Short Film Budget Templates (Guide & Tips)

If you’re looking to be a filmmaker, the best place to start is with a short film. A short film is a movie that is less than 40 minutes long, typically too short to be considered a feature film. Short films can be of any genre, from comedy to horror. A short film gives you first-hand experience in the intricacies of filmmaking while allowing you to create your path into the world of film production. These short films also help you discover the skills you need to create a successful career in filmmaking.

An excellent short film should give you enough exposure as you start your journey in filmmaking; as such, you should produce good quality material that people can notice and appreciate. The quality of your material is affected by every aspect of production, beginning with the content, equipment used, and the people involved in the filmmaking process. For all this to be satisfied, you need money to hire, buy, and organize tools and equipment for production. In light of this, you need to have a short film budget to control how finances will be used to get the desired film.

One of the main reasons why short films are preferred is because they allow the filmmaker to work with a limited budget to produce good quality material. Budgeting helps you organize your finances evenly from the beginning to the end of the filmmaking process. You must have a budget for your film to help you balance producing quality material and the cost so you don’t spend more than you intend to.

This article discusses the process of making a short film budget, the factors to consider while making the budget, and provides a few tips that can help you make an excellent short film budget.   

Film budgets may be hard to prepare, especially if you have no experience in filmmaking. Even with the best research, you may miss out on the things you must consider when preparing your budget. We have provided free, downloadable short film budget templates to make the process easier. The templates are simple and easy to use; you can adjust them to fit your needs. The templates are also reusable, so you won’t have to make a new one every time you start a project.

Note: Start with hard costs. When preparing your template, start with the hard costs. Hard costs help you create a basis for your production. For example, once you establish how many days you will spend shooting, calculate the cost of hiring a camera and rates for the camera crew. If the professionals you’ve hired have their gear, it would be wise to add the cost of the gear to the budget, even if you’re likely to get it at a discount.

What is the Average Budget for a Short Film?

An average short film’s budget is between $700 to $1500 per minute, depending on the length and production design. The cost varies depending on the detail you want, the equipment, and the genre. Animation films, for example, tend to be more expensive than documentaries and fiction films, while experimental films are the cheapest.

Beyond monetary considerations, you must consider how to make the film the cheapest way possible by utilizing your skills. Cutting costs also includes taking on the roles you can and gaining tax incentives. Consider making a short film on a limited budget. It would be good to have a general idea of the range within which your budget should fall and, simultaneously, be flexible with the budget while making the movie. As a result, your work can be of good quality without significantly compromising your finances.

Preparing a budget for a short film requires research to have a reasonable budget that will speak to the quality of your production. It would be best if you considered the following factors:

Outline your production schedule

Your production schedule is a plan of how you will spend the budget for each production phase. When preparing your budget, consider the length of your script and the content division. Then, plan the number of days you’ll spend shooting and allocate money and resources to be sued for each day.

Actors and crew

From your script, you should determine the number of actors and crew you will need for the film. You might want to work with a producer or, if you can, be the producer for this part of the planning. Once you determine the crew and actors you need, determine their rates and factor that into the budget.

Plan your edit

Now that you know the number of days it will take and your crew’s preparation, once you’re done shooting, you must plan how long it will take you to edit. Editing requires specialized skills; if you do not know how to do it, you may need to hire someone. The time you take to edit should factor in your budget. Editing involves putting the different clips of footage together to achieve the filmmaker’s objective and adding technical touches such as colour grading and sound editing to make a polished end product. The editing process may take 3-5 hours to edit a five-page script and another 3-5 hours to add the technical effects mentioned.

Length of the short film

The length of your film is often determined by the content and length of your script. For example, the average short film is 20 minutes long, but some short films may last up to 60 minutes. One factor determining the length of a short film is the filmmaker’s intent when introducing the film’s characters. Typically, short films should tell the story by introducing the characters and telling the story to the end within a limited time. Usually, production should be one page per minute. Since most short films are below 40 minutes in length, your budget could be anywhere between $2,000 to $ 30,000.

Include all costs

Film production requires attention to each detail. Factor all costs in your budget, including soft and hard costs like location fees, meals and craft services, and film insurance. Including all the costs in a budget allows you to create a comprehensive budget with fewer risks of going over it while producing quality material.

A short film goes through three stages of production. Pre-production, production, and post-production. Pre-production may cost $250-500, production $10,000-$ 20,000 and post-production $4,000-$6,000. For a 20-minute film, the costs range from the inclusive cost of production is $15,000 to $26,000, with each minute costing between $700 and $1500.

Production value

Production value is the quality of the film based on technical merits. It is determined by the quality of equipment used and the crew’s skill. To determine your budget, you must balance costs to ensure you produce quality material within your means. As such, not everything can be cheap. For example, you may decide to have longer days to save on location fees, but this will raise other costs, such as the amount spent on the crew.

