Take a deep dive into creating a documentary film budget by breaking the budget down line by line, discussing industry standards and helpful tips along the way.

Overview

A well-thought-out budget is the groundwork for producing a film. A producer should take the time in the pre-production process to get this right because it helps figure out the scope and logistics of a project. The budget will also demonstrate to potential funders what kind of story you’re going to tell, what your production is going to look like, and what equipment and crew you have chosen.

Led by producer Stephanie Dawson, during this two-part class, participants will learn how to break down their proposal, making note of the elements that will affect the budget, and learn how to create a budget for the project from development, through production, and post.

This class will use basic tools that are easily accessible such as MS Office products and Google Sheets so that participants are on a level playing field. Industry-standard programs such as Movie Magic, Showbiz, and HotBudgets will be demonstrated, giving participants a glimpse into the larger landscape of budgeting and scheduling.

Session 1: Breaking Down Your Project for the Budget

• Breaking down your project proposal from development through post-production
• Building the schedule for production & post
• The basics of budgeting
• Budget must-haves

Session 2: Budgeting Case Studies

• Building your budget
• How to find rates
• Building out the entire budget
• Preparing the top sheet for grant applications and financiers

This Budgeting Your Documentary class is perfect for budding producers, enterprising directors, and anyone who wants to understand how to create a budget for a documentary project.

Instructors

Stephanie Dawson

Stephanie Dawson is a producer and line producer for film and television, based in New York City. She has worked in reality, narrative features, narrative series, doc series, commercials and now branded content. She first started budgeting her own short films, then branched into producing films for her colleagues. She now works as a line producer, and creates budgets and schedules for commercials, unscripted, and scripted content. She was formally trained in EP/Movie Magic Budgeting & Scheduling software by EP. She is self-taught in Showbiz Software and HotBudgets, and has used those software applications for many years. She is familiar with Gorilla as well. She has created many templates in MS Excel for low budget projects and filmmakers who could not afford the expensive software. She continues to create budgets for narrative projects and is excited to share this knowledge to assist the next generation of producers in their pursuit of telling amazing stories.