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 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 magical creatures are a whole other ballgame. This building process requires more lead time for the creative thinking in the designs. Then, renderings and samples get to be made before moving on to the next phase of construction and building. Fitting and walk-throughs must occur to check the aesthetics, functionality, and storytelling behind each element. Then, adjustments to the hair, makeup, sets, and costumes based on feedback happen, 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. Still, my department’s labor costs are significantly higher to help customize and build the required pieces. You can quickly get into higher material budgets when looking for specialty fabrics and materials. To give a sense of range, simple fabrics such as plain weave cotton 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 manufacturers worldwide, you can also add the shipping and import taxes to those prices. Depending on how much fabric an armchair is made of, it can take 10 yards to re-cover it. Custom ceiling-to-floor curtains take 2.5 yards each. Ten curtains are 25 yards. Let’s say you choose a fabric that costs $60/yard, that’s $1500, plus thread and labor. Those curtains could cost you $3000 all said and done, if not more. It 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 specializing in creating repeatable patterns to develop 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. 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 costumes, sets, and props in every type of genre.
These types of pieces discussed here come from the built design approach, 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 significant role in the costs of your film’s design. The wealthier the characters, the higher the quality of their clothing, 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 more generic and may require fewer materials due to the lack of embellishments. However, sometimes, it’s that pricy fabric that shreds just so that it makes for the perfect tunic, and you spend a bit more than you planned for the right thing despite the character being of lower economic standing.
Stunts
Stunts of any kind on a period or sci-fi film can require you to build things from scratch, adding a significant amount 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, you will be able to budget for what you desire more clearly. 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.
