On this page
How to use it
- Press Download .csv and open the file in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers.
- Replace the sample lines with your own crew, kit, locations and post, keeping one line for each cost.
- Put your real rate and quantity on each line. The Total column multiplies them.
- Set the contingency and production fee percentages in the Qty column of those rows.
- Quote from the total, and keep the budget to compare against what you really spend.
The sample, in plain numbers
The sample is a one-day brand film with a crew of three, four edit days and three vertical cutdowns. The figures are samples. Rates swing by city and by job, so put in what you and your crew really charge.
| Part | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-production | $1,700 | 16% of cost |
| Production | $3,800 | 36% of cost |
| Post-production | $5,010 | 48% of cost |
| Cost subtotal | $10,510 | |
| Contingency, 10% | $1,051 | |
| Production fee, 15% | $1,734.15 | |
| Total | $13,295.15 |
The total rounds to the $13,300 the proposal template quotes. The client sees four lines. You keep this one.
Contingency and the production fee
They are different things, so budget them separately.
| Line | What it is for | A usual range |
|---|---|---|
| Contingency | Costs you could not see: an extra hour of crew, a lens that breaks, a parking fee | 5 to 15% of cost |
| Production fee | Your overhead and profit: insurance, software, the office, the hours nobody bills | 10 to 25% of cost |
Some studios fold both into their rates. That works until a client asks for the budget, and then a 0% fee looks like a gift. A visible fee is normal on commercial work, and AICP-style bids show it as its own line.
Five lines people forget
- Prep and wrap days. The gaffer and the camera team often need a prep day for a bigger shoot.
- Overtime. A 10-hour rate on a 12-hour day costs 2 hours at time and a half. The crew day rate calculator works it out.
- Insurance and permits. A marina, a park or a city street may need a certificate of insurance.
- Music. A track licensed for web costs far less than one for TV. Price the use you are selling.
- Drive and storage. Media cards, a shuttle drive and an archive copy add up on a long job.
How Cutvey does this
In Cutvey each project has a budget by category, and every expense, crew booking, purchase order and hour logged lands against it as actual and committed cost, so you see budget against actual while the job is running, and the project's P&L at the end. Run the business shows the money side, and the quote calculator works out a total in your browser.
Frequently asked
What is a normal budget for a brand film?
It depends on crew, days and finish. The guide what a brand video costs has ranges from one-person shoots to agency-grade productions.
Should the client see my budget?
Usually they see the proposal's phases with prices. Share the line-by-line budget when a client's procurement asks for it, or on commercial work where a bid form is expected.
Can I use this for a photo shoot?
Yes. Change the crew lines to photographer, assistant, stylist and retoucher, and swap edit days for retouching.
Goes with this stage of a job: Plan the shoot. More free paperwork on the templates page, and free tools that work in your browser.