As a producer building a fundable film package, the budget and schedule provided by the line producer are your starting point. You go UP from there.
You will add costs for:
- Purchasing & Developing the Script
- Paying the Producer, Executive Producer and Finder
- Paying Lead Talent
- Paying Key Specialty Cast
- Marketing
- Prints & Advertising
- Distribution Costs
- Sales Agent Fees
By the end of the process, a budget should provide a complete “bottom line” for the entire investment a funder has to make.
To refine your budget you will have to do some calling around and some negotiating. The cinematographer you want to work with may want more than the base rate your budget specifies. The talent you want probably won’t work for scale. You will adjust the production schedule to account for days you want to spend rehearsing, days you want to allocate for additional prep based on feedback from your production keys, and perhaps costs related to travel and legal fees. Changes to the schedule will impact your budget as well.
The line producer gives you the bare bones of your project based on the script and you put flesh on those bones as you collect and consult with your team.
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As a producer building a fundable film package, the budget and schedule provided by the line producer are your starting point. You go UP from there.
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