ABSTRACT
Each type of film presents different challenges that require special consideration. Some films take longer than others to make (features), require intermittent shoot schedules (documentaries), pose severely restrictive time and financial parameters (most films), or format (web and TV), or use of non-actors (educational and corporate). Thorough knowledge of the budget will assist with cash flow—a schedule of when director will need funds and how much, the cost report— actual spending of costs to date and the film's ultimate audit. While working on the budget, it is helpful to compare costs of specific groups of items. Director can see what would happen if director omit a certain group, or changed it in a fundamental way. Plan distribution deliverables for a feature along the way, so there's less scrambling at the end. Documentaries are iterative: development, financing, prep and shooting, pause—analyze footage, post production, craft story, which leads to more prep and shoot.
