Film Budget: Official blog of Filmbudget.com and Producer Jack Binder. Info on film budgets, movie production, film tax incentives and television budgeting.
List of 12 Los Angeles VFX Facilities – Film Budget – Line Producer – Film Production Services
We decided to assemble a list of 12 leading VFX facilities in Los Angeles in the face of the turmoil in the CGI industry. Due to competition and increased pressure on the film budget of most motion picture productions, companies have had to outsource and cut rates extensively.
In the face of the visual effects industry contraction and mounting challenges to the current economic model, we are glad to see these companies maintain their California based roots. We hope they continue to employ local filmmakers and artists in the field of computer generated imagery, animation and vfx work.
These visual effects companies work on a wide range of movie productions with both large film budgets and those with a more modest indie film budget supporting their vision. A good visual effects team can contour a proposal for any size move and offer a wide range of visual effects imagery.
FilmBudget.com founder, film and television producer Jack Binder produced the HBO critically acclaimed tv series ‘The Mind of the Married Man’. The tv show ran for two seasons before Binder went on to produce the New Line Cinema release of ‘The Upside of Anger‘ starring Kevin Costner, Joan Allen, Evan Rachel Wood, Kerri Russell, Erica Christensen and Alicia Witt.
HBO subsequently wished to finance a third season before Jack moved on to produce “Man About Town‘ starring Ben Affleck and then ‘Reign Over Me‘ starring Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle for Columbia Pictures. The tv series was controversial for its dealing with marriage issues in a comedy program. Here is the opening title sequence of ‘The Mind of the Married Man’.
Filmbudget.com is the international leader in worldwide film budget and schedule line producer production services for indie film and studio production. For film budget production services in Europe, Australia, Canada, The United States, Latin America, Eastern Europe and worldwide, veteran line producer Jack Binder provides twenty-five years of extensive experience on major Hollywood studio and indie film production.
The Paris Project Co-Production Platform remains Europe’s leading co-production venue, surpassing rival countries programs. With 350 projects submitted Paris continues to attract top films to its presentation.
The ideal film budget range for acceptance runs from $300,000 to $3 million with at least seventy percent of film finance set up. The Paris Cinema platform runs from July 4 to July 7, 2011 and runs simultaneously with the Festival Paris Cinema which runs from July 2nd to 13th, 2011. Fifteen foreign projects have been selected and are in the works for film finance from French and European sponsors.
The film financing market is showing signs of life again. Pre-sales and negative pick-ups were up and funding every range of film budget at the Cannes Film Festival and the Cannes Film Market.
So we thought it might be helpful to our readers to list three sources for film finance information to assist in finding financial sources for film funding of your film budget toward the greenlight required for motion picture production. While certainly not a complete list and we will be posting more here are some key resources to get your film budget the critical investor, financier or lender required to get your film made.
1. Jeff Steele’s Film Closings – Jeff Steele is a film finance expert based in Venice, CA and Chicago. Jeff provides expert insight into the pitfalls and advantages of properly aligned financial documentation and managing expectations across the film finance process. Jeff is a strong proponent of hiring a professional line producer to create a custom and accurate film budget and schedule for any serious movie production seeking financing.
2. Film Finance Forum – Film Finance Forum is the preeminent conference for the film finance, movie and television production industry. Panelist relay their expertise on matters of the funding, production, bank lending, studio and independent film budget realities and marketplace analysis. Presenters range from studio executives to bank representatives. Filmbudget.com founder Jack Binder is a regular attendee to the conference. FFF operates in NY, LA, Cannes, Singapore, Moscow and other locations.
3. Film Finance Summit – Film Finance Summit is likewise a film industry leader in movie financing seminars and conferences. Past speakers include film financing attorneys, bankers, film tax incentives professionals and film producers. Filmbudget.com Founder, Producer Jack Binder has been a guest panelist for Film Finance Summit Conferences.
Mega film budget Directors Michael Bay and James Cameron talk about 3D and its aesthetic value in filmmaking today. Cameron comments on Bay’s great use of the spatial possibilities in 3D, while Bay describes how he has always shot with strong foreground, mid-ground and background and how this new technology allows him to maximize that technique.
