Most production quotes hide the same five costs behind one number. Here is the breakdown we use internally, in the order it lands on a budget.
The five lines that move
- —Crew: the day rate is the smallest part; prep, travel and turnaround are the rest.
- —Kit: camera and lenses are predictable, lighting and grip are where a day quietly doubles.
- —Insurance and permits: cheap to buy, expensive to discover on the morning of a shoot.
- —Post: assume edit time is at least three times shoot time for anything narrative.
- —Contingency: ten percent, held back, spent openly or returned.
A quote you can read is a quote you can argue with, and that is the point.
If a supplier will not itemise those five lines, the risk has not gone away. It has just moved to you.