The Independent Movie Budget That Works
The Independent Movie Budget That Works
There are first time filmmakers that never get a movie off the ground because they put together an unrealistic “dream budget.” What I mean by a “dream budget” is a budget based on what a filmmaker wishes they had to spend as opposed to what they can spend.
These “dream budgets”, from a indie film perspective, aren’t grounded in economic reality. If you don’t have access to a helicopter for a daring rescue scene then why have a helicopter scene in your movie? If you can’t afford to block off a street and have a shootout scene, then why have that type of scene in your movie? Those types of scenes cost money that most independent film budgets cannot absorb.
It’s a huge long shot to find a major movie studio, producer, or production company to put up the money for an independent film. Especially with a first time filmmaker unknown in the business
running the show.
It’s even a bigger long shot to find movie investors outside of the entertainment business to put up big money for a film that has a large budget. Trying to raise a million bucks as an indie filmmaker takes dedication, skill and a little luck.
But it does happen. If you do find big dollar film financing then the sky is the limit, but if it that doesn’t happen you’re stuck playing the waiting game for money to shoot. That’s a mental drag. You want to be able to come up with an indie movie budget that works.
This increases the chance of attracting money you need to make your movie now, not later. On smaller budget films it’s better to put a budget together based on actual resources, not a “dream budget” bursting elements that are not realistic to include in an indie film. The saying “champagne taste on a beer budget” comes to
mind.
If you’re going to make your own movie you already have a pretty good idea of how much money you can raise through friends, family, and your own bank account. That’s a solid starting point for coming up with very realistic and sensible budget.
A good indie movie budget reflects the actual dollar amount you can put together to complete a movie. The benefit of a realistic budget is it spells out in numbers the maximum money you can spend to make your movie allowing you to plan your shoot using good common sense. This is indie filmmaker Sid Kali typing FADE TO BLACK.
Sid Kali takes you inside his life as a filmmaker. Get the scoop on screenwriting, producing, directing, and movie distribution. Visit his blog Slice of Americana Films Also check out Movie Biz Coach a crisp way to learn the ins and outs of the movie business.
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