RAW Workflow on a Budget: Is it Even Possible, and What to Prioritize?

Hey everyone,

I’m a grip, usually working on sets with KOMODOs or C70s, where RAW is pretty standard. I’m dabbling in a short film with some friends, and we’re trying to keep costs down. I've been looking into what it would take to shoot RAW, and a recent budgeting guide I found estimated $70k+ in extra costs just for a RAW workflow, storage, processing power, specialized DIT, colorist time, etc.

That number just floored me. For a low-budget indie, that’s more than the entire production budget. My current setup is pretty modest (think a decent PC, but nothing built for heavy RAW processing). If we're shooting on something like an FX6 or even a Pocket 6K Pro, aiming for the best image quality we can get, how do low-budget filmmakers realistically approach RAW?

Is it an absolute pipe dream unless you have serious backing? And if there are ways to make it work, what are the most critical corners not to cut to ensure the benefits of RAW aren't negated by cutting costs elsewhere?