Budgeting for beginners: Advice needed

[Cykotic]

So, I've just been hired to film, edit and co-direct a film here in London, and I just found out that the budget is kinda.... big. What do you recommend for managing budgets on a film set?

[Andy]

Dont get caught!

[Cykotic]

Well played old chap!.... well played indeed

[Andy]

Well played old chap!.... well played indeed Neil still hasnt figured out how i afford 3 trips to Hawaii a year Anyway... sorry ill stop derailing your topic.

[MinionZombie]

Dj might be your man to hit up for this sort of thing. Good luck with the project, dude.

[LouCipherr]

Dj might be your man to hit up for this sort of thing. Dj will just tell you to do what the Hollywood elites do - spend half of the budget on the film, and spend the other half on cocaine for the "wrap party" a/k/a the "snow party" when all is finished. In all seriousness, MZ is right. If there's one person who knows how to stretch a budget in filmmaking, it's Dj. Good luck!

[DjfunkmasterG]

Dj will just tell you to do what the Hollywood elites do - spend half of the budget on the film, and spend the other half on cocaine for the "wrap party" a/k/a the "snow party" when all is finished. In all seriousness, MZ is right. If there's one person who knows how to stretch a budget in filmmaking, it's Dj. Good luck! What Lou said... 50/50 Half on COOVAN half into the movie. In seriousness, don't pay more than you have to, I am not saying rip people off, but get people to bid on projects, If a cameraman wants $400 a day, talk him down to $250, if he comes back at $300 take it. The idea is to save a buck. Locations, this may need some finese. If you can spin it to add their business name into it for use of location GREAT, if they don't want to do that... spin it the other way.. offer a minimal fee, but remember you're doing them a favor becuase they get bragging rights to say A movie was filmed here. Biggest thing I have learned about filmmaking is how well can you act. You may not be acting int he movie, but you have to put ona show for the business side. You need to almost caress everyone's ego (and balls) in order to get what you want. Do you know filmmaking was made for narcissist? In order to pull this off you have to love yourself, love yourself enough you sell it to everyone to love you. Robert Downey Jr doesn't just play a narcissist in Iron Man, he is one in real life. Hence why he is so friggin good at it. Cast - Here comes your biggest headache. Union folks pay the minimum, if they aren't willing to work for minimum, Fuck'em find someone else. Need more advice just post Lou will alert me as I don't come in like I used too. Gary

[Cykotic]

thanks for the advice guys! I've spoken to the director and the £15,000 budget looks to be secure now. Frak knows how we've done this, but we've hired one of the effects artists who worked on Green Lantern, Dark Knight Rises and Fast and Furious 6. Might help that he is a friend on the director and has agree to work for a very small fee. lol On the Cameraman side, thats been sorted for a while: it's me lol The cast... this is something that has no problems. All are friends of the director who have agreed to be paid in coffee, pizza and hot baked goods and we've agreed to sort showreels for them. lol One of our BIG problems is location permits. The local council wants EXTORTIONATE money for a 5 week permit. We're filming over 5 weekends for the majority of the day.

[DjfunkmasterG]

thanks for the advice guys! I've spoken to the director and the £15,000 budget looks to be secure now. Frak knows how we've done this, but we've hired one of the effects artists who worked on Green Lantern, Dark Knight Rises and Fast and Furious 6. Might help that he is a friend on the director and has agree to work for a very small fee. lol On the Cameraman side, thats been sorted for a while: it's me lol The cast... this is something that has no problems. All are friends of the director who have agreed to be paid in coffee, pizza and hot baked goods and we've agreed to sort showreels for them. lol One of our BIG problems is location permits. The local council wants EXTORTIONATE money for a 5 week permit. We're filming over 5 weekends for the majority of the day. Government will get ya one way or another. Don't forget about insurance either.

[Rancid Carcass]

One of our BIG problems is location permits. The local council wants EXTORTIONATE money for a 5 week permit. We're filming over 5 weekends for the majority of the day. Here's your answer... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78DB-...tailpage#t=52s

[krakenslayer]

On cast working for free: That's great. Just don't tell them there's a £15,000 budget. Seriously. On shooting permits: Don't bother unless you have to. For street/park/etc. exteriors, keep your crew small and young. If anyone pulls you up, be polite and courteous. Lie and tell them you are students shooting a project for college. Case in point: I was recently acting in a short film (as yet uncompleted) for a friend whose day job is as a professional DP on commercials and corporate films. We were filming in a huge gothic cemetery near the centre of Glasgow, where a pair of council groundskeepers sidled up and asked to see our permits. When we told them we didn't have one they asked us to leave. We had a friendly, down-to-earth chat, explained that we were students shooting for an assignment (well, one of us was a student, but not a film student... we played that down), and that we were desperate as we had a deadline due (a self-imposed one... but we played that down too). We established that the main impetus behind the permit requirement was fear of public complaints - a few years ago a TV show was shot in the cemetery and a few gravestones were readable when the show was broadcast, which led the relatives to kick up a stink - so we showed them some of our footage and explained the set-up of our shots to set their minds at ease regarding the headstone issue, and explained that our film was not intended for public broadcast (on TV, as far as we know, yet...). They were interested in the process of filming, so we answered their questions and got on semi-friendly terms to the point that they agreed to let us shoot for half-an-hour but if their boss came down they'd deny they'd ever allowed us on the premises. As we left, we thanked them. All was cool. Had they been assholes, the worst that would've happened (I think) is we'd have had to leave or pay the fee (or bribe them). That said, we didn't have £15,000 of someone else's money riding on a strict shooting schedule, so your mileage may vary.

[Cykotic]

They already know about the money since the director opened his mouth about it

[EvilBread]

For a film of that budget I'd personally get a Production Manager on board. It doesn't have to be an established one (maybe a graduate from Ravensbourne or NFTS) but someone who can focus completely on the budget and shooting schedule whilst you camera operate (and produce?) is a big help in the grand scheme of things.