Basics on Budgeting Your Movie

Budgets + Schedules: Without them, you'll get lost. With them, your film gets finished.

by Jerry Kolber | Published July 2, 2003

Budget. The word comes from the French meaning “small purse,” and on the typical independent film that definition could hardly be more appropriate. But small purse or not, every moviemaker has a limited amount of money to spend. The one and only way to be certain it’s enough is to create an accurate budget.

The first thing to know is that developing a set of numbers without first breaking down your script and creating a workable schedule is not a budget, it’s a fantasy. Cautions LA-based Entertainment Partners’ Myfa Cirinna, “If your budget is not good, if your schedule is not accurate, your movie is not going to happen. Art only happens when these things are done well.” While scheduling your film is a different discussion, suffice to say that it must be done properly in order to have a realistic budget.

Budgeting a film can be approached several different ways. You can take the true do-it-yourself approach, armed with nothing but a book on budgeting and your roommate’s copy of Excel. Or there are a handful of companies who specialize in preparing your film’s budget and schedule for a fee, using industry-standard software. For those of you ready to take the plunge into true independent film moguling, you can buy a copy of the software and enter your own budgeting and scheduling nirvana.

There are pros and cons to all of these methods. Let’s take a look at the best options in each category and see which one works best for your project.

DO-IT-YOURSELF: A pen, a pad, a calculator

This is you, sitting at your kitchen table, adding up a column of numbers that equals a really inexpensive film. If your film will cost less than $15,000, this might work. But your budget will probably look something like this:

Film         $2,000         Editing    $5,000

Camera   $3,000         Pizza       $1,000

Obviously, that's probably fantasy land. If you're like most moviemakers you'll have to budget for cast, crew, transportation, location fees, lights, sound equipment, etc. So you're doing your film a disservice if you don't at least step up to the next level of film budgeting. And if you're spending one penny of somebody else's money—and want them to feel that you've treated them professionally—you absolutely need to make a real budget.

SOFTWARE PROGRAMS: Spreadsheet templates

This is a bit of a gray area of budgeting. Using Excel or some other spreadsheet software to create your budget can work if you really understand the nature of how categories relate to each other. Armed with a couple of books on film budgeting (see sidebar), a computer and a thorough knowledge of your own script, you can go this route and probably come out okay.

The gray area arises when you consider the number of offerings from companies who will sell you a pre-formatted film budgeting template for Excel. These include BoilerPlate (www.boilerplate.net), Easy Budget (www.easy-budget.com) and a handful of others. If you use them, just be sure you understand how the links and formulas work together. Other film budgeting software packages not based on Excel run on their own native coding. There are only a handful of these programs, and they each have their fans.

Movie Magic Budgeting
Cost: $700
Platforms: Windows, Mac (OS9 & Classic)
Info: www.ep-services.com
Movie Magic is the grande dame of film budgeting software. It's the choice of most film studios and to some film professionals there's really no other option. For the money, you get an incredibly powerful piece of software, but most of the features will not be used on the average independent film. You just don't need global fringes, multiple and foreign currency tracking, subgroups or any other bell or whistle when your budget is closer to $200,000 than $12 million.

Two Books That Can Help You Sort it All Out! Film Budgeting: Or, How Much Will it Cost to Shoot Your Movie? by Ralph S. Singleton n Lone Eagle Publishing; $22.95 This is a terrific little textbook that walks you through the logic behind each category in a standard film budget. Singleton covers everything from the difference between above-the-line and below-the-line to how to figure out just how much film you need. If you’re making your own budget—or if you just want to understand how to read a budget—this book is indispensable. And Singleton’s Film Scheduling: Or, How Long Will It Take to Shoot Your Movie? (Lone Eagle Publishing; $22.95) is a must-have companion to this title. Singleton has also published collections of forms and budget workbooks that are helpful, though not essential. Film Production: The Complete Uncensored Guide to Independent Filmmaking by Greg Merritt n Lone Eagle Publishing; $24.95 Merritt covers everything from pre-production to film festivals in a logical, thoughtful way and includes insight from moviemakers who’ve done it all before. He includes plenty of information on budgeting, as well as sample budgets of independent films at different budget levels. This alone is worth the price, but the rest of the book is bursting with useful information that will absolutely make your film better. Merritt has somehow managed to cover everything you need to know, touching lightly on areas that aren’t as important to most independent moviemakers and delving deeply into exactly what you do need to know. I wish I had this book when I worked on my first film!

