Feature or TV

[Bono]

Originally Posted by GucciGhostXXX

Same...

I don't write anything over 5 mil now. Got my ass kicked for 3-4 years with high budget stuff. Not recommended!

Although, then you hear stories from your rep like 'Yeah, one of my clients sold something in the 20 mil range and they bumped the budget to 60 mil.' So... who friggin knows, I don't GET this town.

i hear you and a few others always talking about budget and literally the only thing I never thought about when writing specs to sell was budget.

I thought about budget all the time when writing indie movies I wanted to get made myself like in the zero budget to 100K range.

Writing is the best because we can write whatever we want. Isn't it up to the powers that be to decide if they want to make this idea and for how much? Why worry about it now?

I think you can make any idea for zero dollars or 1 billion dollars.

Now I know rom coms are cheaper than Marvel movies, I'm just saying if you're writing your spec -- I don't see why you would limit yourself.

Maybe you think I want to write smaller movies -- but if you're writing Die Hard go full tilt. Don't say, I cant' write this scene or that scene because it costs too much. What is that?

Be a writer not a producer.

[AnyOtherName]

Originally Posted by GucciGhostXXX

Same...

I don't write anything over 5 mil now. Got my ass kicked for 3-4 years with high budget stuff. Not recommended!

Although, then you hear stories from your rep like 'Yeah, one of my clients sold something in the 20 mil range and they bumped the budget to 60 mil.' So... who friggin knows, I don't GET this town.

Oh wow, it seems to me like everyone is running as fast as possible from films <$10m (with the exception of horror-- but horror is always the exception). I just heard that there were... 0 films? (or maybe 1?) in the B.O. Top 100 last year that had budgets under $10m? That space is dead. The days when JUNO could make $230m belong to a different era.

[Bono]

But how is thinking about budget helping the creative process. I write a script. If it stars a big A list star the budget is higher than if it stars me. But it's the same script.

I'm saying, how can we all use this advice well in picking our ideas?

To your point thought, I thought the cheap films were still getting made, it's the mid level 35-75 million mid level movies that they don't make anymore? Like Fatal Attraction? They make the low budget version of that now with lesser stars and for 20 million in Atlanta.

Anyway -- that doesn't help me make my comedy or plot any better.

[Southern_land]

Originally Posted by Bono

But how is thinking about budget helping the creative process. I write a script. If it stars a big A list star the budget is higher than if it stars me. But it's the same script.

I'm saying, how can we all use this advice well in picking our ideas?

To your point thought, I thought the cheap films were still getting made, it's the mid level 35-75 million mid level movies that they don't make anymore? Like Fatal Attraction? They make the low budget version of that now with lesser stars and for 20 million in Atlanta.

Anyway -- that doesn't help me make my comedy or plot any better.

Surely it helps if you're not second guessing yourself... if you know there's a 'realistic' market at the end of 95pages you're going to approach the writing more confidently?

[GucciGhostXXX]

I'm not talking about doing a budget breakdown after each page written, I'm just saying not going balls deep and writing a space opera. Maybe the latter will get you work, but I doubt it. More likely they'll see you as delusional.

Whatevez, like I've said many times... Idk what the fuzz I'm taking about.

Whit ALL of my features they've been like "rad script... You know we can't make this, right?" I've had more traction in tv with originals .

Btw wasn't UPGRADE made for around 5 mil? You can do A LOT with 5 mil these days.

[finalact4]

Originally Posted by AnyOtherName

Oh wow, it seems to me like everyone is running as fast as possible from films <$10m (with the exception of horror-- but horror is always the exception). I just heard that there were... 0 films? (or maybe 1?) in the B.O. Top 100 last year that had budgets under $10m? That space is dead. The days when JUNO could make $230m belong to a different era.

I listened to a podcast on Scripts & Scribes where one of the managers said they weren't interested in new writers with budgets below 5 million (i'll double check to be sure) because the manager doesn't make enough money to make it worth their time.

Budget $5 million, Writer 2%= $100k, Manager = $10k.

The amount of time it takes to develop a new writer isn't worth ten grand once or twice a year IF it sells.

Also had a VP of Acquisitions at a production company tell me, "It takes the same amount of time to write a $40 million script as it does a $5 million dollar script, so why write the $5 million one." She told me to send any action thriller I write in that range.

Seems to make some sense.

[finalact4]

Originally Posted by Bono

But how is thinking about budget helping the creative process. I write a script. If it stars a big A list star the budget is higher than if it stars me. But it's the same script.

I'm saying, how can we all use this advice well in picking our ideas?

To your point thought, I thought the cheap films were still getting made, it's the mid level 35-75 million mid level movies that they don't make anymore? Like Fatal Attraction? They make the low budget version of that now with lesser stars and for 20 million in Atlanta.

Anyway -- that doesn't help me make my comedy or plot any better.

If an A-lister attaches to your project, that person brings with them significant viability to the project. They bring box office revenues simply with their name, so your job is to write a spec that attracts those actors and directors ever single time.

