Budgeting Stunts: From Micro-Budget to Studio Feature - How Do Strategies Shift?

Posted by Ben Castillo in Script Breakdown & Scheduling 0 views · 1 replies

Hey everyone, Ben Castillo here. I've primarily worked on mid-to-large scale productions as a Stunt Coordinator, where budgets for sequences are substantial and we have a lot of resources. I'm currently consulting on a really cool indie passion project, but their entire film budget is under $100k. We're looking at a few small gags and a car chase, simple stuff, but it still needs to be safe and look good. I'm used to bidding out specialized equipment, full teams, and having contingency for days, but obviously, that's not feasible here. My usual strategies feel completely out of place. For example, for even a minor car hit on a big film, I'd have a precision driver, stunt performer, dedicated medic, multiple cameras, road closures, etc. On this micro-budget, I'm trying to figure out where to compromise without sacrificing safety or the shot. How do your budgeting strategies differ when planning a micro-budget film under $100k versus a multi-million dollar studio feature?

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