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Today I was asked this question I thought I would pass it along being new here and then my response:
Hi Bo -
Glad to see your expertise in budgeting and consulting with filmmakers.
I have a young client who just optioned his first book, and will need help budgeting the script once it gets written. Can you suggest any materials or books he can read in the meantime to educate himself?
Thanks for your note. Nice to connect.
My first question is what are your client's desires? I think the biggest problem I see out in the independent world is that everybody wants to do everything and forgetting that big or small it takes a village to make great films. I Direct and produce because that is where my skills and training lies. I am not a writer and while I can and do pick great stories and am a massive researcher, I don't attempt to write the scripts.
Any project needs to follow the correct order. Seldom do. First scripting, then SCRIPT BREAKDOWN, then budgeting (ALMOST ALWAYS DONE IN THE WRONG SEQUENCE OF EVENTS) if at all. Business plan (with proper market research to show ROI ) memorandums and operating agreements, et. Are any of those your clients strength? All of which is a massive amount of work all on there own. There are lots of books and web-sites that can be helpful but where to start. Plus as a Lawyer you know then there is complying with securities law, dealing with state and federal incentives, union, non-union.
At the most basic and smart money level would be doing all scripts in final draft as it is the most flexible in importing into the most widely accepted budget and scheduling programs. Entertainment Partners (Movie Magic) being the most popular and comprehensive. Ep's MM/BS is pricy but money well spent if you are heading down that path. Another newer program is Gorilla which also imports Final draft.
Lots of people can import and build breakdowns but they haven't a clue as to how to organize it all into a shooting order that utilizes all of those elements in the most effective way to get their picture made with the most value on the screen and the most value for their investors. Very few young filmmakers have an idea what amount of a budget a script can command and demand. Goes back to the ROI research. I just worked on a production where they hired a new young Director one week before shooting as the other Director had quit and the producers let him run roughshod without the producers stepping up and saying "No" and protecting their investors. End result they didn't finish the shoot.
Is your client also writing the screenplay? Will that be their first time with a screenplay? If so that is where their research should lie. A piece of advice there and the biggest mistake I see are to many speaking roles and not getting use out of the characters at hand. Just because they may be in the book doesn't mean they should be in the screenplay. Often I only allow for 25 speaking roles in a feature length film it really gets the writer to get into their characters. If they say,"Hey you" or for that matter just "Hey" that's a speaking role and every time they show up on set they get paid as such weather they ever say another word. Plus without that restraint your budget gets lost. I use again the recent project. The new director added two new scenes with 8 additional characters. Even though it was a SAG Ulrta-Low budget well do the math.
I'm sorry if I am inundating you here but I guess I see so many get bad advice and running down the wrong path spending money on the wrong things when that wasn't the intent in the first place. If your clients main intent is to break into screenwriting, then without question Final Draft and a good local seminar as to screenwriting would be the place to start.
Cheers,
Bo..................
Hi Bo -
Glad to see your expertise in budgeting and consulting with filmmakers.
I have a young client who just optioned his first book, and will need help budgeting the script once it gets written. Can you suggest any materials or books he can read in the meantime to educate himself?
Thanks for your note. Nice to connect.
My first question is what are your client's desires? I think the biggest problem I see out in the independent world is that everybody wants to do everything and forgetting that big or small it takes a village to make great films. I Direct and produce because that is where my skills and training lies. I am not a writer and while I can and do pick great stories and am a massive researcher, I don't attempt to write the scripts.
Any project needs to follow the correct order. Seldom do. First scripting, then SCRIPT BREAKDOWN, then budgeting (ALMOST ALWAYS DONE IN THE WRONG SEQUENCE OF EVENTS) if at all. Business plan (with proper market research to show ROI ) memorandums and operating agreements, et. Are any of those your clients strength? All of which is a massive amount of work all on there own. There are lots of books and web-sites that can be helpful but where to start. Plus as a Lawyer you know then there is complying with securities law, dealing with state and federal incentives, union, non-union.
At the most basic and smart money level would be doing all scripts in final draft as it is the most flexible in importing into the most widely accepted budget and scheduling programs. Entertainment Partners (Movie Magic) being the most popular and comprehensive. Ep's MM/BS is pricy but money well spent if you are heading down that path. Another newer program is Gorilla which also imports Final draft.
Lots of people can import and build breakdowns but they haven't a clue as to how to organize it all into a shooting order that utilizes all of those elements in the most effective way to get their picture made with the most value on the screen and the most value for their investors. Very few young filmmakers have an idea what amount of a budget a script can command and demand. Goes back to the ROI research. I just worked on a production where they hired a new young Director one week before shooting as the other Director had quit and the producers let him run roughshod without the producers stepping up and saying "No" and protecting their investors. End result they didn't finish the shoot.
Is your client also writing the screenplay? Will that be their first time with a screenplay? If so that is where their research should lie. A piece of advice there and the biggest mistake I see are to many speaking roles and not getting use out of the characters at hand. Just because they may be in the book doesn't mean they should be in the screenplay. Often I only allow for 25 speaking roles in a feature length film it really gets the writer to get into their characters. If they say,"Hey you" or for that matter just "Hey" that's a speaking role and every time they show up on set they get paid as such weather they ever say another word. Plus without that restraint your budget gets lost. I use again the recent project. The new director added two new scenes with 8 additional characters. Even though it was a SAG Ulrta-Low budget well do the math.
I'm sorry if I am inundating you here but I guess I see so many get bad advice and running down the wrong path spending money on the wrong things when that wasn't the intent in the first place. If your clients main intent is to break into screenwriting, then without question Final Draft and a good local seminar as to screenwriting would be the place to start.
Cheers,
Bo..................