What Kind of Metric Budget do You Have?

With the term "microbudget", we web filmmakers seem to be developing a relationship with the metric system. As such, I thought I would speculate about the remaining small metric measurements and how they would correlate to how much money we allot to our films.

Microbudget (up to $10,000). You've got some well-off relatives that throw you a bone. Your film is a modest science fiction or period piece with a small cast. You can afford to feed everyone on every shoot day and rent some specialty gear. Other local filmmakers are envious of your amazing financial skills.

Nanobudget (up to $1000). Friends and relatives pitch in. Your movie might be sci-fi but takes place in a contemporary setting. You can feed everyone on long shoot days. People think you're ambitious and cool.

Picobudget (up to $100) It's your money. Your college drama features every one of your friends. When you have food, it's candy and chips from Dollar Mart. People are annoyed you're shooting on their lawn.

Femtobudget (up to $10) You found the money in the street. Your entire film takes place in your living room. Cast and crew are permitted to raid your fridge. People think you're nerdy.

Attobudget (up to $1). You skip laundry day to fund your film. The story centers around one person (you) trapped in a bathtub. No one eats until shooting is over, then you send them home for dinner. People say "no" to you before you even say hello.

Zeptobudget (no money spent). You decide to make a movie due to boredom. It's a single, unbroken shot of your big toe. You get hungry before you run out of record space. No one wants to talk about your "body of work".

Yoctobudget (you spend money you don't have). You decide to bankroll your film with your credit card. Bankruptcy and insanity ensue.

Any questions?

Comments

Unknown said…
Really nice breakdown of the different types of budgets. We used to call the "zeptobudget" the "broke ass budget"..... Whats sadder is there is legal documentation identifying this plan....