MASTERY FILMS – FILM PRODUCTION SERVICES
STOP GUESSING, START BUDGETING: HOW TO COST OUT YOUR FILM PRODUCTIONS
Congratulations! Your project’s been greenlit, but you have yet to answer the most important question in the next step: how much is this going to cost? This is where Mastery Films comes in. As your film production company, we are used to getting quotes in and out on tight deadlines, and with just a quick call, you’ll know exactly how much your film production service will cost. Here are the steps:
- 01 Get on a quick call with us and tell us about your project.
- 02 We’ll get a line budget out to you within 24-hours.
- 03 Let us know what revisions you might require.
That’s it! Contact us anytime!
Pre-Production Points for Your Film Production Line Budget:
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Pre-Production Crew:
Every successful project has a team behind it all and this comes in the form of the Line Producer, Production Manager, etc. They’ll be the ones to make sure that you’ve got everything you need so that everything runs smoothly while, more importantly, keeping everything within budget!
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Creative Development:
While not always needed, there will come certain projects where it will require the expertise and the creative input of a director. This can range from a simple corporate interview to a large-scale global commercial campaign, involving tasks such as script writing, storyboarding, and creative consultations.
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Location Scouting & Transportation:
“Location Location Location” - it works for the film industry too because you may have multiple locations that you have to go to within the day. You’ll also want to factor in the transportation and logistical support needed for other departments as well which can include, but be not limited to crew travel, equipment movement, airport transfers, accommodation, and vehicle rentals.
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Cast Fitting:
Unless this is a corporate video and you plan on using your own staff as being part of the video, almost all of your productions are going to involve an on-screen talent that you’re going to have to cast for and, to ensure they’re looking just right before the shoot day, you’ll want to bring in the talent for a fitting day, which typically requires a half-day fee for them to be added to the budget for their time.
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Art & Props Preparation:
Regardless of the story, you will notice that everything seen on screen contributes to the story. This means we’ll need to rely on the art department who may need to source, rent, purchase, modify, or build props and set pieces. The more visually detailed or customized the production, the greater the preparation required before filming can begin.
Production Points for Your Film Production Line Budget:
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Technical Crew & Equipment:
You see, something simple like a corporate interview may only require a small crew with a very basic camera package, but it’s when we get into a commercial-level production that requires a full-scale crew with multiple departments, cinema cameras, lighting trucks, specialty equipment, and additional technical personnel that you end up noticing that things are going to start getting more expensive.
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VIP Talents & Clients:
This typically comes in the forms of premium-level services such as dedicated transportation, five-star accommodations, on-set security, and major items like motor home or vanity vans depending on the level of service required that theses key stakeholders are accustomed to. All of this can all contribute to the production budget.
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Arts & Props:
If the Art Team was already hustling and bustling during Pre-Production, wait until you see how hectic things can get for them on the actual shoot day. You’ll suddenly notice that what was once a lean crew during prep has now increased to a full-blown art department with multiple skilled handymen there to ensure that all of the pre-approved props are where it’s needed to be depending on the scene we're filming at the time.
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Transportation & Logistics:
Regardless of whether you’re filming in just the one location for the day or multiple locations, you can definitely expect there to be anywhere between two production vehicles to a whole fleet of vehicles being on set for the day. This will include quite the variety of vehicles depending on the department such as production crew vehicles, equipment trucks, prop trucks, picture vehicles and the occasional generator truck; all of which play an important role in determining the final budget.
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Food & Catering:
When you’re working long hours during the shoot day, you’ll want to ensure that the team is kept fed so they have the energy to keep going. The level of quality can vary from project to project, so to keep things budget-friendly, it may come in the form of meal boxes so that things are kept tight and efficient, but for the most part, any good production will have a craft and catering team.
Post-Production Points for Your Film Production Line Budget:
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Post Supervision:
As the Line Producer spearheads the project from Pre-Production to Production, the spotlight now falls to the Post-Producer whose responsibility it is to ensure that the editing process remains organized and on schedule. Items such as workflows, coordinating feedback, overseeing revisions, and ensuring that all deliverables are completed according to the agreed project requirements, all of this falls under their domain.
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Offline & Online Editing:
During this phase, the team focuses on selecting footage and building the narrative, while online editing handles the finishing touches such as color correction, subtitles, and final delivery. The cost for these two phases can vary depending on either the amount of time agreed upon that the deliverables are going to be within each stage or the number of revision rounds needed.
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Motion Graphics & Animation:
You will still need someone fully dedicated to designing, adjusting and animating these 2D or 3D assets for your video, the latter of which tends to be more time-consuming and costly. You’ll generally want to keep in mind that if there’s going to be some graphics and animation required for the video it will directly influence both the production timeline and budget.
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Music & Audio:
It goes without saying that even if you shot a scene beautifully, if the video is jarring to ears, then your audience is immediately going to turn away from the screen. This is why having professional audio is a very critical part of any production which can include music licensing, voiceovers, sound design, dialogue cleanup, and audio mixing.
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Footage Rights & Licensing:
You can probably imagine that there will be some assets that production was not able to film due to time constraints or budget limitations and it would be more cost-effective and work better for the timeline if these pre-made assets, whether it comes in the form of stock footage, archival material, etc. were simply purchased from a third-party source. Depending on the usage rights, territories, and distribution requirements, all of these can influence the final licensing costs associated with a project.
And that brings us to the conclusion of all the many different things to consider when you’re putting together your film production budget. It may have sounded simple enough at first, but there are many layers you will have to keep in mind when planning for your project.
Fortunately, all of these topics can be covered within no more than 15–30 minutes during your call with one of our producers at Mastery Films. But if your project is larger or more complex that your average shoot, we’ve got the time for you! Get a quote for your video production today!
