Calculating Post Production Costs

[coquijams]

Hello all,
I'm beginning to create a budget for an upcoming documentary film (my first) I will shoot independently. Calculating the costs for production has gone steadily, but I am having a hard time calculating Post-production costs such as: Editor's costs (what costs are included, and how much time to alott), the same for sound mixing, and sound recording for narration. I realize that the costs will fluctuate depending on the quality of studio/editors I hire, but is there some widely accepted way to calculate this? I am working with low funds, so I wouldn't be going to top tier studios. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[Carlos Corral]

Of all depends on how much footage you have for the editor to go through and if they are familiar with the project. I myself charge $1325 a week (5 day week), or $275 a day. If I need to get familiar with your project, I'll watch all of the footage you have thus far first in order to frame a story for you. Of course, if you have over 96hrs of footage, then the editor will have to account for everything.

Most sound mixers that use pro-tools may have similar rates but it becomes cheaper to mix since it will just be the final cut that they are mixing. It all depends where and who you get to edit your documentary. Best of luck.

 

[Tommy K]

Hello all,
I'm beginning to create a budget for an upcoming documentary film (my first) I will shoot independently. Calculating the costs for production has gone steadily, but I am having a hard time calculating Post-production costs such as: Editor's costs (what costs are included, and how much time to alott), the same for sound mixing, and sound recording for narration. I realize that the costs will fluctuate depending on the quality of studio/editors I hire, but is there some widely accepted way to calculate this? I am working with low funds, so I wouldn't be going to top tier studios. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

How about editing it yourself? You can save a heap of money and you know the story you wish to tell. Go through all the footage and choose the material you wish to put in the first cut... You can always have someone come in at a later point; if you need help with graphics and sound etc...

 

[arniepix]

Don't forget to budget for an online editor or colorist to finish your picture. A good online editor may also be able to do your titles, or you may need to budget separately for a graphics person to do your titles, lower thirds & other motion graphics.

 

[arniepix]

Most sound mixers that use pro-tools may have similar rates but it becomes cheaper to mix since it will just be the final cut that they are mixing. It all depends where and who you get to edit your documentary. Best of luck.

That assumes that your audio was recorded well to begin with. Cleaning up poorly recorded audio takes time- how much time & how good the end result will vary with how bad it was to begin with & the skill level & toolset of the mixer.

The same goes for all finishing work. The more screwed up it is when your online editor or colorist gets it, the longer it will take & the less pleasing your end result will be.

 

[coquijams]

Editing/soundmixing time

Editing/soundmixing time

So essential theres no way of telling how much time each of these processes will take? How do people budget for them in Pre-Production?

 

[Erik Olson]

General rule of thumb is that between 15% and 20% of the total production budget goes to post. If you have effects in every frame of your picture, that's going to change. Depending on your deliverable format(s), some line items won't figure in.

 

[Tommy K]

So essential theres no way of telling how much time each of these processes will take? How do people budget for them in Pre-Production?

You can only estimate ... The following would be the things that you need to account for: How many hours of footage will someone have to sit through to start with? The editors rate?... Graphics... how simple or complex will the graphics (or any animations) be? Will you need to obtain any more stock B Roll footage? Music licensing? Voice over narration? Sound FX/sound design? There are so many variables that you control... There are no absolutes with the process. Sit down and attach a price tag to the steps that need to be done in order to complete the doc. Total it up and add an extra % for contingencies.

 

[arniepix]

So essential theres no way of telling how much time each of these processes will take? How do people budget for them in Pre-Production?

Experienced film makers base their budgets on their prior experience. First time film makers, in addition to not having a previous film to use as a guide, are more likely to have problems with the quality of their picture & sound, unless they hire experienced, proven sound & camera people for the shoot.

So, if you have to make a guess at your post budget, guess high!

 

[Erik Olson]

You can only estimate ...Total it up and add an extra % for contigencies.

Yes, don't forget the contingencies. We've created a Movie Magic derivative spreadsheet for unscripted work, one which automatically adds percentages for fringes and other mathematically-challenging formulas.

 

[Chris Adler]

You also need to ask if you want a Colorist to make your footage look good and consistent before you master. We just shot a 20 min short and color as mastering ran us $5K.