depends, as every budget is different and everybody puts money into different things. Film budget software like movie magic budgeting can organize your costs, but it cant give you real world experience. If anything, the script breakdown example above shows how different productions use the same elements, but weigh them accordingly. And a good budget reveals a lot about how a film is going to be made, what kind of story youll be telling, what kind of crew you plan to use and what sort of equipment youve selected. James camerons avatar remains the highest grossing film of all time internationally the force awakens recently surpassed its domestic grossing.
This budget includes the deferred salaries of all the crew, including a line producer. The essential guide to film budgets with free film budget. After taking a weekend to break the screenplay into a schedule and a budget, youll quickly find the gap between the money you have and the money you need. Sep 22, 2014 whats the average budget of a low or microbudget film. Knowing what to look for and how to think is the best way to start formulating your own projects plans.
Your film budget template will vastly look different for each. Sample research project budget please use the budget breakdown to justify your project costs. Film budget pro is an outgrowth of his vast knowledge base as a filmmakerfriendly, independent movie warrior. Indeed, much more are produced outside such structures independent films owing to the increased awareness of the film production techniques. Film budget pro services movie budget experts i film. Once youve got the final master of your film, its time to start pushing it out into the world.
Before getting down to the example, lets go over what types of financing can a film project aspire to or look. The following is an example of the typical expenses included in a project budget. Its rare that independent filmmakers allocate a sufficient amount of budget to marketing, but this should really never be the case. Advertising casting transportation scouting photocopying. The project type and genre play a big role in the structure of your accounts and subaccounts on your film budget breakdown. It should cover everything from the projects inception through the night before shooting begins. Our actual indie film budget worksheet template is in excel, fully editable and contains 100s of line items and formulas that can be completely customized to your film production. The budget for the 2004 movie, the village, starring joaquin phoenix, snuck its way online and looks legit.
Information is presented in the form of a summary page and then a breakdown of the budget. Its rare that independent filmmakers allocate a sufficient amount of budget to marketing, but this should really never be the. Your sagaftra business representative will send you your actual contract when. Using that big budget template made each of the budgets some. It is a summarized version of the film budget hence looks more concise. Film shoots may be a challenging activity in itself, but it cannot take off if the documentary budget has been prepared, approved, and granted.
This sample independent film budget template provides freelance and amateur filmmakers with a rough breakdown of the expenses they are likely to incur. This chart shows the budget of every film in our database, where we have it. When making different kinds of documents, you can always find different tips that can serve to guide you through the process of writing. Take it with a grain of salt because every production is different, and every budget is different. The finance plan of a film a breakdown filmarket hub. Entertainment is good for the mind and for socialization. How do you even raise the funds to have a budget in the first place. Thats great, perhaps you are a producer or maybe an independent filmmaker. How to best approach your indie film budget the beat. Remember these numbers are estimates and doesnt represent an actual film budget. Dec 03, 2019 if you want to shoot something you should make a budget. As with all firsts, this was an incredible learning experience that highlighted. Ultralowbudget filmmaking by dov ss simens on june 22, 2015.
The more actual production budgets you can study, the better. We budgeted one of our features with a low budget and a high. Sagaftra low budget agreements were created with input from filmmakers and actors to make it even easier for you to hire professional performers. Budget numbers for movies can be both difficult to find and unreliable. In a coproduction, like all relationship, honesty is best policy. Review engagement is a final cost report accompanied by an independent public accountants. Its rare for filmmakers to get a candid look at the books of someone elses film but, thanks to the generosity of marcus markou, thats exactly what youll get to read below. However, if you are an independent filmmaker you dont want to get caught out later on in the filmmaking process. Heres a feature film budget breakdown that takes a closer look at how the money to produce a film gets spent. The budgeting process has a number of important internal and external purposes. We strongly advise that you refer to the budget guidance in the guidelines for applicants manual before completing your project budget. For example, if an independent film will be made on a minimal budget, then certain items must drop close to zero. Filmmaking contracts should always be customised to suit each production and the legislation of your country area. Aug 01, 2016 while making a film, you or your producer have to keep a lot of things in mind and, before you know it, you can easily go over budget.
Some of them additionally provide examples of budgeting. This document, which could be over 4 pages long, is used to secure financing for and lead to preproduction and production of the film. Film budgeting refers to the process by which a line producer, unit production manager, or production accountant prepares a budget for a film production. It sets the framework for all the decisions regarding the film.
Jul 26, 2018 the finance plan of a film a breakdown. Understanding how a budget is built will much better prepare you when creating your own. During the early stages of preproduction, your budget breakdown is an. There are contents being a smaller film and the amounts spent can be understood with more clarity. Creating a documentary requires a lot of effort and planning in order to get the most out of it. First, lets look at the 7 basic independent movie budgets. Feel free to take a look at where we put our money, at least on paper, to give you an idea of where you should allocate funds in your own film s budget. The biggest contributors to this area of the budget are usually salaries, costumes, props, screen tests, location scouting, set construction, meals and transportation.