Producing : Estimate budget by Paolo Ruello

Hi, Paolo Ruello. Two of the things you could consider first is the location count and the character count. A higher location count and character count can increase the budget.

Paolo Ruello, Great topic to bring up! It’s something every producer and writer has to wrestle with at some point. One resource I’d really recommend is Stage 32’s webinar: What Elements of a Script Really Drive Up Your Budget: https://www.stage32.com/education/products/what-elements-of-a-script-really-drive-up-your-budget

It does a deep dive into the specific factors that can quickly inflate costs and how to strategically manage them without sacrificing the story.

Paolo Ruello The process is this: 1. finalize script fully. 2. Break down script entirely for production. 3. Schedule the production. 4. Derive your costs from the schedule. If you don't go through that process, in that order, you will not have anything like a reasonable estimate of what your film will cost. If you cannot do those steps or you have no point of reference for how long things will take to prepare and shoot, then you should hire a line producer or production manager who is experienced in production who can create your budget for you. I do this all the time, and while it's a required expense and inexpensive in industry terms, most people don't want to spend the money, and shouldn't, unless they are aiming to produce the film. Above all, do not use a "pro forma" budget or a budget prepared by someone who hasn't worked in actual film production. The former means nothing to anyone and the latter will likely be very inaccurate.

Paolo, follow Shadow's input. He has a tremendous background. You're located in Italy, so track down local filmmakers to help you with this!