How much would it cost to produce my screenplay?
Have you finished writing a compelling screenplay worthy of being produced? Now what? One of the first things you should be asking yourself is “how much is it going to cost to make my film?” $150k? $250k? $700k? or $2 million? Should it be all union or non-union? Which state has the best film incentive?
It isn’t the responsibility of the screenwriter to come up with a film budget but eventually, you have to present it to a film producer. If you can have a preliminary film budget before you approach a film producer or production company your introduction is going to be way more powerful!
Maybe you are a writer/director or an indie film producer who finally wants to pull the trigger and start pitching the script to investors or financiers! One of the first things an investor is going to ask is “how much do you need? Or how much is this film going to cost?”
Hire an experienced Line Producer/UPM. We have years of experience working on films, doing budgets, shooting schedules, having relationships with crew, film vendors, and taking a film into distribution. Don’t try to make a preliminary film budget on your own because if you need to get the investment you will fall short and get into some serious trouble!
Tools Line Producers and UPMs use are movie magic budgeting, movie magic scheduling, final draft tagger 2, and excel.
A few things to keep in mind when thinking about the cost of your screenplay on an indie film.
*Think of your 5 most intense scenes and have your trailer in mind. Does it have a horde of zombies, a fancy dinner, locations, hundreds of extras to fill up a stadium, stunts, an actor with clout, SFX, VFX, etc? These are your money shots! Focus your money on these key scenes.
*Hire the best sound person you can afford! Sound will come back to haunt you in post-production!
*Budget for distribution deliverables! Everyone wants 4K and 5.1 sound now
*Keep your cast under 25 roles if possible. They add up!
*Budget for an entertainment attorney!
*Prep! Prep! Prep!
If you need a professional film budget don’t hesitate to contact me via direct message or email filmproducertx@gmail.com
