Sometimes we hear exorbitant figures or numbers when the news tells how much it cost to make a certain movie, but the truth is that each project has its own characteristics therefore, the cost of production may vary. So what costs should be taken into account?
It is no secret that most of the budget goes to producers, directors and actors. Even though these figures are generally kept out of the public eye, there are some particular cases where it has been chosen to make them visible to achieve equality in the figures obtained by these works, regardless of the people’s gender. You have to evaluate if you need to pay royalties for that particular story, since films are usually based on books, plays, among others, and you also have to consider who will be in charge of telling the story you want to convey and the scriptwriter.
The director is part of the storytelling too and the cost will depend a lot on their trajectory, but very often they also act as producers, which definitely increases the cachet. Talking about producers, they can cost a few million (although they generally don´t earn as much as the actors and actresses) because they are in charge of making the movie we then enjoy on the big screen.
Regarding the production costs, one of the aspects to take into account are the locations where the film will be shot, for example, if you want to film a particular location or some streets of a certain city, you will need to get the corresponding filming permission. You will also need to take into account the insurance policies for the employees and the necessary equipment (cameras, lights, microphones, etc.) Will cars be destroyed in any action scene? Will things explode? Will there be delays in filming for any reason? The budget will continue to increase...
Money must also be set aside for post-production in case visual effects are needed because it is a task that can take many hours. Moreover, just as you have to pay royalties if the film is based on a previous story, you will have to pay music royalties if you want to use a song too.
Are we done? Of course not! Now you have to set aside a sum of money for the marketing campaign for the release of that great movie. This is certainly a very difficult and challenging task whether you are planning a big blockbuster or a smaller movie.
Voilà!
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