Make Your Movie

Chapter 19

Prep

Now that you’ve got your lead cast, and you know where you’re going to be shooting—and whether or not you’ll be a union show—you have a lot more information than you did. As the preproduction (prep) period begins in earnest, more decisions about the film will be made. As more information comes in, the UPM will adjust the budget and the First Assistant Director will adjust the schedule. The final bottom line (total anticipated expenditure) of the budget can’t end up radically different than the first pass, because the first pass is often the basis of the decision as to whether or not to go forward and make the film. If the production shoots many more days than anticipated, the cost goes up proportionally. Fewer days, and the cost ...