How To Budget A Feature Film?

[FatalFire]

Hiya,

So i'm a film student and I have this great idea for a low budget feature film. The script is more or less finished and I have all of the scenes planned out in my head. What I need to do though is to work out a budget for it. We are learning some about this on my course but I still find it very daunting and I dont know where to start. All filming would be done in the UK and I made a list of the main things I need to account for.

Basicly what I need is;

1 Main actor who is in every scene
6 Support actors
About 10 extras
2 interior sets, one a bedroom, one a living room
A house to film in
1 scene in a suburb road
2 scenes in a park
1 scene at a beach
2 scenes in a wood
1 scene outside a pub
1 scene in a public toilet

Can someone with experience give me any advice?

 

[Xylofonic]

Regarding the locations. You can maybe get the outdoor locations for free if you check some smaller cities trying to gain tourists. Talk to the tourism department; depending on the kind of tourist they want to attract they prefer shooting off season. Off season would be great for you as all the rooms and catering etc. will be cheaper. If you shoot in a big known city you usualy have to pay extreme amounts for just being allowed to shoot. Not even to mention blocking streets or bars for your shooting.

Regarding the Indoorlocations: It all depends on what you need and wants to do. One question you should be able to answer is if you need a studio set or a real house. The next question is what kind of house. Its very likly to find a villa for rent, but not a usual workingclass house. Although you might get a house wich is for sale and nobody is lifing in, such houses are often without furniture. Also such "small" houses usualy doesn´t have the space you need to do the camerawork and lighting well. What you might can try is to just go on some webcommunities and ask for a house. That might sound stupid but I often got things I never expected. There are some film freaks out there that dream of a film being shot in their vincinity.

General:
Always ad 20% to anything you calculated, time and money. Get anything written down and signed in contracts. A short made with some friends might work fine without but if you are spending someones money in a complex feature you need to be buletproof. Although the house still can burn down or a huricane destroys your outdoor locations anything far from that must be 100% and even than you should have a plan B.

just my 2 cents

 

[directorik]

You’re right. Budgeting is very daunting. It always will be.

I’m sorry to tell you there are no answers to your questions that
can be covered here.

No way to know what actors in your area charge or if you can find
ones who will work for free. Actors charge by the day, not the
scene, so there is no way to even give you a rough estimate
without knowing how many days you need the actors. One main actor
in every scene - is that 5 days or 20 days?

The house to film is can usually be had for free. Ask people you
know.

Shooting in parks, the beach the woods and even outside a pub and
in a public toilet can be free. Or can cost a lot. No way to know
what the requirements are in your area unless you tell us.

And there is no way to give even a rough estimate of the other
scenes you ask about. Because you don’t tell us anything about
the scenes. A scene at a beach could be as simple as two actors
talking so you will need a tiny crew of three or four people. Or
it could be much larger. Is the scene 3 pages or 50 pages? That
will make a difference in how much that scene will cost.

My advice is to use the school for the resources you pay for.

 

[dannycoxdidit]

I have a similar question, but I'm brand new to the forum and don't know how to make a new thread.

I am part of a group of students who are making a feature-length movie based on best-selling author Russel Banks' collection of short stories, Trailer Park, for a class.

We are looking for any avenue we can to talk to people who have experience making feature-length films and any contributions they can give: monetary, equipment, advice.

We're looking for any outlet we can find to tell people about what we're doing. If anyone can let me know how to make a new thread, or if I can, being a new member, I would really appreciate it.