How to … Prepare a Budget
If you're inexperienced it may be difficult to calculate an accurate budget in which case you will need help from an experienced film producer. A one-hour documentary for television, for example, can cost in the region of £180,000! It all depends on which broadcaster you are approaching and their requirements. A 'low budget' drama feature about £350,000. Why does it cost so much? These may seem excessive amounts but when you see a cost breakdown you realise just where all the money goes. So how do you arrive at these figures?
Preparing a budget can be difficult and is a job for someone with experience. Breaking down a documentary script or drama into components is the way they go about it. For example:
- How many people are being interviewed in your programme?
- How many different locations are there?
- How many days will it take you to shoot it?
- How many technical people will you need to work on it?
- How long will it take to edit?
- What is the total length of the programme?
You also need to consider what format the production will be shot on: film: 16mm, super 16mm, 35mm, or video: High-Definition, Digital or Betacam, all termed as 'broadcast formats' and all relatively expensive formats although film is generally more expensive than video. If it's a non-broadcast production you could shoot on miniDV to keep costs down.
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