Budget Example

Here is a budget example of a 20 M SEK Swedish feature film (1 SEK = 0,111€):

Union regulations

The Swedish union Teaterförbundet för scen och film (http://www.teaterforbundet.se) have the regulations for actors and film workers about schedules, salaries, and working overtime and on inconvenient hours.

Many Swedish feature films have a filming period of +/- 8 weeks (+/- 40 shooting days) where a normal working week is based on 40 hours (=8 hours per day), you can schedule shorter or longer days (minimum 5 hrs, maximum 12 hrs per day). Lunch break is 1 hour (excluded from the 8 hours) and after 5 hours of work there needs to be at least 30 min break. The day starts and ends at the production office, travel to set is included in the scheduled working hours. The crew always need to get informed about working hours and shooting schedule 2 weeks ahead during the production.

Regulations about working overtime, at inconvenient hours and travel time

If an employee has a deal where he or she get paid for overtime, this is the rule: After more than 8 hours of work per day you will get paid for overtime. When ordered working overtime (often by the First AD on set), compensation per hour is given as follows:

For working at inconvenient hours compensation is given by:

Travel time is the time used for travel to or from the location if the time is without normal working hours and if you travel as a passenger. Non-filming days used for company travel may not count as a weekly rest. Travel time is compensated with 87,72 SEK/hour.

Before first day of principal photography the crew will have a crew meeting where they have to choose 1) one representative for union issues and 2) one representative for security issues on set.

Casting, actors & extras

When you are searching for actors or extras for your production, you will usually go either for a casting company or hire a freelance casting director.

In the 20 M SEK budget sample CASTING is budgeted with:

Minimum guarantee per day for an actor according to the union:

In the 20 M SEK budget sample ACTORS is budgeted with:

There are many different ways of what you pay for extras, everything from a marketing t-shirt for the film, free lunch or cinema tickets up to payments of 350 SEK/day including free lunch. There are some organizations for extras (used by casting agencies):

www.statistföreningen.se

www.statist.se

www.filmcafe.se

Every person hired as an extra fill in a form with his/hers personal data (social security number + bank account), for the payrolls. It is recommended to as well sign an agreement about rights etc before filming.

In Västra Götaland there is no professional company focusing only on just extras, but several freelance persons have their own registers filled with contact details for all kind of extras and some of the casting companies also have archives of extras that they use on new productions.

In the 20 M SEK budget sample EXTRAS is budgeted with:

* If you as employer just pay one person less than 999 SEK/year you don’t have to pay social fees.

Location scouting & locations

There are several freelance location scouts in the region. When it is time to do the location budget, use the figure of a total of 10.000 SEK per location and shooting day (including rentals, permits and misc costs). The location cost depends on the popularity and how easy the access might be. The location scout/ location manager makes all the deals with the locations, takes care of and organizes the technical location recce when locations are visited and checked against each department’s needs and applies for special permissions.

You don’t need permits for filming in public areas as long as you don’t block the roads. If you need road blocking you need to apply at the police department (www.polisen.se) and if you need special parking permits you apply at Trafikkontoret (www.goteborg.se).

In the 20 M SEK budget sample LOCATION SCOUTING & LOCATIONS is budgeted with:

* If you as employer just pay one person less than 999 SEK/year you don’t have to pay social fees.

Crew

The number of people employed on a Swedish feature film varies depending on the size and scale of the film being produced. On several feature films with a budget of approx 20 M SEK (= 2,2 M €) there is a common way to set up the different departments but every project is unique. The union Teaterförbundet för scen och film (http://www.teaterforbundet.se) have required minimum guarantee salaries for freelance film workers, and for well-experienced freelance film workers the salaries are much higher. Sometimes an agreement of a flat rate including overtime and compensation for working evenings and weekends is made.

Who is doing what in the crew?

PRODUCTION

Line producer - Production manager - Production coordinator - Production assistant - Production trainee – Runner - Accountant.

It depends on the size of the production if you have both LP’s and PM’s, on smaller projects you might only hire a production manager.

One or two prod coordinators; one responsible for actors/travel/hotels and one responsible for cars/technical rentals/office. They prepare and draw up the call sheet, under the supervision of the First AD.

