Sell your screenplay on Filmarket Hub — Part Two
The Production Budget
One of the most important pieces of information that you’ll need to provide when selling a script is a budget estimate. You can position yourself in many different ways depending on what number you choose. Your future producers will want to know what kind of film you’re trying to make, and what kind of box office performance should be expected from it. There are, of course, many exceptions to the rule, from too-big-to-fail projects that ended up, indeed, failing, to low-cost miracles with huge international success, but generally speaking, your budget will heavily determine what kind of movie you’re making.
From Blair Witch to Ben-Hur: finding your range
Nobody expects a screenwriter to be an expert production manager who can calculate a budget with pinpoint accuracy by just flipping through the script. That’s why at Filmarket Hub you’ll find the option of including your film in a pretty wide range: less than one million, between 1 and 3, between 3 and 5… It’s important that whoever is reading your project knows if it falls within the ballpark they are looking for.
If you aren’t sure about what shooting your script will cost, think about some key elements. Do you have a lot of varied locations, or just a few? Do you want well-known actors playing your main roles? Do you need visual effects or a lot of post-production? Getting a general idea of how big your movie is shouldn’t be hard: an independent horror movie set in a house with four characters is obviously not the same as an epic adventure during the Middle Ages.
Irreducible costs
The Blair Witch Project is famous for grossing an incredible 250 million dollars despite its tiny budget of only $60,000. However, it should be noted that the film’s shaky, found footage visual style was part of what made it so terrifying: in this case, being a low budget film improved the final result. But not all movies can work with such a small budget, especially if you’re going for a more professional look. Without going any further, the recent Spanish film Summer 1993, with few characters and shooting locations, cost 1 million euros. In fact, it’s quite rare to find movies, even indie ones, whose budgets go below one million. If you don’t believe it, we’ve made a chart with a few examples.
It’s important not to make the mistake of thinking that a low budget is going to be more attractive when looking for financing. On the contrary, a lot of industry players simply aren’t looking to make low budget films. An experienced producer will always have an estimated number when reading a script, and it’s your job to make sure your estimate isn’t too far from that. Truth is, shooting a film is generally quite costly, and some expenses, such as your crew’s salary, should never be cut down. It’s always better to have a realistic approach and try to get your film the budget it deserves!