Pre-production cost

Pre-production costs are the initial costs incurred before production. They include the costs of setting up meetings with the crew and scouting film locations. They also include visualization and a production design plan, a plan of what the film will be about, its target audience, and a general idea of what it will take to produce the movie successfully. While these costs may not be much compared to production and post-production costs, they should be included in the budget to have everything accounted for.

Production cost

Production cost accounts for most of the budget, usually up to 80%. It includes the daily costs of shooting and location. Using an expert when discussing your costs is recommended to ensure you have good quality material.

Production cost includes:

Location

When scouting locations, try to find free places with access to power, water, and social facilities, especially if you’re starting. Most location permits cost $250-$500 per day for short films. 

Cast

Selecting your cast is tedious; negotiating their rates is even more difficult. Depending on the number of actors you need, the genre of your work, and the length of your film, hire freelancers or fresh actors from acting school. More experienced actors will have higher rates that you may not manage. While most actors may cost $100 per day, you can negotiate the amount to $50 and pay a lump sum.

Crew

For short films, the prominent crew members are cinematographers, sound recordists, direction assistants, costume designers, grippers, and gaffers. Cinematographers usually charge $150-$300 daily, while the more experienced ones charge up to $500 daily. Sound recordists are in charge of recording the sound in sync with the camera. They usually charge $150-$250 a day. Direction assistants cost between $100-$150 a day.

Make-up artists and kits are expensive, and since you’re making a short film, you should consider hiring them from schools. They will cost $100-$150 daily if you negotiate well. Any costumes you need may be hired at the maximum cost of $100 a day. Finally, grippers and gaffers should cost $200 a day.

Equipment

Since short films are motion productions like any other, they need equipment, which is often expensive. The costs of each are as follows:

• Camera -$150-$500 a day
• Lenses – $50-$150 a day
• Grips and jibs- $50-$200 a day
• Gaffer’s lighting equipment – $150-$250
• Other – $200

Art design

Consider setting up props instead of creating a set when thinking of the art design for your short film. Sets are more expensive, and they might raise your budget; props, on the other hand, let you maintain the quality of the product while ensuring you stay within your budget. Your art should cost about $300, and the staff may cost another $200.

Production services

Production services are those provided by staff, not the cast or crew. They include catering, spot boys, and amenities like toilets, water points, and storage; these should cost you another $200 daily.

Post-production cost

Once you’ve done the shooting, you need to edit your material and ensure your sound is in sync and other technical requirements regarding the production quality are met. Post-production cost includes:

Editing

You may edit the film yourself or hire an editor. Consider hiring editors with their editing suites, as the editing studios have a separate cost. Hire editors that will charge you a lump sum for the entire editing process instead of hourly. The cost of editing might be anywhere between $500 to $1500.

Sound design and music

Sound design and music are crucial to your production. Look for talented designers and offer a good package. It should cost between $550- $1,000.

VFX

Animation and visual effects are expensive. Since you are on a budget, hire undergraduate students that will offer you better rates.

Digital medium

The digital medium is a growing trend that enhances the colour quality of your film. The current rate is $100 per hour, but it can be negotiated to a lumpsum amount of $500 for the film.

Marketing and promotion

Now that your film is ready, you need to gain exposure by marketing it. There are many short film festivals, but they often charge a fee. For this, you need to set aside $1000 to ensure you attain maximum exposure. In addition, you should consider online platforms like Film Free, Without a Box, and Short Film Depot.

When making your film, you may face challenges in the beginning and managing the process. However, you can use the following practices to make an excellent low-budget film:

Stop making excuses

Once you have an idea for a short film, start right away. Do not make excuses for the things you lack. If you lack funding, talk to friends and family or research how to find sponsors for our film. Learn how to edit so that you cut down on that cost. Be innovative.

Discuss stories about people you know

Short films are about expressing your artistic talent. Be as authentic as possible. It is easier to make accurate content by writing stories about people you know instead of strangers. It is easier to write content on things you know.

Learn the filmmaking process

Research the filmmaking process so you can follow the steps in order. Retracing your steps to correct a mistake would cost more money and effort. When researching, you should be proactive to learn how to use the objects around you and be proactive.

Don’t buy the camera

Buying a camera is more expensive than renting one out. Where the total cost is more than hiring, consider finding a cinematographer with a camera. Buying the camera may result in having equipment you do not know how to use or maintain.

Don’t under or overspend

Your budget should be precise. Do not look for cheaper options at the expense of quality for your production. At the same time, do not spend beyond your budget and end up in debt because most short films are for exposure and not profit.