Thinking about budget is an important aspect in what you chose to put on the page. I'll give you two examples:

Crashing a jet liner and showing it happen on screen. Exploding mid-air, falling from the sky, shots interior and exterior, a hundred extras on the plane, etc...

vs.

Showing a woman swimming to shore of a small island with the aftermath of a plane that has already crashed into the ocean. All you might need to provide is a few dead, bloated bodies, luggage, airliner seats and a few pieces of shrapnel with an airliner's tail sign.

The two budgets are widely different. And since your goal is to write a spec that is as close to produceable-ready as possible and that means understanding your budget and what's essential to the story and what can be written in a way that is conscious of the budget.

You write primarily comedies or rom-coms, right? You prolly don't have to consider budget as much, but if you write sci-fi and action/thrillers one set piece/chase scene can have a significant impact on the budget. And if you have 3-5 of them, well-- you get the picture.

[Bono]

I understand why things cost more money -- I'm saying -- I don't get the advice in spec land to worry about budget. Makes zero sense to me.

I get big overall considerations. I'm writing a small indie movie or I'm writing a 100 million dollar action movie...

But if you want to write a Fast and Furious movie and you're like well I can only have 7 set pieces... you're thinking way way way way ahead...

Let me be clear. Don't worry about budget. I think that's a bad piece of advice.

If you're writing a movie to make yourself -- then you think about budget. If a producer said she wants a 5 million dollar movie... then you think about budget.

When you're unrepped or repped writer working on your own ideas, why the hell would you worry about anything but the best story?

I stand by any idea can be made for zero dollars or a billion dollars. After you sell it than you can take out that helicopter shot they can't afford.

And yes certain genres seem to be cheaper, but I don't know for sure if the budget of Longshot was less than John Wick 3. Seems like it would be, but doesn't mean it was...

Anyway -- be skeptical of all sweeping advice like this (from me) and from people you've heard. We as humans tend to latch on to the last voice we hear or if we at all think someone is important, that their opinion is right. (just check out our last epic thread about one pros' opinion... you get it...)
Trust me -- I had reps who were dead wrong about so many things.

[GucciGhostXXX]

Originally Posted by finalact4

I listened to a podcast on Scripts & Scribes where one of the managers said they weren't interested in new writers with budgets below 5 million (i'll double check to be sure) because the manager doesn't make enough money to make it worth their time.

Budget $5 million, Writer 2%= $100k, Manager = $10k.

The amount of time it takes to develop a new writer isn't worth ten grand once or twice a year IF it sells.

Also had a VP of Acquisitions at a production company tell me, "It takes the same amount of time to write a $40 million script as it does a $5 million dollar script, so why write the $5 million one." She told me to send any action thriller I write in that range.

Seems to make some sense.

If you suddenly remember which episode this was I'd like to check it out. Intel from many sources is always good.

[GucciGhostXXX]

Originally Posted by Bono

I understand why things cost more money -- I'm saying -- I don't get the advice in spec land to worry about budget. Makes zero sense to me.

I get big overall considerations. I'm writing a small indie movie or I'm writing a 100 million dollar action movie...

But if you want to write a Fast and Furious movie and you're like well I can only have 7 set pieces... you're thinking way way way way ahead...

Let me be clear. Don't worry about budget. I think that's a bad piece of advice.

If you're writing a movie to make yourself -- then you think about budget. If a producer said she wants a 5 million dollar movie... then you think about budget.

When you're unrepped or repped writer working on your own ideas, why the hell would you worry about anything but the best story?

I stand by any idea can be made for zero dollars or a billion dollars. After you sell it than you can take out that helicopter shot they can't afford.

And yes certain genres seem to be cheaper, but I don't know for sure if the budget of Longshot was less than John Wick 3. Seems like it would be, but doesn't mean it was...

Anyway -- be skeptical of all sweeping advice like this (from me) and from people you've heard. We as humans tend to latch on to the last voice we hear or if we at all think someone is important, that their opinion is right. (just check out our last epic thread about one pros' opinion... you get it...)
Trust me -- I had reps who were dead wrong about so many things.

IDK... I hear what you guys are saying... and I've done it. My sci-fi was "I don't give a fukk, I'm writing what I'd want to see in that genre." People were like "This starts out big, then gets bigger, then biiiigger, then fukking BIGGER!" I have RAD set-pieces in it. But I honestly believe that even if people reading were like "FUKKING COOL!" they were keeping a tally in their head. By the end they were like "Yeah, WAY too big for us!"

When I say 5 mil. I think I should make the distinction that I was mostly meaning if you're looking to also direct it [still a long shot], OR, have an up and comer direct it.

But, yeah, if you're looking for a straight sale, Idk what the sweet spot is. But, I know it's not 100 mil. 40 mil opens it up to way more buyers.

Again, like always, Idk what the fukk I'm talking about...