As Cannes kicks off it is again quite clear the message coming from the foreign sales agents and the film finance people. Consistently the message to producers is for them to obtain a quality, custom and accurate film budget and schedule from a hand crafted screenplay breakdown created by a seasoned line producer.
As foreign sales prices continue to fall and the dvd market shows further weakness, the clear implication is that the film budget must be reevaluated for todays economic reality. Early on the producers representatives are likewise insisting that they become more involved in the film budgeting process to ensure the filmmakers create a film budget and schedule that reflects the commercial aspects that the movie must achieve to gain financing.
FilmBudget.com is the international leader in worlwide film budget and schedule production services since 1997. Producing feature film and television productions since 1986, Producer Jack Binder is an expert in the field of studio and independent feature film and tv film budgets and schedules.
The top ten reasons for a film budget from an expert for film financing:
1. Quality Matters: a quality film budget and schedule matters. An inferior film budget is an obvious affront to anyone with any knowledge to whom it is presented.
2. Accuracy is Critical: accuracy is critical due the the fact of exponential calculations. A small mistake or error in the film budget can expand to millions of dollars over the life of a movie.
3. Your Film Budget is Your Calling Card: your film budget represents you to investors, film financiers and distributors. You are certainly judged on the film budget you present.
4. You Only Get One Chance: you may only get one chance at a film finance executive of movie investor. One ought to put their best foot forward and shine in the highest light.
5. It Not Your Money: it’s not. By demonstrating your ability to delegate to a professional with experience you are telling your investors that you are serious about being responsible
with the financiers money.
For a quality, reliable, custom and accurate film budget and schedule contact Filmbudget.com – the worldwide leader in international film budget and schedule production services.
Film Finance Experts Agree – For a Film Budget You Get What You Pay For
Obtaining film financing for your movie production is a difficult task and not one a filmmaker will get many chances at with an investor. Professional producers and directors understand this and do not take shortcuts with a film budget that would risk their integrity and understanding of the collaborative nature of filmmaking and the importance of delegating the critical work of the creation of a film budget to an experienced line producer with many years in the field.
As one industry professional who is well known and revered for his extensive film finance knowledge stated recently:
“If producers want to be taken seriously by any financier, then they need to have a budget, a schedule and a finance plan, which means who you hire to create these documents is just as important as the information they contain.”
Templates, online websites, cheap attempts to circumvent the quality work of serious veteran movie producers with the knowledge and understanding it takes to create a finance and camera ready film budget and schedule are looked down upon as almost laughable and insufficient to move a production forward. A true film budget and schedule is one created by a line producer with expertise in the field of the production manager and film producer using all their skills on your project to determine the right cost.
Filmbudget.com is the international leader in worldwide film budget and schedule production services. Since 1997.
Accept no imitations.
A film budget by a line producer is critical for film finance
The founder of Filmbudget.com is studio and independent film producer Jack Binder whose credits include Columbia Pictures ‘Reign Over Me’ starring Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle; New Line Cinema’s ‘The Upside of Anger’ starring Kevin Costner and Joan Allen. Binder also produces for The Walt Disney Studios, Home Box Office, Twentieth Century Fox and Lionsgate films amongst others in his 25 years of experience in the field of feature film and television production.
The top ten movies that have the highest film budget for their production costs are listed below. These production costs do not included marketing, finance costs, prints and advertising (P&A) or distribution costs. The figures represent production film budgets only.
Top 10 Movies with the Highest Film Budget
Film Film Budget Release Date
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End $300 Million 2007
Tangled $260 Million 2010
Spider-Man 3 $258 Million 2007
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince $250 Million 2009
Avatar $237 Million 2009
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian $225 Million 2008
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest $225 Million 2006
X-Men: The Last Stand $210 Million 2006
Superman Returns $209 Million 2006
King Kong $209 Million 2005
The numbers above are estimates of the film budget for the specified motion pictureproduction. The production film budgets listed are sourced
from publicly available information including Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and IMDB. FilmBudget.com
