Planning to Fund Your Film via Product Placement? Nope.

Jeff OrgillFilm Budgeting TipsLeave a Comment

product placement wine photo

Well, okay, the title of this post is pretty harsh. There’s technically nothing wrong with product placement in any film, unless it’s blatant and gross and, well, product-ish. But here’s three things to watch out for when accepting a company’s product placement offer. 1) Know that no company is going to give you cash to feature their product in your … Read More

Budgeting A Film Crew – Union or Non-Union?

Jeff OrgillFilm Budgeting Tips3 Comments

iatse logo

Hands down, the most important element of a successful small film is your crew. Without the right people in the right crew positions, even a large film can hit the skids, get bogged down, swell with cost overruns, and sometimes even implode. When crewing for a film, especially a smaller independent film, you need to know how to think like … Read More

Two Film Budget Versions – $40k and $200k

Jeff OrgillFilm Budgeting Tips2 Comments

people on set with bounce

A few years ago, my company and I produced two feature films, from script to screen. We had no money and no significant investors, despite garnering interest (and even a few Letters of Intent) from a handful of name actors. The road to production on both films was a long one, and a bumpy one. But we couldn’t have pulled either … Read More

What is a line producer? Ask Roger M. Mayer

Jeff OrgillFilm Budgeting TipsLeave a Comment

roger m. mayer

Film Budgeteers recently sat down with Sundance producer Roger M. Mayer (IMDB) and asked him: “What is line producing?”  Roger’s produced a litany of independent features, shorts, and music videos, from out-and-out art films to family and commercial features, and has seen his share of film budgets and breakdowns. He’s also served behind the scenes of several influential film festivals, including … Read More

How to Create a Film Business Plan (Part 2)

Jeff OrgillFilm Budgeting TipsLeave a Comment

crew hanging around video village on set

Your Film Details Section The next section is your Film Section, where you detail what your film is about. This includes a brief summary of your film, maybe the film’s logline, synopsis; whatever you think best conveys your film to potential investors. Keep it brief and don’t overwhelm them. You may want to use “mashups” to help bridge the gap … Read More