Which comes first, the script or the budget?

In feature films, does the budget dictates the script, or is the script being determined the budget?
For low budget filmmakers the budget usually dictates the script. We know
(for example) that we can't afford to do a car chase with 20 vehicles in a
major city so we write in a foot chase in the woods. We know we can't
afford to rent a fully equipped hospital ER so we have our shot up protagonist
fixed up by a retired doc in his small apartment.

When a writer writes on spec then they should not let the potential budget
get in the way.
 
Even at the low budget for me, I like to start with the script. If it's good enough, We'll figure out how to do/cheat/afford the parts that are challenging monetarily.

The script also dictates schedule and all of the deadlines for the completion of preproduction elements like costumes, etc.
 
Yes.




What it really comes down to is your available resources. Do you have Spielberg size resources available to you? No? Then there are some scripts you should probably avoid trying to produce. Are your resources under six figures? Then there are a lot of scripts you probably cannot produce.

Basic dramas and comedies - set in the current day - are what most low/no/mini/micro budget indie filmmakers can afford to make. Period pieces of any kind take additional resources beyond most l/n/m/m budget filmmakers. Action sequences take a lot of preparation and safety precautions, which can elevate production costs. The list goes on....

However, very nice work be done on very limited resources, as members of this forum have proven. The whole point is that you have to adapt to your available resources, and decide how to best allocate those resources to accomplish your goals. BTW, resources are a lot more than just money.

If you are just writing scripts without any thought of producing them yourself you can write anything that you want. In the event that one of your scripts is picked up it will change and adapt to the available budget during preproduction anyway.
 
Write what you have available if you don't expect much of a budget. If you have friends with cool cars, locations, props, talents, write those into the script.
 
Thanks, all of you.
Please let me elaborate the present dilemma.
First, it's an Israeli film, which means very low budget (in US terms).
I encountered an amazing true story about chain of events that involves unbelievable coincidences. So, though I don't have previous experience, I decided to make a documentary out of it. The documentary is basically 'talking heads', where the participants in the chain of event narrate the story, each from one's POV. Looking for funding to complete the documentary from local organizations that support documentaries, I realized that having no previous experience (and being 71 y.o.), there is no way I'm going to get funds. So I looked for a producer to approach those organizations.
A producer I contacted was thrilled by the story and decided to make a feature movie, based on true story, out of it. Since my interest here is that the story will be known by as many people as possible, I agreed gladly. The documentary will be screened only after the feature. The documentary is necessary as there is no doubt in my mind that many people wouldn't believe that those events actually took place, the coincidences are remarkable and unbelievable.
For a feature movie, the core chain of events needs being 'juiced' with dramatization, probably adding happenings to the core chain of events.
Some events, those concerning the main chain of events, are mandatory, like a car crash and hospital scenes, including a surgery. Other events aren't mandatory, they are only to 'juice up' the story and create drama.
The producer is busy doing other business, in between producing movies, so I decided to speed things up by trying to raise funds from unconventional sources.
The producer's mind is elsewhere and he sticks to the idea that first some money should come in, then a good script should be written, then the budget will be determined and potential backers will be approached.
Since the non-conventional backers I have in mind aren't from the film industry, I'm quite certain they'd want to know what the budget is, before considering putting in their money.
Your views?
 
If you're looking for funds then you have to be a salesman, because you are indeed selling a "product." The issue here is there is no product until there is money. But you need something to show them and hook them in. What you may consider is getting the documentary made so you can use it as a part of your sales pitch. "See, this actually happened! Wouldn't it make a cool movie?"

Write the script the way you want it to be. Preproduce the hell out of it and put together a shooting script. Do some basic budgeting breakdowns; now you know approximately how much money you will need to produce the film. Is it an unrealistic number? Okay, time for a rewrite. Or not. Perhaps you could write three variations - "big" budget (whatever that may be for you), middle budget and small budget and do the breakdowns on all three.

This is all pretty much the advice you've already gotten. Only you know all of the specifics; even with the information you've given there are just too many variables that you've probably taken as a given, and I'm sure cultural/national/whatever differences - not to mention the specifics of the project itself - will throw in other variables we would not be aware of.
 
Script is first (for me), but I write the script with a general idea of the budget usually. If I know there isn't any money then I'll tend to not put in things I know will be expensive (locations, props, etc...).
 
The producer's mind is elsewhere and he sticks to the idea that first some money should come in, then a good script should be written, then the budget will be determined and potential backers will be approached.
Since the non-conventional backers I have in mind aren't from the film industry, I'm quite certain they'd want to know what the budget is, before considering putting in their money.
Your views?
Some money first, then script, then the budget.

Very typical for a project like the one this producer is considering.
He will need money to hire a writer. It is also understandable that
any backers you will approach will want to know what the movies
budget will be. So some money will need to be raised ( to hire a
writer). When the script is finished and the budget has been prepared
then you can approach the non-conventional backers you have in
mind.

So unlike the types of projects most indietalkers make this one will
need money for the beginning - before a budget can be determined.
 
If you're making a low budget film or an ultra low budget film the budget is KING and comes first.

The script should then be written accordingly to accommodate to the budget.

Actually I'll even go further than that: I would get all the assets, including locations, props, etc, in place before writing the script. I know it sounds weird but it's not.

I have a couple detailed posts regarding this topic in my blog if you're interested in reading them.

Do not fall for the Script first. It's a mistake when making a low budget film.
 
If you're making a low budget film or an ultra low budget film the budget is KING and comes first.

The script should then be written accordingly to accommodate to the budget.

Actually I'll even go further than that: I would get all the assets, including locations, props, etc, in place before writing the script. I know it sounds weird but it's not.

I have a couple detailed posts regarding this topic in my blog if you're interested in reading them.

Do not fall for the Script first. It's a mistake when making a low budget film.

I have and do write with budget in mind (I'm experienced enough to know "this will be expensive, this will be cheap"), but I can't imagine working in reverse as you suggest.
 
I have and do write with budget in mind (I'm experienced enough to know "this will be expensive, this will be cheap"), but I can't imagine working in reverse as you suggest.

Exactly, we all know that certain things in any production are expensive and others not so much, etc. and we tend to write that way... and many times limiting ourselves from the get go.
My point is that if you're making a movie using the Hollywood production flow that's fine... you write your script, then create a budget and go fund it.

But a lot of filmmakers only have a fixed amount of money to make a film and the hollywood process doesn't work for them.

They don't have the luxury of actually "create a budget" and go fund it. All they have is X, and they need to stay within their budget...

This is why I suggest you go backwards... you get the money and all you assets first (including locations) and then build the story around that, plus you get a ton of ideas in the process. If you start from a script (the hollywood way) you have a problem and then you end up butchering it, as you try to stay within budget.... or like you say, you write "limiting" what your write.

The hollywood process fits hollywood because they have all the money in the word, but I think that their production flow it's pretty counter-productive for very low budget films.

A fellow filmmaker in Europe is finishing up her feature for only 8k using the "go backwards" method and her original intention was to make a short, based on her script, and following the hollywood process... there's a huge difference, but it may not be for everyone.
 
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