The Questions to Ask When Budgeting for Fantasy & Sci-fi Films
Budgeting for fantasy and sci-fi films can range drastically on the story’s world and how high concept you want to go with it. Is your film a contemporary world like tv series Hereos (2006-2010) or Chuck (2007-2012) that has fantasy or science fiction elements woven into a world much like our own? Or, is your film a completely built world like in Legend (1985) or Dune (1985 & 2021)? The higher your film’s creative concept, the larger the materials and labor budgets will be. To know what you will need and how to utilize your budget, you’ll want to answer the following questions:
How far from our reality are we traveling? What parameters of the world the same as our current world and what are different?
The further from our world that we go with our worldbuilding, the higher the budgets go. High concept and otherworldly fantasy and sci-fi films require more custom built costumes, sets, props, hair and makeup. Any sort of magical creatures are a whole other ballgame. This building process requires more lead time for the creative thinking that goes into the designs. Then, renderings and sample get to be made before moving onto the next phase of construction and building. Fitting and walk throughs must occur to check the aesthetics, functional, and storytelling behind each elements. Then, adjustments to the hair, makeup, sets, and costumes based on feedback happens, including alterations to the fit of wigs, costumes or prosthetics, the painting and dying of sets, props and costumes to create the necessary textural qualities and colors. Then, camera testing, all before the final stamp of approval. At this point, you are ready to start filming…. Whew, that’s quite the process.
I’ve worked on period and sci-fi projects where the material costs are the same as a contemporary project, but my department’s labor costs are significantly higher to help customize and build the required pieces. That all said, you can easily get into higher material budgets when looking for specialty fabrics and materials. To give a sense of range, simple fabrics such as plain weave cottons cost around $10/yard (3 feet of fabric) and can go up to $225/yard or more for specialty fabrics. If you’re importing from small fabric manufactures around the would, you can add the shipping and import taxes to those prices as well. An armchair, depending on how much of it is fabric, can easily take 10 yards to re-cover it. Custom ceiling to floor curtains take 2.5 yards each. 10 curtains is 25 yards. Let’s say you choose a fabric that costs $60/yard, that’s $1500, plus thread and labor. Those curtains could end up costing you $3000 all said and done, if not more. Just depends on your creative needs and what you are looking for.
Often with Sci-Fi and Fantasy projects, we want to create custom prints and fabrics (this also happens with period films). Custom fabrics and prints require a graphic artist who specializes in creating repeatable patterns to create the design and then a fabric printer to print or silkscreen the fabric per the design. Typically, there is a digitizing fee for any silk screening, embroidery or custom printing before the actual labor cost. We needed a specific print for a silk scarf on a project of mine, and it cost $500 to print 6 side by side (came to about a yard of fabric), then we had to cut out and finish off the edges of each scarf. That was about a half day of labor. Those scarves cost over $100 each by the end. Custom printed signage, logos and the like can be found across both costumes, sets, and props in every type of genre.
These types of pieces discussed here come from the approach of built design, which is one of the two approaches to design. You might be able to find pieces already built at rental houses for your background to cut on labor and material costs which is the approach of found design.
What Are the Character’s Demographics?
Demographics play a large role in the costs of your film’s design. The wealthier the characters, the hire quality their clothing is, the more jewelry or embroidery they might have, and the more ornate room decor and modes of transportation they would have. Every embellishment layers on additional costs. With more peasant type characters, you can spend a bit less because things are a bit more generic and my require less materials due to the lack of embellishments. However, sometimes, it’s that pricy fabric that shreds just so that makes for the perfect tunic, and you end up spending a bit more than you planned for the right thing, despite the character being of a lower economic standing.
Stunts
Stunts of any kind on a period or sci-fi film can require you to build things from scratch, adding large amounts of labor to your Design Departments if they have to double costumes, wigs, makeup and sets for stunt doubles and multiples for resets and safety. The further you go from reality in your world, the higher the chance you’ll need to build things.
When you’re clear on how big you want to go with your fantasy or sci-fi film, the more clearly you will be able to budget for what you desire. If raising the funds for your high-fantasy film feels too far off, how can you bring the world more closely aligned with today’s world, the easier it will be bring your budget to a number that feels realistic to create for you.
For more on budgeting for you fantasy and sci-fi films, check out The Filmmaker’s Guide to Budgeting for Costumes, Hair, Makeup and Production Design.
