Even a seemingly small budgeted project can involve a complex network of costs and fees. Fortunately, there are some simple steps one can take to ensure that a post-production budget is as accurate and comprehensive as possible. By taking the proper steps and being diligent during the budgeting process, film and television productions can be completed within the budget and to the highest of quality.
First - Start with the end in mind…. Deliverables
The evaluation of all deliverables is a key starting point when it comes to budgeting a film or TV series. It is essential to ensure that the budgetary allowances match the requirements of the project, as overlooking key, expensive technical deliverables can cause a lot of pain at the end of the production, as money would have to be found to pay for them. Making sure that you and the post facilities understand the deliverables list and how they affect workflow is extremely important. Without these final contractually necessary assets, the production essentially has no movie or series.
Deliverables will be essentially delivered by your Post Production Facilities, so it is essential to include the facilities early in the discussions & to give them all the information they need to quote appropriately.
So how do you do this?
Start by reading through your delivery requirements list (or lists if you are working on a co-production with multiple stakeholders)
Break this list down
Technical Deliverables
Paperwork Deliverables
Make notes of which Post Production Facilities/crew you will need to provide different elements & go get multiple quotes for each element
Do a cost comparison of all of your quotes, find out how each Post Facility is charging for its services & make sure you are comparing apples with apples!
It is important to make sure that the buffer is built into the budget in order to account for any unknown surprises.
Second - What budget level is your Film or TV show?
Whether your Film or TV show is high medium or low budget, the budget will impact the ambition, size & scope of the post-production work and how much can be allocated for different elements. It is essential to consider these elements and ensure that the budget is appropriate when planning the production of a movie or television show. Essentially though This will feed into your budget in a number of ways…
How much time you budget for different creative elements
How much time you allow for the technical components
How much you pay each crew member
Third - Doing a Script Breakdown
The script breakdown is a tool that many different departments use in the Film & TV industry to look at the script & analyze it for the challenges that they can see in their own departments. Post is no different, a good Post Production Script Breakdown will be done by the head of the Post Production team (either the Co-producer/Post Producer or the Post Supervisor leading the project).
The Post Production Script Breakdown will look at each script issued & assess for any potential questions that could be asked about how the project will be attempted or additional work that this might cause in Post Production – This could be for Picture, Sound, VFX or Music. As opposed to the “Fix it in Post” mentality, this is the exact opposite as the production is seeking to “Fix it in Prep” and may potentially save many thousands of dollars/pounds because of this panning document.
Essentially in a Script Breakdown you are…
Reading the script
Breaking the script down line by line & analyzing it for challenges in the following areas
Music
Picture in picture
VFX
Sound / ADR
Intimate scenes
Title Sequence
Other
For more information on how to do a script breakdown, please follow the below link to see more information
Accurately budgeting for a film or series can be a difficult process and does require considerable skill, knowledge & experience. If done correctly, it will make the rest of the production much easier to manage.
We are Post Super Ltd , your ultimate destination for all things post-production management.