This is targeted primarily to those of you with a low budget project. One issue I see quite often is a low budget project with tons of high end locations. Mansions, high rises, grocery stores, bars/restaurants, night clubs are just a few examples of locations that are pricey and can kill your budget.
Many of the above locations mentioned, along with other high end locations, can go from anywhere to $5000 to $20k/day. Not budget friendly. And budgeting them at $500/day just so you can say your budget is under $500k is unrealistic.
In a previous tip for the day, I mentioned a script needs to match it's budget. Don't try to squeeze a $10 million script into a $500k budget. Locations are part of that.
Most film locations will also need a prep day or 2 and a wrap day. These need to be factored into your budget along with site reps. Too many out there seem to ignore these facts. These are basic issues a Producer should be aware of.
Sound is another issue. Many times a location will be found under a flight path or near a busy street or freeway. Fixing the sound in post can get expensive with ADR depending on the amount of dialogue in the scene. Truck parking is another issue that seems to get ignored. Posting the street is fine, but many times that's not possible depending on where the location is located. Shuttling equipment is the kiss of death if you're on a tight budget & schedule.
One other major factor is several locations that have only 1/8 or 4/8ths of a page. Will the cost justify the scene? In most cases, no. Montages are also the kiss of death in a low budget. Depending on the montage, each montage scene will require a location in most cases. This can turn into a disaster without "location combos". If a certain location is 90% ok on a day with 3 different locations, but the Location Manger found a great location combo that works for the other 2, compromise needs to be made. A company move in the middle of the day can cost production hours in lost filming time.
Consider public locations that are city/state owned. In most cases those locations are cheap. Shutting down a bar or restaurant for 4 days will kill your budget. 3 different houses with only a bedroom in one, only an exterior in the other and just a downstairs area in the 3rd, should all be considered one practical house location as cheating the location needs to be a common thought process if you're on a tight budget.
I do tons of budgets and schedules (DM me for rates) & many of the requests I receive on the low budget ones are often unrealistic. A solid budget & film financing business plan (which I also do and is required by most to all investors and not pitch decks and I also do consulting) are major reality checks. Numbers don't lie and 2 + 2 does NOT equal 3. So do yourself a favor. Before you start considering doing a under $1 million budget, look at the locations & learn the word "compromise".
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