ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

12 years, 3 months ago - Vasco de Sousa

I guess the answer is, no one knows.

12 years, 3 months ago - afia nkrumah

Hey Vasco,

I think you are confusing two production processes. In order to budget a film properly you need to have a production schedule. This includes decisions about:how many shooting days? How much prep time? How much post cost-such as SFX? What camera the production needs etc?

As well as creative decisions if the director wants the film to feel and look a certain way that requires specialist equipment like cranes then this will crank up the budget.

Essentially at the indie end of the film business you need two budgets. 1: the dream budget where you get all the money 2; the bare-bones budget where you get just enough to make a good film that doesn't compromise what the audience see on screen. Some filmmakers rush into production when they have less than the bare bones and end up with a mediocre looking video and not a film!

As to the people, it depends on the journey of the script. If for example your script was written for an actor who is quite established and a mate of yours, you would use that as a means of attracting finance/funding other people to work on your film.

If your script was about a certain issue then that would be the selling point in attracting people and financing etc. There are no rules here it depends on the script and what elements of the script you can utilise as selling points to attract financing/funding and people.

12 years, 3 months ago - Lee 'Wozy' Warren

Oh Vasco…Filmmaking is only successful if you plan, plan, plan and not going off half cocked before your project is really ready. It’s asking for trouble. The same is true for the project as it is for the script. Don’t try selling the story before it’s polished to perfection.

It can be a complex juggling act for producers to manage the casting, crewing and financing of course, but on a project where there is a decent budget and where the cast will actually make a difference to those who fund it. Ie a named star. Otherwise the financers are funding the project based on you – the producer and your experience and enthusiasm. I have seen some pretty dreadful scripts get financed based on the likeabiliy of the filmmaker alone.

Film is a business and it should be approached like a business or it will most definitely fail. Maybe not right now, but at some point, the fact that the foundations were weak to start with will bring the building down. You wouldn’t go to your bank manager with a half written business plan asking for a loan would you? Well, I hope you wouldn’t.

For me, in order to secure the best possible funding, I would start off with a script that was the best it could be. Period! Then, based on the fact that it was going to be a low/micro budget film, work out the production schedule and budget based upon a basic set of HoDs and their team. Get experienced people. A good Dp and Op. A good continuity person. A good sound person and boom. Good production manager etc etc etc.

At the ‘same’ time, start casting your hero and villian. Get some good actors attached. No one is going to commit long term to a low/mico project who is in demand by other producers, so set your sights appropriately.

Then, with the key team in place, then you go to market with your cap out, marketing materials and perfected patter. Then and only then will you be in a position to get the best possible money. Anything else, in my humble opinion, is half hearted. You may get some money, but not what you want. Not what you need.

Good luck.

@wozyW

12 years, 3 months ago - Dan Selakovich

I agree with Afia. Read that entire post again and again.

That is exactly how I do things. You don't know how much money you need until you have a budget. And you don't know how much to budget until you have a schedule. And you can't to either of those without a script. My first schedule and budget are if I'm doing things "properly." That can tell you a lot. For example, if your budget ends up being 3 million, and you hope to raise 50,000, well, you're not going to be able to cut that much from a 3 million dollar budget. Do your dream budget first, then start cutting.

As for attracting above the line people, you can't do that without an excellent script. If you've got something great, you'd be surprised how easy it is to get name actors at union minimums. That goes for DP, Editor, and most all of the department heads as well. You can work that the other way round: if you have a great dp or director, name actors will be more open to doing your film. Even at deferred pay.

As for pay, try to pay everybody something. A buddy of mine did a film not too long ago where everyone was paid the same small sum: $500 a week. The rest was deferred. Everyone was happy with that for a 3 week shoot. He had a great AD and Prod Manager, so the shoot went smoothly, so no one felt they were being taken advantage of.

When you do your budget, try to keep crew to a minimum. Figure out who you absolutely need. For example, if I shoot here in Los Angeles, I absolutely need a location manager (because nothing is free here). But if I were shooting in Oklahoma, people love giving up locations for free, so I probably wouldn't need a location manager. If the costume designer can look through the actor's closet, great. If costumes have to be made or rented, she'll probably need an assistant. Right? Anyway, I know this is off the mark of your question, so I'll shut up now. I hope you have a great script with as few locations as possible!