FilmmakerIQ.com

Budgeting for Music

By Jon M. Garon
Gallagher, Callahan & Gartrell, PC
Anatomy of a Budget
A budget consists of the summary page, known as the top sheet, and a series of department-by-department itemizations for that budget. Even if a film’s expenses top $200 million, every roll of tape must be budgeted, receipted, and credited to […]

Overtime - and why your low film budget should have it.

by 8thSamurai
Before you look at me as though I’m mad, and say ‘I can’t afford to pay overtime!’, realize that I may not be talking to you.
This is not for you Weekend Warriors who call upon the talents and resources of your close friends in exchange for coating them with […]

Creating A Budget For Your Independent Film

By Ben Lyons
Independent And Art Filmmaking: Creating A Budget For Your Independent Film
How do I determine a budget for my independent film?
Independent films can cost one dollar to fifty million dollars. The reason why it’s an independent film is because that’s where the money is coming from. But Is it […]

Why everyone lies about their movie’s budget

Patrick Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times delivers the shock of all shocks, people in Hollywood lie.

…The studio chief who made the movie gives you a low-ball number. The head of a rival studio, eager to make a competitor look bad, gives you a wildly inflated number. Most journalists have […]

3 Sample Film Budgets

Ben Long and Sonja Schenk at dvHandbook.com have put together 3 sample film budgets PDF’s and break each one down in these informative articles:
DV feature film budget ($25,000 - $100,000)
Broadcast documentary budget ($15,000-$80,000)
Commercial budget ($2000 - $50,000)
…Creating a budget can be a powerful way to visualize your project and […]

An Overview of the Film Budget

By Jon M. Garon
Gallagher, Callahan & Gartrell, PC
This is part of a series of book excerpts from Independent Filmmaking, The Law & Business Guide for Financing, Shooting & Distributing Independent & Digital Films designed as an introduction to the many legal issues involved in the filmmaking process.
Introduction
Although sometimes the most […]

WARNING: This Budget Could Be Hazardous to Your Film

This is a great list of tips and advice to help avoid the pitfalls of working with a low budget. In this article Liane Bonin covers; Sound Advice, Bad Booming, Focus, Soundtracks, Handhelds, Editing, Sets, Story and more.
…While studios can underwrite lengthy reshoots, artful editing, and enough F/X explosions […]