Newbie My First Film Budget

T

Tyler Valdal

So i know this may have been asked millions of times here but here it is.

I have an idea for a film , i have the location which is in my family and a idea for a killer found footage script. I am located in Ontario,Canada and have all the pre production and ideas down pat.

How would a guy who has no experience in any filmmaking positions go about getting his first film Funded. Being found footage and having the location for free i am looking for a budget of about $9000-$10'000 in that most of it will be put towards paying the crew equally for there time and also catering for the shoot which is going to take 5-9 days and also any post production costs that may arrise.

any help in this i would appreciate it for like .
 
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Step #1: Put your current film screenplay on a shelf for later.

Step #2: Open your wallet and bank account and consider "How much of my own money would I reasonably spend on a weekend vacation/staycation to ___________?"

Step #3: Write a NEW story with that budget and your current equipment, cast, crew, time, talent, and budget resources in mind. A short film (<10min) is great!

Step #4: OPTIONAL - ask some trusted movie-fetishist friends/family to look over or discuss your new short film project. This is really recommended.

Step #5: Start your pre-production, shoot, pay as you go, edit + post-production, and show that film wherever you can.


Before spending OPM learn what you're doing on your own dime.
Filmmaking isn't cheap and it isn't easy.
It's not like buying an ATV and funning around on the local mud flat - although just as expensive.
It's more like going into antique motorbike restoration.


Having trouble thinking of a new story?
Got only one?
Try giving this thread a good looking over: http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?t=49444


GL & BW! :yes:
 
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rayw said:
Step #1: Put your current film screenplay on a shelf for later.

Step #2: Open your wallet and bank account and consider "How much of my own money would I reasonably spend on a weekend vacation/staycation to ___________?"

Step #3: Write a NEW story with that budget and your current equipment, cast, crew, time, talent, and budget resources in mind. A short film (<10min) is great!

Step #4: OPTIONAL - ask some trusted movie-fetishist friends/family to look over or discuss your new short film project. This is really recommended.

Step #5: Start your pre-production, shoot, pay as you go, edit + post-production, and show that film wherever you can.


Before spending OPM learn what you're doing on your own dime.
Filmmaking isn't cheap and it isn't easy.
It's not like buying an ATV and funning around on the local mud flat - although just as expensive.
It's more like going into antique motorbike restoration.


Having trouble thinking of a new story?
Got only one?
Try giving this thread a good looking over: http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?t=49444


GL & BW! :yes:
Click to expand...


So i should if i get that budget use it for a short film ? that seems a bit expensive for a short film
 
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How much is expensive for a short film?

It's your money.
You can spend whatever you want.

When I read...
Tyler Valdal said:
How would a guy who has no experience in any filmmaking positions go about getting his first film Funded... i am looking for a budget of about $9000-$10'000...
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... I think you're thinking there's a magic money spigot somewhere.

And I'm just saying that there is no magic money spigot filmmakers can goto to get a few thousand out of to fund our follies.

So... spend whatever money you would spend on a vacation.
After you've spent that it's gone-ola, right?

You would spend $10k on a vacation but not on your own film, is that what you're saying?
 
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The point rayw is trying to make is that your film is going to suck. That's right, it's going to suck. Now, don't get your panties in a knot. 99.9999999999% of the time the first attempts at anything suck. I took piano, organ and music theory lessons all through first and secondary school, and played literally thousands of gigs before I finally got to Carnegie Hall.

My first attempts at sound design were only fair at best - and I had a head start as a music recording engineer.


You have LOTS to learn. What are your plans for production sound and audio post? What are your plans for lighting and color correction? And ten thousand other details that, as a self-confessed newb, you are not even aware of much less have considered.

You don't even have a script yet, so how can you even consider a budget? And if you think that you have "the pre production and ideas down pat" you are just kidding yourself. Have you ever participated in the preproduction of a film? Have you ever been on a film set of any kind? Have you ever been through even a part of the editing or audio post process?

My first suggestion is that you go through the other "newb" threads here on IndieTalk; you'll find dozens of gals and guys just like you, asking the same questions and making all of the usual mistakes of inexperience.

If this is just a hobby, go ahead and make your film. Who will care? But if you want to be a filmmaker back off, do A LOT more research, work on the film projects of other people to gain practical experience (and to network), then try a short to get your feet wet.
 
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sfoster said:
That is not what he said at all… Maybe go back and re-read again.
Also I would never invest in a film with someone that has zero film making experience. I think you should consider building a portfolio
Click to expand...

Agreed. No matter how strong your vision is, and how much research and theory you've read about filmmaking, there are traps that you will fall into that you can only learn through experience. Shoot a short film every month until the end of the year. Quick stuff, pushing through the process quickly till you get better at it. Try to spend as little as you can (pay for your teams lunches) and whatnot. Then try going through the process more slowly and methodically. Devote a lot of time to pre-pro, so you get a feel for planning a *bigger* production, but try not to drop any money yet. Eventually you will be far more prepared to shoot a film with a budget (of someone elses money, if that's where you want to go - hard to justify, given a short will almost never make any return).

You don't have to follow that exactly, but it seems a safer way to learn the processes, and prove yourself. It decreases your chances of failing a lot.
 
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Hi Tyler,

While what ray is correct, there are other ways to go around, though with your experience, I predict that you'll run into someone who will take you for a ride and pocket a lot of your money for very little return.

It also depends on where you are in the production cycle. Since you've a complete newbie, I'll also predict that you're in the development phase where the script isn't even written. All you have is an idea, and I'd also hazard a guess, even that isn't on paper.

What you need to do first is write the script. Break it down into what you need. Then work out the production value (quality) you want and from that, work out what you need (shot list, crew list, cast list, location list, equipment list, wardrobe list, prop list etc) to shoot and then determine how long. Alternative, you can work out how much each day will cost you to shoot and work backwards from your budget and see if you can backend into the budget.

Be prepared for a few issues that crop up along the way. Don't forget post production costs and don't skimp on pre production. There's a saying, for every dollar you spend in pre production, you save 3 during production.

Good luck with your production. I hope you get what you're after.
 
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