How many $$$ are you spending on your MonsterFest short?

How many $$$ are you spending on your MonsterFest short?

  • $0

    Votes: 8 27.6%

  • $100 - $500

    Votes: 14 48.3%

  • $500 - $1000

    Votes: 3 10.3%

  • $3000 +

    Votes: 4 13.8%
  • Total voters
    29
  • Poll closed .
MrFluffy said:
What would you actually include in the budget?

Obviously any cast/crew pay and location fees (nil for me)

How about software used, should that be included? I bought Mudbox for this and future films, so should it be included. Would I include an estimate of the VFX work involved and a proportion of the cost. How about my new PC for running the renders.

It seems that there is no form of benchmark for this as two people could use say a Red camera, but one hires it and the other borrows it, so they have vastly different budgets but the same kit.

Are we measuring expendature or resourcefulness :)
Click to expand...

MrFluffly,
I think that anything you buy for a film, that you can use again for other films or projects does not qualify as part of the budget for that particular film for me.
I try to buy a new piece of gear for each film I do.

My question in this post was referring to
post prod. and principal photography on the film, actors, meals, locations, vfx..
whatever it takes to get it shot and edited.

(and yes I acknowledge there needs to be a budget in place for DVDs art promo etc) :)
 
Last edited:
We have food left over from our last short, so that's taken care of. And with a pair of pliers and a hammer there's no need for expensive make up. I think I can pull this one off without spending a dime.
 
TMerry said:
MrFluffly,
I think that anything you buy for a film, that you can use again for other films or projects does not qualify as part of the budget for that particular film for me.
I try to buy a new piece of gear for each film I do.

My question in this post was referring to
post prod. and principal photography on the film, actors, meals, locations, vfx..
whatever it takes to get it shot and edited.

(and yes I acknowledge there needs to be a budget in place for DVDs art promo etc) :)
Click to expand...
Thats what I thought. So thats zip, $0.00, nil, nada , nothing for me then.
Of course my films are fuill of VFX and I do it for free.
 
I may not even enter and I've already spent a $100.00 on booze for this one....Fat Monster....MOVIE MASTER...Tom Marshall....and Puck, humm...I mean Victor...hummm...I mean Rodney (or whatever name he's going by today)...and "Black Hare Lawrie"...Madness I tell you...MADNESS!!!

This is going to be one 'off-the hook' fest. With all these entries, it will take weeks to watch!
 
TMerry said:
MrFluffly,
I think that anything you buy for a film, that you can use again for other films or projects does not qualify as part of the budget for that particular film for me....
Click to expand...

I think this is opposite for H-town. I mean how else can a super smash hit turn no profit.:grin:
 
Well, I'm might have to re-vote my original estimate of $0 - I think I've moved to category 2 $100-$500. I may be single man if it moves up from category 2 to 3 LOL!!

Is it God, or the Devil who's in the details?? :)
 
I will be trying to raise a little money for the actors because I think you get what you pay for.
Click to expand...
Thanks for saying that, and doing it TMerry. I rarely post on forums these days, but it bugs me to see filmmakers spend tens of thousands of dollars on gear and such, and nary a penny on their talent, or crew.
 
snowleopard said:
Thanks for saying that, and doing it TMerry. I rarely post on forums these days, but it bugs me to see filmmakers spend tens of thousands of dollars on gear and such, and nary a penny on their talent, or crew.
Click to expand...

Hey SnowLeopard, I gotcha. When I have it, i put it in front of the lens. My last short (15 min) had a 6k budget, 4.5k of which went to the actors, and is why I believe it was a success.

"Cast well.. direct less" ;-)
 
We might be over $500 but I'm not sure by how much... we're definitely lower than $1000. Luckily, as far as software and equipment goes, we spent all that money right before and right after SciFest (to help us raise our game for the next one... and yes, it's taken us THIS long to be able to do that... hopefully!)

Makeup and props were our biggest expense. Luckily, the people that own our location felt indebted to me for some reason and offered to buy the food!
 
EditPhish said:
We might be over $500 but I'm not sure by how much... we're definitely lower than $1000. Luckily, as far as software and equipment goes, we spent all that money right before and right after SciFest (to help us raise our game for the next one... and yes, it's taken us THIS long to be able to do that... hopefully!)

Makeup and props were our biggest expense. Luckily, the people that own our location felt indebted to me for some reason and offered to buy the food!
Click to expand...

EditPhish I feel ya on the software learning curve, maybe by 2010, I will know the software I bought this time :)

What are you talking After effects, Shake Cinema 4D etc??
 
TMerry said:
EditPhish I feel ya on the software learning curve, maybe by 2010, I will know the software I bought this time :)
What are you talking After effects, Shake Cinema 4D etc??
Click to expand...

I wish! LOL!
I was just saying to JTyner last night that I really need to take a class on After Effects. There just aren't enough hours in the day to get efficient with it and I need a kick-start. I do have a friend who teaches it at a university, but he lives about 8 hours away, so I may need to pay him to get him here for a weekend to give me some help!

Luckily, with this project, we're doing more practical effects and even though that's been a learning experience, I feel we did a good job... luckily my professional background is as an art director!

:)
 
EditPhish said:
I wish! LOL!
I was just saying to JTyner last night that I really need to take a class on After Effects. There just aren't enough hours in the day to get efficient with it and I need a kick-start. I do have a friend who teaches it at a university, but he lives about 8 hours away, so I may need to pay him to get him here for a weekend to give me some help!

Luckily, with this project, we're doing more practical effects and even though that's been a learning experience, I feel we did a good job... luckily my professional background is as an art director!

:)
Click to expand...

Cool! Well if you are ever in the Bay Area I highly recommend the AE training classes at BAVC. I'm taking my Intermediate AE tomorrow and the next day. Your brains swells from information overload, but then the next week it all comes back to you.

> Kind of like the Krell machine in Forbidden Planet LOL! <

I've also watched some of the courses from Lynda dot com, and they seem to be pretty rich as well.

best of luck!
 
I'm spending right at 2K on this one. Although my short won't be an official MonsterFest entry anymore. It's morphed into a bigger 15 minute production. I'll start a new thread in the user films category.

cheers,
Jon
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top