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As has been said, tax insentives don't tend to kick in until filming goes over a million. It just wouldn't be worth the dollars to go to NZ to film a short... there are little to no insentives for it.

As for how much it costs to makes a short, it really depends. If you work on deferment, it can cost as little as 1 - 2 grand, depending on location and catering (you wanna keep your cast and crew fed, and it's actually a union regulation in most countries) stock and equipment. If it's on mini DV or digital at all, it's much cheaper then film. With film you can get sometimes get recanned stock donated, so no cost there - and development, telecine etc can be done on the cheap if you get a good lab on board. Really, making shorts and independent films is as much about how much money you can raise, as it is about what you can beg, borrow and steal for a 'thank you' credit. If you have ever watched a lot of shorts, sometimes the credits and thankyous can go for as long as the film itself.

Also, there is a question of what kind of film it is. If it is an insular drama (something which Australia does WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY to much), very cheap. One location/set, minimal amount of set-ups. If there is exterior locations, with the potential of stunts the budget jacks. Special Effects, practical or post?

Plus, if you are using SAG actors, you have to be a signitory of SAG, and that costs to register your production.

So, films CAN from pre - post cost as little as 1 - 2 grand on a single location with everything donated and on deferment, but the average I'd say is 5+ depending on what's happening. 20,000 is a decent figure for a production, but I have seen a short that has cost over 1 million. There is no limit, and really no base... it's all about who you know, and what you know about geting around what you don't have.

What can be the money drainer in shorts & independent films is prints and entry fees for festivals. Festival budgets can be more then making a film, because you have to make more prints (Betacam, 16mil or 35mil depending on the festival), pay for shipping and entry fees. It's not cheap. So this has to be budgeted in over and above normal production costs. And you have to have a plan for this, otherwise your film may never see the light of day...

You're right farmgirl, a lot of productions are going overseas - but these are large budget productions of a least a million dollars... most subsidies don't kick in until a budget like that is reached - sometimes to budget is even higher.

Short films really don't fit into that criteria and very rarely will people go overseas to make one. Although, in something that resembles an exception, a friend of mine is going home to India to film her masters project (she is currently in OZ studying), and I'll be going with her. That situation though is much different to a properly budgeted film. Shorts just don't travel far from home, it's not worth the money.

Gabsfan wrote:

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Hey Deev! So, you're going to India for your friend's film? Are you cast or crew? How long will you be there? Indiea's got a huge film industry.

Crew of course, I only act in craptacular stuff I don't want to be seen beyond an educational facility .

I'm gonna be 1st AD, and I am co-writer for the project. So far it looks like I am going to be in India about a month, which sucks because I need more time to get a feel of the place and do some basic pre-production work, but the internet is handy for that I guess. I am waiting to find out if I need a working visa and all the other legal BS .

India has HUGE industry, makes the most amount of films a year and Bollywood movies are cool and joyful... and the short has a very bollywood feel to it, with a strange Aussie slant.

Re: Renee's short - if there is stunts, that also means extra insurance. I am doubtful this film will see legs before 100,000 is raised...