About this Event
THIS IS A 2-DAY EVENT. IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO ATTEND BOTH SESSIONS
You Wrote the Script. Now it needs a Budget. So what's it actually going to cost?
Every film gets made twice: once on the page, and once on a spreadsheet. Long before anyone calls action, someone has to turn a creative vision into a logistical plan.
How many days are you planning to shoot?
How many people does that require you to hire?
What is the sum total of all your films costs?
This two-session workshop covers that transition from page to plan:
● Script Breakdown: Learn to read your script through a production lens, tagging every element that costs time or money.
● Shooting Schedule: Turn your breakdown into an efficient shooting schedule using
industry-standard tools.
● Budget Construction: Walk through a real working budget line-by-line to understand account structures, trade-offs, and where to place your contingency buffer.
Everyone leaves with a customizable budget template built for independent projects. Stop guessing at numbers - start planning with confidence.
Who it's for: Producers and directors preparing to budget a project, apply for funding, or learn how to line produce independent projects. No budgeting experience required.
We finish on a real working budget, walked through line by line. You'll see where the trade-offs happen, where money can safely come out, and how a budget tells the story of a production before a frame is shot.
Everyone leaves with a budget and schedule templates built for the general independent project that they can customize for their own. They will be able to stop guessing at numbers and start planning with confidence.
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
● Break down a script or documentary treatment into its production elements
● Draft a shooting schedule that reflects what a project actually needs
● Navigate a standard film budget and know what each section covers
● Tell above-the-line from below-the-line, and understand how fringes are calculated
● Use the tools and templates that hold up on a low-budget project
● See where money can come out without costing the story
● Know what contingency is for and why it gets protected
Gautam Singhani is a NYC-based Line Producer & Post-Production Supervisor with 10+ years of experience across development, production, post, and distribution for features, series, and documentaries. He chairs the Post Production Committee at the Producers Guild of America (PGA) and is an active member of the Post New York Alliance (PNYA). Through his consulting practice, Gotoma, he partners one-on-one with filmmakers to make projects investor-ready: crafting budgets and schedules, supervising post, and advising on distribution.
His credits include THE BARBER OF LITTLE ROCK (Oscar nominee), ALLEN V. FARROW (Emmy nominee), BECOMING COUSTEAU (BAFTA nominee), and LIL NAS X: LONG LIVE MONTERO (GLAAD nominee). Most recently at RadicalMedia, he delivered BONO: STORIES OF SURRENDER, the Emmy-nominated immersive film created for Apple Vision Pro. He also produced BLACK AS U R (dir. Michael Rice) with Billy Porter and D.J. Gugenheim, securing support from Gilead Sciences and the U.S. Embassy.
Event venue & nearby stays
Freelancers Hub, 241 37th Street, Brooklyn, United States
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