Do you have boundless creative energy and want to showcase that in a short film? Creating a short film is a great way to tell a story. Plus, you never know, your film may end up doing the rounds during the film festival circuit!
While it’s not a feature-length picture you’ll be making, you still need to consider budget. The chances are you have already covered big parts of the budget, such as:
- Equipment
- Actors
- Location
However, what about everything else? If you want to create a tight budget for your short film, don’t forget the following things.
Transportation and Lodging Costs
How will the actors get from A to B? Transportation costs are of particular importance if you plan on filming somewhere rural. Then, once they are there, where will everyone sleep? What will they eat? These are all potentially high costs that you need to factor in early on.
Script Printing
It’s easy to miss. After all, once you’ve written a script, you’ll feel like you are done in that department. That’s not the case, though! You’ll want to print the script so that everyone who plays a role has a copy, particularly the actors. Any directors, camera operators, and other production workers should also receive a copy. It’s best to find high-quality printing services, so that the final product is of high quality with a good format. Plus, it will make you feel even prouder of the scriptwriting when you get to see it in a tangible copy.
Hair and Makeup
Most people don’t have the skills to do their own hair and makeup – at least to the point where it looks perfect on camera. Whether you want your actors to look like witches or ordinary folks, it’s important to consider paying for a hair and makeup artist (or, if you have multiple actors, perhaps more than one). Remember that this process will take time, too, and should be considered against the budget for paying actors.
Sound Mixing
You may have covered sound design and music in your budget, but what about sound mixing? It’s important, as audio mixing leads to a more cohesive final sound in your project. It will sound a lot more professional. You will likely need to seek the services of a professional sound mixer to achieve this.
Distribution and Marketing
Once you have completed your short film, you will naturally want to get the film out there. That involves a decent distribution and marketing budget. While you can handle some of this alone, you may want to hire professional services for this, as the better the marketing, the more eyes on the final product.
What is the Average Budget for a Short Film?
Of course, that depends. If you use a lot of your own resources, you can reduce the budget quite significantly. However, generally speaking, short films usually cost anywhere from £700 to £5,000 per day! If you want to stick to the lower end of £700, do things like limit the number of actors, choose local talent, and avoid too many scenes that would require VFX.
