ABSTRACT
The very first step the production manager must take to evaluate a project’s overall size and scope is completing a thorough breakdown of the finished screenplay. With an initial “first-glance” reading of a screenplay, an experienced producer or PM can get a good estimate of the size of a productionthat is, how long the shooting period, how many necessary cast members, how much required travel, how expensive the props and sets, and much more. However, a reliable budget estimate only can be calculated after the screenplay has been broken down professionally.