The average is at least one runner for the production office.

The accountant manages budgets, payrolls, taxes, insurance claims, bookkeeping and at the end of the production, closes the film down financially (one or two persons).

DIRECTION

First Assistant Director - Second Assistant Director - Extras casting coordinator - Continuity/Scriptsupervisor - Casting director - Production assistant on set (“Inspelningsassistent”) - Runner.

The 2nd AD ensures that the principal actors are in make-up, in wardrobe, or standing by on the set at the correct times, and may also be responsible for finding and looking after background artists/extras, assist the FAD in liaising between the set or location and the production office, updating key personnel on the timings and progress of the shoot.

The production assistant is the one taking care of the coffee table and also responsible for ordering the food for lunch from the caterer and sometimes also work as set runner.

The runner works close to the production coordinator for the planning of transport on the daily basis.

ART DEPARTMENT

Production designer (“Scenograf”) - Props - Props assistant - Stand by props/props on set - Constructor - Painters - Carpenters - Location scout - Location manager - Loc manager assistant.

The production designer usually also works as Art Director.

At least 2 props are hired and they work both as props buyer and set dressers.

Standby Props work on set during the filming of a scene, overseeing the use of props, and monitoring their continuity.

The constructor usually hires the carpenters and painters needed.

The location scout might be the same person as the location manager.

The location manager is first and last on set every day but sometimes works with an assistant so the location manager can be a head in the planning of next shooting day.

CAMERA/GRIP/GAFFER/ SOUND DEPARTMENT

Focus puller - Clapper/loader - Video monitor assistant operator - Gaffer - Electrician/Best Boy - Grip - Sound recorder/Sound mixer - Boom Operator.

The camera crew is sometimes called A-photographer (D.O.P.), B-photographer (focus puller) and Cphotographer (clapper/loader/video monitor assistant). It depends on the size of the production and the format if there are more than 3 persons at the camera department. Sometimes a Data Image Technician (DIT) is hired or it might be the clapper/loader taking care of the memory cards/discs.

The gaffer is in charge of all the electrical work on a production, leading the team of electricians who install the lighting equipment and arrange the power supply in order to create the designed lighting effects. Assisted by one, two or more electricians and electrician assistants (depending on the size of the production and locations). The electricians operate the generators and cherry pickers on set.

The key grip may also work as technical assistant to camera dept/light dept. The responsibility of the grip is to build, maintain and operate all the equipment that supports the camera, such as tripods, dollies, tracks, jibs, cranes, and static rigs.

When there are a lot of actors on the set the sound department may need a helping hand (a extra boomer). You usually try to use someone available in the crew. The sound department sometimes have need for a helping hand (a extra boomer) when there is a lot of actors on set, first you try to use someone available in the crew.

COSTUME/ MAKE-UP/ HAIR DEPARTMENT

Costume designer - Costume assistant - Make-up & hair Designer - Makeup & hair assistant.

On low budget productions with less actors and extras, Costume and Makeup/Hair department have less people hired, it might be combined functions. On bigger productions there can be several costume assistants + seamstress and additional hairdressers for actors and extras.

The Make-up & Hair Designer is responsible for the overall design and execution of the Make-up & Hair on feature films. They work closely with Costume Designers to ensure that each artist's overall "look" complements every aspect of the script.

POST PRODUCTION

Post production manager - Editor - Editors assistant - Sound Designer - Post Production Sound Department

If it is a smaller production the Production Manager may as well work as Post Production Manger.

The Editor Assistant may also be the person doing the logging. As the rushes are delivered to the cutting room, the Editor Assistant syncs them up so that the Editor can begin work on selected sequences. Average numbers of editing weeks are 14 weeks, but it is individual for every single project.

The Sound Designer on set may as well be one of the Sound Editors. The average numbers of sound editing weeks are 14 weeks, but it is individual for every single project.

In the 20 M SEK budget sample CREW is budgeted with:

*For the actual total cost of an employee multiply the salary with 1,57 (based on the numbers of 2011: 31,42% social cost, 5,3% insurance, 13% holiday pay).

Equipment, raw stock &tapes

There are a some technical suppliers in the region for camera, crane, grip, light and sound but for coproductions the technical equipment may be a part of the work split and shipped from another country.

