I'm working on a proof of concept for a feature film. All the scenes take place in a house--two houses really, but by using separate rooms it'll look like two locations--, a small crew and a limited cast. I'm in Chicago. It's difficult to find a producer at the moment, since I just moved back, don't have much of a network and the industry has a smaller presence. Instead of bringing on another body, I'm considering self-producing again. I figure I'll end up financing some of the film out of pocket, but will keep the costs down as much as possible by offering product placement in exchange for freebies and the like. A DP that expressed interest in the project owns most of the equipment we'll need, outside of boom mics. As a general rule, how much should the project cost?
Filmmaking / Directing : Budget For A Proof Of Concept by Tony Cella
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@Tony - How many pages are you shooting? How many actors? The cost for a few scenes in a single location with 2-4 actors can be pared be down to food, equipment rentals, and any props/costumes you need if you aren't paying cast/crew a day rate or paying for travel and room&board. That should be pretty cheap. My latest project 'Shadow Mountain' I shot for five days in 6 locations with 6 actors and two crew for $350. I do own all my own filmmaking equipment though, so that saved me a bunch, but if you get a dp who will provide equipment for free you can do similar.
The script is 3.5 pages long. It'll be a one day shoot. I'm paying the cast and crew to ensure a quality product and attract a talented team. There are two party scenes. I'll pay the non-speaking extras in alcohol and food. They're supposed to be punk rockers. If I'm lucky, they'll already have dyed hair, spikes, mohawks, Chelseas and the like. Otherwise, I'll hire a make-up artist. Most of the clothing will come from bands/potential investors or thrift stores.
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Sounds like it shouldn't be too hard to budget out since it's only one day. Best of luck.
Probably, but it never hurts to inquire. Thank you for the advice.
If you are calling in favors, it can be made for crafty, catering and departmental expendable costs. Period. And that dollar amount can be $10 to thousand$. Your breakdown will til you.
That's true, Royce, but I'm not the most connected and I'd rather pay for higher quality. The proof of concept is meant as a tool for pitching to investors and producers. An amateurish product won't serve that purpose.