EP Budgeting
Cost: $699; $299 for students
Platforms: Windows, Mac (OSX)
Info: www.ep-services.com
From the new owners of Movie Magic Budgeting comes another software product, EP Budgeting. “When your career takes off and your budget isn't tiny, the spreadsheet or the napkin doesn't work. Now is the time to develop good habits in all your filmmaking disciplines,” says Cirinna of their software. EP Budgeting is an interesting option, providing most of the functionality of Movie Magic while adding some additional new features. A free demo is available as well as student pricing, making it a great option for the cost-conscious moviemaker.

ProductionPro Budgeting
Cost: $399 (free 30-day trial)
Platform: Windows
Info: www.setmanagement.com
ProductionPro is a brand new piece of software I've been using for a short time. While there are a handful of functions that I miss from Movie Magic, this program definitely holds its own. One standout feature is the navigation tree, which lets you click on a budget category no matter where you are in the program—a function that Movie Magic is sorely lacking—and that makes a ton of sense. With a free 30-day trial (which generously includes unlimited free access to the help desk), you have plenty of time to decide if this is a program for you. Keep an eye out for native Mac versions and ProductionPro scheduling. I like the fact that the people who wrote the software are the same ones selling it, and they're eager to help you use their program.

Cinergy
Cost: $399
Platform: Windows
Info: www.mindstarprods.com

Gorilla
Cost: $199; $299; $399
(Student; Standard; Pro)
Info: www.stolenapple.com
Gorilla from Stolen Apple and Cinergy from Mindstar are both products that aim to provide an all-in-one solution to your production needs. While the gathering of scheduling, accounting, budgeting and pretty much everything else you can think of in one place is a great idea, personally I'd rather choose the best software for each individual application. The budgeting applications are also not as robust as in Movie Magic or ProductionPro. Both Gorilla and Cinergy offer trial versions, so take a look and see if they are right for you.

FULL-SERVICE: Budgeting & Scheduling Companies

Where the rubber hits the road, if you don't know how to budget or schedule a film, you have no business doing these tasks yourself. There's simply too much at stake. Bad schedules and budgets are the biggest reasons that films don't get completed. If no one on your production team has the experience necessary to do the job right, it's not a bad idea to go to one of the following companies. They'll be happy to lend you some of their expertise for a small fee.

The Budget Company
Rates: Starting at $1,000.00
Info: www.thebudgetcompany.com

Veteran producer Tom Razzano runs The Budget Company. With 20 years of producing experience under his belt, he knows what it takes to bring your script all the way to the screen, and he specializes in working with first-time moviemakers. “The problem with people who haven't made movies before is that they really don't understand the nuances of a film set or the reality of a shoot. As a result, their budgets are not true reflections of what the movie will cost,” says Razzano.

The Budget Company starts with your script and the total amount of money you think you will be able to raise for the film. Razzano will consult with you throughout the scheduling and budgeting process, and will hand you a complete schedule and budget to work from. If you end up raising less money, Razzano  will work with you to adjust the number of shooting days and other parameters to ensure that your film can actually be completed.

“Make sure that whoever you sign on as an assistant director does a legitimate strip-board based on the information I've given you,” advises Razzano. “You've got to have the ability, on the fly, to lift the strips and move them back and forth. There are only a couple of areas you can't do without—DP, camera, assistant director, the actors… and the strip-board.”

BudgetCheetah
Info: www.budgetcheetah.com

Jud Cremata and his network of film professionals offer services that he describes as “getting on the phone with the filmmaker and holding their hand.” Like Razzano, Cremata will work with your script and anticipated funding to create a schedule and budget for you to work from.

Says Cremata: “There're a lot of people out there with scripts and no idea how to make their movie. We give you a roadmap.” With this in mind, one new feature that BudgetCheetah offers is to put vendor contact info into the line items of the budget. “We'll work with you to help you make your film on the cheap. But if you don't have a script you're enthusiastic about, don't even bother,” he states.

BudgetCheetah gives you all the tools you need to start pre-production: a printed version of the strip-board, a budget and a day-out-of-days. Says Cremata: “I did one movie recently that had a lot of dogs in it, so we made a day-out-of-days for dogs.”

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Ultimately, it doesn't matter which method you use, as long as you start with a good schedule and idea of a how a film set works. If you don't have the knowledge to make that happen, you might be better off hiring one of the budgeting companies. Any of these companies will be happy to give you a first consultation at no charge, so contact them through their Websites and see which one is the best fit for you. Likewise, if you decide to make your budget yourself, be sure to check out trial versions of software before you buy!

A professional-looking schedule and budget are indicators to your investors, partners and crew that you are a confident moviemaker who knows what you're doing and can finish the film. Together, your budget and schedule are a map and guide that help ensure you'll get your film finished. Without them, you're lost! MM

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