How You Should Budget Film & Television

  1. You or a qualified Assistant Director, Production Manager (UPM) or Line Producer should Breakdown and Schedule your script.

  2. With that schedule, you will have know the proper amount of Cast Days for your project and any special equipment or locations.

  3. Remember that Budgets go through drafts, just like scripts. The first budgets are usually large and scary. You will have to shape them.

  4. Now, consider the many facets to feature, episodic and short-form budgets:

Union Contracts & Rates, or not…

Will your show be union or non-union, a 1-day short or months-long feature?

If it’s Union, what contracts affect your project, and what unions have jurisdiction depending on what state(s) you are shooting in. Or do they have jurisdiction at all?

Note: SAG rates are based on 8-hour days, and most people shoot 12. Be careful when budgeting to consider this because 12 work hours equals 14 pay hours.

This is where an experienced UPM or Line Producer can build a proper budget that will protect you from surprises, like:

Will your rates update during the course of your shoot? Will you have nearby, distant or local hires? Travel requirements?

You must address these points as you develop your budget. The more accurate you can be from the beginning the better your accounting experience will be.

Fringes

Adding proper fringe benefits to your budget keeps you legal, both for union and non-union crew and cast members, and avoids surprises once payroll becomes due.

These include Federal, Local, Guild and Union fringes.

Understanding Fringes, or hiring someone who does, will keep your budget safe. It will also make sure you can pay your crew and have enough budget in the tank to finish your production.

Incentives

Budgeting for incentive states adds a layer of complexity that pays off in the long term.

Properly building a budget that codes for incentives based on the state or territory greatly smooths the accounting process.