Budgeting a Film From Experience

Preparing a film budget can be very tricky and time consuming. First you need to breakdown the script to even start thinking about the budget.

1. How many actors do you need? How many days do you need them? Are you using SAG actors? Are you paying them a daily, weekly, or buy-out rate?

2. How many locations do you need? Is there travel involved?

3. How big of a crew do you need? Do you need a Director of Photography and a Camera Operator? How many people do you need in your Art Department? Do you really need 3 Electrics and 3 Grips? Is Craft Service needed? What should I expect to pay each crew person? Will there be overtime?

4. How and what are your feeding your actors and crew?

5. Can I afford the effects? Do I need to hire an Effects Supervisor?

6. How much am I getting paid? How much am I worth? How much do I deserve?

7. What about equipment? Am I shooting film, HD, or DV? Can I afford film processing?

8. How long should I expect Post-Production to be? What about finishing and delivery?

9. Do I need to budget for festivals?

10. Is this budget realistic?

These are only a few of the questions you should be asking yourself. My feature feature was difficult and I was determined to make it for $3,000. I pulled in a lot of favors and ultimately I should have spent more time developing the script, but it was only a $3,000 lesson.

You may think ONLY a $3,000 lesson? I consider it money well spent. I learn a lot about budgeting, prepping, shooting, and finishing a feature film. Well, not finishing. Like I said, I should have spent more time on the script and the film sits on an external hard drive in my closet. But, had I not been determined to stick to my budget it could have been a lot worse. Thankfully, it was my money and not someone else's.

When I shot this film, I had gone to film school and worked as a 1st AD for a few years. I knew enough to prepare the production budget, but I was clueless about the post-production, which I ended up doing myself.

As I prepared the budget for my $1 million feature, I knew I needed help. I not only learned more about script development, but I also needed to know more about post-production. After spending several days at Barnes & Noble, I found my saving grace "Film & Video Budgets" by Michael Wiese.

I have prepared over fifty budgets since and I always keep it by my side for easy reference.

Helpful tip: Go big and you can always cut your way back to a reasonable number. It can hurt, but it's better to start with everything that way you want it and make compromises.

About the Author: Ray James, a 15-year film, television, and internet industry vet and contributor to Get Your Film Funded. Also, a freelance writer for several other websites including, ElectionBook.com and 1764ent.com - Caribbean Travel for Men.