I know exactly what I want to shoot, but I'm not sure how much it's going to cost. How do you budget your films?

You find out. Sounds too simple, but that's the
only way.

For example: you know you will be shooting in a
restaurant for two days. You need to contact five
or six restaurants and find out how much it will cost
you to shoot at each.

You know you will be shooting for 18 days. You
need to figure out how many crew you will have
working for each of those 18 days and how much
you will be paying them each day.

You know you will be shooting 15 hours of video tape.
You need find out how much each tape is going to cost.

And you do that for each and every thing in your movie.
Down to the first aid kit and the make-up and the bottled
water and the fuel for the PA's car.

Sounds like a mildly tedious process.

Heh.

A budget break down is annoying...that's why you get someone who likes that kind of stuff (they must be crazy).

You go through the script page by page, and write down every single thing that will cost money. That's the only way to get a true budget reading for your film. And of course you have to look at the larger picture too--not just a page by page. You have to take into account the webpage domain costs, the printing of fliers, posters, DVD release...everything tied to the film that will cost money.

It's annoying, yes.

Sounds like a mildly tedious process.

Heh.

Mildly? Not at all.

It's mind numbingly tedious. But when other people are giving
you money, be it donations from friends and family or accredited
investors, a full, line item budget must be done. Every single
expenditure must be researched and accounted for. I have line
items for batteries, tape (gaffers, camera, marking and double-sided),
phone calls and even pens.

As you know from reading these forums, many filmmakers come
here asking about how much they can expect to make when their
movie is distributed. The distributors must keep detailed records of
how much they spend and what is coming in to pay out accurate
percentages.

We - the makers of the movie - must do the same thing.

Do your budget and then pad it with at least 20% for unexpected costs. They will arise!

You can use budget software . or excel can do the trick.

You can use budget software . or excel can do the trick.
No budgeting software (or even Excel) can do a budget for you. That's
like saying you can use screenplay software will do the trick.

Budget softw makes up of all iitems that will deal with in your incoming shooting.
You can work out every cost in every steps you are shooting. then you will result all in it.
Top thead said he known all he will shoot, that means he has already had screenplay .
So he will require to know what he needs, what star he will pay for, as well as equipment, field, casting etc. budget sortware can do the trick.

You can use budget software . or excel can do the trick.


I have a free EXCEL spreadsheet already formatted for movie budgets here:
http://www.sonnyboo.com/downloads/downloads.htm

Most people at the end of an itemized budget put either a 10% or 20% "Contingency" slot to account for the "just in case" money. You can use that to go over budget on some things, or move money around from one item to another so the realities of a shoot and the plan can survive.

And if you're making a "real" indy/DIY budget (ie, not telling someone how much the film will cost, but looking at how much money you have and figuring out how to shoot the film), then the movie may have to change to fit the budget, not the other way around. "Ok, I can't spend over $500 for effects and stll rent the lights I need, so I need to find ways to reduce how much each effect costs, or starting looking at how to cut out the effects or light it with less gear".