Budget estimator

What this skill does

Generates a structured production budget estimate for a specific project element or an entire short-form production, broken down by standard industry cost categories.

When to use this skill

• You are preparing a budget for a pitch deck or funding application and need realistic line items
• A commissioner or funder has asked for a cost breakdown and you need a starting framework
• You want to sanity-check your own budget against industry norms before submitting
• You are comparing production approaches (studio vs. location, in-house vs. freelance) and need cost estimates for each

What you need to provide

Required:

• Project type (documentary, short film, podcast series, corporate video, etc.)
• Duration or scope (e.g., "6 × 30-minute episodes" or "one 90-second brand video")
• Key production elements (number of shoot days, locations, crew size, talent, post-production needs)
• Territory or market (costs vary dramatically between countries and cities)

Optional:

• Known fixed costs (e.g., "archive licensing budget is capped at €5,000")
• Format constraints (e.g., "4K delivery required" or "must include subtitles in three languages")
• Whether this is for internal planning or external submission (affects level of detail)

How the Assistant Approaches This

1. Identifies the production type and maps it to standard budget categories (development, pre-production, production, post-production, delivery, overheads, contingency)
2. Estimates realistic cost ranges for each line item based on the territory, scale, and format specified
3. Flags assumptions made (day rates, equipment costs, post-production timelines) so you can adjust with real quotes
4. Adds a contingency line (typically 10% for controlled productions, 15–20% for location-heavy or international work)
5. Notes which line items are most likely to be challenged by funders or commissioners

Output format

A structured budget table with:

• Category headings (development, pre-production, production, post-production, delivery, overheads, contingency)
• Line items with unit cost, quantity, and subtotal
• Notes column explaining assumptions
• Summary totals per category and grand total
• A short "budget notes" section flagging the three biggest cost risks

Currency matches the territory specified. Estimates given as ranges where exact costs depend on quotes.

Quality criteria

• Every line item has a unit cost, quantity, and subtotal — no lump sums without explanation
• Assumptions are stated explicitly (e.g., "camera operator day rate estimated at €450/day based on Western European freelance market")
• Contingency is included and justified
• The budget is structured so a funder or commissioner can read it without explanation
• Cost ranges are realistic for the specified territory and market

Example

Input

Project: 3-part documentary series (3 × 45 minutes) about urban farming initiatives across three European cities. Production includes interviews, observational shooting, some aerial drone footage, and archival material. Budget territory: Germany/Western Europe. This is for a public broadcaster funding application.

Output

Budget estimate — Urban farming documentary series (3 × 45 min)

Category	Line item	Unit cost	Qty	Subtotal	Notes
Development				€18,500
	Research & development	€3,000	1	€3,000	Desktop research, contributor identification
	Location scouting (3 cities)	€2,500	3	€7,500	Travel + 2 days per city
	Development producer	€4,000	1	€4,000	10 days @ €400/day
	Rights research	€2,000	1	€2,000	Archive pre-clearance
	Legal (option agreements)	€2,000	1	€2,000	Contributor agreements
Pre-production				€14,000
	Producer (prep)	€400/day	15	€6,000	Schedule, logistics, permits
	Director (prep)	€450/day	10	€4,500	Treatment refinement, shot planning
	Travel & accommodation (recce)	€1,500	2	€3,000	2 recce trips
	Insurance	€500	1	€500	Production insurance
Production				€89,400
	Director	€450/day	30	€13,500	10 shoot days × 3 episodes
	Camera operator	€450/day	30	€13,500
	Sound recordist	€350/day	30	€10,500
	Producer (shoot)	€400/day	36	€14,400	Including travel days
	Drone operator + equipment	€1,200/day	6	€7,200	2 days per city
	Camera kit rental	€300/day	30	€9,000	4K documentary kit
	Sound kit rental	€100/day	30	€3,000
	Travel (crew, 3 cities)	€3,000	3	€9,000	Flights + ground transport
	Accommodation	€120/night	75	€9,000	3 crew × 25 nights
	Per diems	€30/day	120	€3,600	4 crew × 30 days
	Miscellaneous production	€700	1	€700	Parking, consumables, contingency items
Post-production				€52,500
	Editor	€400/day	60	€24,000	20 days per episode
	Edit suite rental	€150/day	60	€9,000	Or license fee if in-house
	Director (post)	€450/day	15	€6,750	5 days per episode
	Composer / music licensing	€3,000	3	€9,000	Per episode
	Sound mix	€1,500	3	€4,500	Per episode
	Grade / online	€2,500	3	€7,500	Per episode
	Archive licensing	€5,000	1	€5,000	Estimated; depends on sources
	Graphics / titles	€2,000	1	€2,000	Series package
Delivery				€7,500
	Subtitling (3 languages)	€1,500	3	€4,500	DE, EN, FR
	Delivery masters	€1,000	3	€3,000	Broadcaster specs
Overheads				€9,100
	Production office	€500/month	8	€4,000	8-month production period
	Communication / admin	€300/month	8	€2,400
	Accounting	€2,700	1	€2,700	Production accounting
Contingency				€19,100
	10% of total			€19,100	Standard for controlled European doc production

Grand total: €210,100

Budget notes:

1. Archive licensing is the wildcard. €5,000 is a placeholder. If the series uses significant broadcast archive, this could triple. Get clearance quotes early.
2. Drone costs assume local operators in each city. Flying your own drone internationally adds permit complexity and may require local co-pilots. Budget could rise by €2,000–4,000 if permits are difficult.
3. Music licensing vs. original score. The €9,000/episode estimate covers a modest original score. Library music would reduce this to €1,500–2,500/episode but limits exclusivity.

Known limitations

• All costs are estimates based on typical Western European rates. Actual costs depend on specific quotes, crew availability, and market conditions at time of production.
• Does not account for co-production financing structures, tax incentives, or regional fund requirements that may affect budget presentation.
• Cannot predict archive licensing costs without knowing specific sources. Always get quotes before committing a figure to a funder.
• Day rates vary significantly even within the same market. These estimates assume mid-range freelancers, not top-tier specialists.

Related skills

• pitch-treatment-writer
• grant-proposal-writer
• grant-narrative-writer