In the 20 M SEK budget sample EQUIPMENT is budgeted with:

In the 20 M SEK budget sample RAW STOCK & TAPES is budgeted with:

Wardrobe & make-up

In the 20 M SEK budget sample RAW STOCK & TAPES is budgeted with:

Studio and construction

In Västra Götaland there are two sound stage studios; Gothenburg Film Studios and the studio of Film i Väst. They have a weekly rental prize for the studios and then additional cost for e.g. green room, electricity, telephone, and administration, parking and cleaning.

After the drawings and budget for the studio construction is made, the constructor hires the construction crew: painters and carpenters. They together with the production designer and props construct and decorate the studio set.

In the 20 M SEK budget sample STUDIO is budgeted with:

Production office

When you are filming on location you have to find available production office facilities nearby. Due to the regulations of working hours and travel time the working days start and ends at the office. Additional costs: hiring furniture for the office, setting up a landline/telephone, installation of Internet and hiring a Xerox-machine + the installation and support of it during production.

There are production office facilities to rent if you are filming in the studio and with almost the same additional cost: hiring furniture for the office, setting up a landline/telephone, hiring a Xerox-machine + the installation and support of it during production.

Depending of the size of the production you will need to hire storage for props and costume, preferable close to the production office, with easily accessible parking.

In the 20 M SEK budget sample PRODUCTION OFFICE is budgeted with:

Transport & travelling

A number of 15-20 cars/vans is the average need of a feature film and of course depends of how many people there are in the crew. Station wagons and minivans are popular in the crew while the lighting and grip department often drive trucks. For all cars, except vans and trucks, the actual cost for the project is the rental price +12,5% VAT (you can only withdraw half of the 25% VAT).

Gas & mileage rate: The production company normally set up an account at a gas station company so you can both fill up gas there and use the credit card for parking. If you drive your own car at work you will be compensated with 1,85 SEK/kilometre as travelling expense (http://www.skatteverket.se/privat/skatter/beloppprocent).

In the 20 M SEK budget sample TRANSPORT & TRAVELLING is budgeted with:

Accommodation & catering

For lunch catering on set you can choose between ordering from a catering company for 85-150 SEK/person inclusive delivery costs, alternatively you hire a chef for the production, rent a fully equipped kitchen and the chef will have a daily budget per person whatever you recommend (from 15- 30 SEK/person). The chef brings the lunch on set and the production runner (“inspelningsassistent”) helps with coordination.

There is a coffee table set all day and a production runner takes care of it. It is common to serve coffee and sandwiches from the morning and during the first working hours, then after lunch break maybe some fruit, nuts and cookies. If you are working for more than 5 hours after lunch break there need to be a new break, and then it is recommended to serve the crew some simple ready-to-go food (hot dogs, sandwich, soup, pizza slice…).

In the 20 M SEK budget sample ACCOMMODATION & CATERING is budgeted with:

Per diems are tax free payment from the employer to the employee and the money is supposed to cover additional costs while travelling. The employee has to stay overnight, more than 50 kilometres from home and from the production office to get the tax free per diems. For one day you will pay 210 SEK and if the journey starts after 12 o’clock it is a half per diem for that day (105 SEK). Same rules for travelling home, if you arrive home before 19 o’clock it is a half day (105 SEK). If the employer pays for the meals there will be a reduction of the per diems, breakfast -42 SEK, lunch/dinner -74 SEK.
www.skatteverket.se/

Post production, lab costs, editing and sound

There is no laboratory in Västra Götaland, the development has to be done in e.g. Stockholm, Oslo, and Copenhagen or wherever the production company gets a good deal (sometimes an important part of the work split in co-productions). For the transport of the dailies you can choose between hiring a courier driving all way or send it by a shipping company (DHL, JetPak, Posten…).

14 weeks is the average numbers of editing weeks, but it is individual for every single project.

14 weeks is also the average numbers of sound editing weeks, but it is individual for every single project.

The pre-mix and the final mix is usually 2 weeks each.

In the 20 M SEK budget sample POST PROD/LAB COST/EDITING is budgeted with:

Additional

In the 20 M SEK budget sample ADDITIONAL is budgeted with: