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Uncategorized , A Typical Film Budget-1
Hi Folks,
As a first time producer (and a writer) I am guestimating what my typical budget will look like. Of course, all you wise folks know much better, so would expect this to be challenged. This is the HIGH end of the budget…that is correct…in the next few articles I am going to go to a LOW end of the budget, without resorting to Sanjay Guptish means of not paying people, etc. (For some side entertainment read here: http://www.mid-day.com/hitlist/2007/september/164061.htm)
Premise is to shoot in US and India. Shoot on film. 4 week (6 day week) shoot; Shooting ratio of 5:1. Shooting on Kodak EXH 500 or FUJI F-500T with Arriflex BLIV ( I really don’t give a frog’s fart on any of these acronyms and names, am merely wrting what is available for indies in the market)
Cause contrary to popular belief, Anurag Basu’s Gangster did not work because of the look, it worked because of solid acting by Shiney and Kangana and some fine characterizations and songs, Emraan nothwithstanding..
Here we go. The next few posts from me are going to challenge my own numbers and work downwards:
a) Story - $ 1000 (self development)
b) Producers Fee - $1000 (self produced)
c) Cast - $50000 (assumed for partial upfront and partial back end)
d) Direction - $10000 (as important a guy as the cast, actually more)
Total Above the Line $62000 (A)
Director Staff/DP $3000
Camera/Grip/Electric $3500
Set Operations Crew $5000
Set Const Cost $1000
Set Design & Dress $1000
Special Effects $1500
Meals $3000
Insurance Permits $4000
Props $2000
Locations $ 500
Transportation $1500
Lighting $2000
Wardrobe $1000
Make Up/Hair $2000
Film & Lab $45000
Sound Shoot $3000
Sound Transfers $2000
Dubbing & Scoring $3000
Editing $10000 (Using the Editing Bay at IFP)
Titles & Inserts $2000
Music $3000
Studio Rentals $2000
Tests & Pre $4000
Studio General $3000
Total Below The Line $108000 (B)
Total Direct Cost $170000 (A) + (B)
Contingency $3000 (C)
Overhead/Publicity $3000 (D)
Total Cost $176000
Yes, yes I can almost see a lot of you getting out your daggers. Go for it, but remember I am writing a series here and will give justification of how to get around SAG, WGA, etc, too and yet pay the Mumbai spot boys daily CASH otherwise they will not work …am aware of that.
AND DON”T FORGET NAGESH MADE HIS HB FOR $35000 and THAT WAS BEFORE DIGITAL!!!!
Sincerely,
Vivek “FILM, never makes a film, story almost always does” Kumar
9 Responses to “A Typical Film Budget-1”
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It looks great.Good luck.
Vivek,
First of all “Good luck” for starting your moive.
Honestly I am slightly confused after seeing your break up of cost for a movie. To me cost of a movie depends on the the story/script i.e. how extensively you want to make it as movie.
If you say that &176000 is your budget for making a movie - I completely understand that. However, without finalizing the basics i.e. cost of set construction, script changes, etc it becomes very difficult to finalize the cost of production. Also I am hoping that you have got all major contrats signed enabling you to keep cost within limints and legally binding all parties to complete the assigned work. This is very important.
Any way keep us posted on the developments and BEST WISHES Vivek…..:)
Vivek Bhai, I completely respect what your trying to do here… and I am very much in favor and encourage your efforts… but there are a few things that I, though I don’t necessarily disagree with, they just don’t like right to me…
Every budget I’ve ever seen/done (yes, unfortunately I’ve had to do the budgeting on productions…) have a certain format (and I understand that being an accountant you’ve obviously got the background and expertise to effectively deviate from it)…
The usual budget format breaks down costs according to production stages… Pre-Production, Production and Post Production (the latter including cost of development, telecine if required and of course publicity).
The contingency is generally 10% (either of the overall budget or at the very least of the production cost and usually that’s where its used). So $3000 Contingency might be underestimating
$3000 Publicity also seems low. Are you planning to leave publicity up to the distributors?
The rest of the info I can’t exactly post on a public forum but will get in tough with you via email.. just give me a few days bhai…
Like I said though, I’m not saying you can’t pull it off.. I’m just hoping you can…
[...] PFC By: Vivek Kumar [...]
Hi Tony and Rajeev,
Good points. Just some clarification. This is not MY FINAL budget. This is a starting budget, more from an exercise perspective. To protect private contaracts, etc, I cannot post it here. But is more in the range of 350K to 500K.
Having said that a very RECENT American Indian movie, with SAG actors and DGA directors was made at EVEN less than that…but that is my point, to go through this exercise, of starting $176K, want to throw a few pointers out there and share with the PFC readers, who might be going to undertake a similar journey.
I am surprised by only one thing- the writer earns less than everyone else? (or is it because it’s written by u?)
The writer sees to earn less every where my friend..thats the norm…. but its being changing for the best… like Mr Ghai offered 1 crore for a good screenplay, so you see the future is bright:d
Suchita & Saurabh– Don’t want the writer to die hungry, especially since that is also my forte, but am playing out a real life example here, where the aim is for the writer/producer to get the damn thing out there….following which the monies can be made…kind of like the “cost of doing business”
The writer is supposed to be the chutiya, especially if he is a new one, has no right to ask for money.