How Art Directors and Copywriters Can Cut Film Production Costs Without Killing the Concept
This article is for art directors and copywriters working with fiction-based commercial films - not documentaries, or real-life stories etc.
Here’s what I often see: teams with tight budgets trying to take on too much. They plan long scripts, use many actors, and include lots of locations. But these choices can quickly raise costs and make the final film hard to manage.
Table of Contents
5 Questions to Help You Cut Film Production Costs
Why (the Mona Lisa Proves) Constraints Make Better Concepts And Saves Money
5 Questions to Help You Cut Film Production Costs
1. Characters
How many characters are in the script?
Can you tell the same story, with the same punch, using fewer actors?
Can the same actors play different roles by using costumes, makeup, or styling tricks?
2. Locations
How many different locations are there?
Can the story and message still work if you use just one place, or fewer locations?
3. Scenes or Stories
How many scenes or different stories are in your concept?
Which one is the most important? If you could only make one, which one would it be?
Could you create shorter versions or cut-downs from that one main film, instead of making three totally different ones?
4. Client Resources
Does the client have any in-house resources that could be used?
In your script or concept, can anything be sourced from the client?
Think about things like:
Props
Locations
Extras
Even actors
Using what the client already has is a powerful way to stretch the budget. It saves money, saves time, and makes the whole production easier for everyone.
5. Can You Involve the Director/Producer Earlier in the Process?
They’re the ones executing the project and can offer valuable feedback on points 1–4. But if they are brought in too late, when the project is already far along and the deadline is very tight. There might not be enough time to make these important changes.
Why (the Mona Lisa Proves) Constraints Make Better Concepts And Saves Money
Here’s what I often see: teams with tight budgets trying to take on too much. They plan long scripts, use many actors, and include lots of locations. But these choices can quickly raise costs and make the final film hard to manage.
The Mona Lisa is a tiny painting (77 cm × 53 cm ) that leaves a big impression. In the same way, small concepts can feel big - if you use your space wisely.
One of my favorite tricks for lowering the budget and making the final film better is to purposefully make the idea smaller, limit the space of the story, and then do something great within that space.
When I got the agency treatment for this project, the script had lots of scenes and locations, with new actors in each scene and a voice-over.
The treatment was great, but we had to simplify, to stay within the budget - which also helped us find a clearer story that was easier to tell. So, I used the “Mona Lisa” approach: I shrunk the story down to just two actors, traveling and arguing through time, and removed the voice-over.
Want to make a better film for less money?
Shrink the canvas and sharpen the idea.
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