# Indie Feature Film Budget, Line by Line: A $1.48M Example

Source: https://storiara.com/blog/indie-feature-budget-line-by-line
Last updated: 2026-09-14
Author: Charles Hirschhorn, Storiara

> An indie feature budget is built account by account: story and rights, producers, director, and cast above the line; production staff, departments, locations, and transport below it; then post, insurance, legal, and accounting. In this 20-day example on the SAG-AFTRA Low Budget Agreement, the accounts total $1,345,304, and a 10% contingency brings the grand total to $1,479,834.40.

## The picture being budgeted

THE ORCHARD is a fictional 96-page drama: 20 shoot days over 4 five-day weeks, 4 weeks of prep, 16 weeks of editorial, 11 principal speaking roles, 150 background days, and 14 locations within a 30-mile radius, so nobody travels and there is no hotel or [per diem](https://storiara.com/glossary/per-diem) line. Cast is on the SAG-AFTRA Low Budget Agreement, which applies to US-shot films with a total budget under $2,000,000. The director is a DGA member working under the DGA Low Budget Sideletter. Crew is non-union and paid through an entertainment payroll company.

Every rate and quote below is an example chosen to be plausible for that kind of show. Replace them with your own deal memos, vendor bids, and the current rate sheets. What should survive is the order of the accounts and the arithmetic.

Two fringe rates are used throughout, both labeled as assumptions:

- 18% on wages paid through payroll, covering employer Social Security and Medicare (7.65% under IRS rules), federal and state unemployment, workers' comp, and the payroll company's fee. Get the real figure from your payroll company quote.
- 22% SAG-AFTRA pension and health on performer wages, used here as a placeholder. Confirm the percentage on the current Low Budget rate sheet before you lock the budget.

DGA contributions use the guild's published figures for the 2026 to 2027 rate year: 8.75% to the pension plan, 13.5% to the health plan, and 0.25% for paid parental leave, 22.5% in total.

## The summary first

Read the full budget from the top down the way a financier does, then dig into the accounts that carry the most risk.

| Acct | Account | Wages | Non-labor and flat fees | Fringes and P&H | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1100 | Story and rights | $0 | $35,000 | $0 | $35,000 |
| 1200 | Producers | $9,000 | $40,000 | $1,620 | $50,620 |
| 1300 | Director | $0 | $60,000 | $13,500 | $73,500 |
| 1400 | Cast | $95,000 | $15,000 | $38,000 | $148,000 |
| | **Above the line** | | | | **$307,120** |
| 2000 | Production staff | $101,400 | $0 | $18,252 | $119,652 |
| 2100 | Background actors | $30,000 | $0 | $5,400 | $35,400 |
| 2200 to 2900 | Art, set dressing, props, wardrobe | $58,800 | $65,000 | $10,584 | $134,384 |
| 3100 | Makeup and hair | $18,000 | $3,700 | $3,240 | $24,940 |
| 3200 | Grip and electric | $70,200 | $42,000 | $12,636 | $124,836 |
| 3300 | Camera | $59,800 | $35,000 | $10,764 | $105,564 |
| 3400 | Production sound | $18,000 | $4,000 | $3,240 | $25,240 |
| 3500 | Transportation | $0 | $24,000 | $0 | $24,000 |
| 3600 | Locations and meals | $14,000 | $96,000 | $2,520 | $112,520 |
| | **Production** | | | | **$706,536** |
| 4500 | Editorial | $55,600 | $8,000 | $10,008 | $73,608 |
| 4600 to 4900 | Music, post sound, color, VFX, titles, deliverables | $0 | $143,000 | $0 | $143,000 |
| | **Post** | | | | **$216,608** |
| 6500 to 6800 | Insurance, legal, accounting, office | $28,000 | $82,000 | $5,040 | $115,040 |
| | **Total before contingency** | | | | **$1,345,304** |
| | Contingency, 10% | | | | $134,530.40 |
| | **Grand total** | | | | **$1,479,834.40** |

Wages across the budget are $557,800, and fringes and P&H add $134,804, for $692,604 in labor cost. Above the line is $307,120, or 22.8% of the total before contingency.

## 1100 to 1300: rights, producers, director

Story and rights is $25,000 to purchase the screenplay plus a $10,000 rewrite fee, both paid to the writer's company, so no payroll fringe. Producers carry two $20,000 fees (also to loan-outs) and a producer's assistant on payroll for 10 weeks at $900, which picks up the 18% fringe: $9,000 x 0.18 = $1,620.

The director's fee is $60,000. On films budgeted at $3,000,000 or less, the DGA sideletter leaves the director's initial compensation, daily rate, and prep time to negotiation, so the fee is a deal term. The contributions are not: $60,000 x 0.225 = $13,500.

## 1400: the cast account in detail

| Line | Math | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Lead, "Nora" | 4 weeks x $6,000 | $24,000 |
| Lead, "Walt" | 4 weeks x $5,000 | $20,000 |
| Supporting (3 roles) | 3 x 2 weeks x $3,500 | $21,000 |
| Day players | 30 performer days x $1,000 | $30,000 |
| **Performer wages** | | **$95,000** |
| P&H, placeholder 22% | $95,000 x 0.22 | $20,900 |
| Payroll fringe, 18% | $95,000 x 0.18 | $17,100 |
| Casting director | Flat fee, loan-out | $15,000 |
| **Account total** | | **$148,000** |

The weekly and day figures are negotiated example deals, not Low Budget scale. The union minimums live on the rate sheet, and our [SAG-AFTRA tiers](https://storiara.com/glossary/sag-aftra-tiers) entry compares them across agreements. The 30 day-player days come from the [day out of days](https://storiara.com/glossary/day-out-of-days): count every SW, W, WF, and SWF, plus paid holds, and budget from that count, not from the number of roles.

If a lead's representative asks for a pay-or-play guarantee or a travel allowance, it goes here too, and so does any overtime you expect on long days.

## 2000 to 3400: the crew accounts

Production staff is the line producer at 10 weeks x $3,000 ($30,000), 1st AD at 6 weeks x $3,000 ($18,000), 2nd AD at 5 weeks x $2,000 ($10,000), coordinator at 9 weeks x $1,500 ($13,500), script supervisor at 22 days x $450 ($9,900), and 4 PAs at 5 weeks x $1,000 ($20,000). Total: $101,400, plus $18,252 in fringe.

Camera shows how a department account is built:

| Line | Math | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Director of photography | 6 weeks x $5,000 (2 prep, 4 shoot) | $30,000 |
| 1st AC | 5 weeks x $2,400 | $12,000 |
| 2nd AC | 5 weeks x $1,800 | $9,000 |
| DIT | 4 weeks x $2,200 | $8,800 |
| **Labor subtotal** | | **$59,800** |
| Fringe, 18% | $59,800 x 0.18 | $10,764 |
| Camera package | 4 weeks x $7,500 | $30,000 |
| Expendables and media | Allowance | $5,000 |
| **Account total** | | **$105,564** |

Grip and electric follows the same pattern: gaffer and key grip at 5 weeks x $2,400 each, two best boys at 5 weeks x $1,900, four crew at 4 weeks x $1,700, for $70,200 in wages, plus a $9,000-a-week G&E package for 4 weeks and $6,000 for the truck and expendables. Sound is a mixer at 4 weeks x $2,600 and a boom operator at 4 weeks x $1,900, with the mixer's own package rented at $1,000 a week. That rental is paid outside payroll, so it isn't in the fringe base; see [kit rentals and box rentals](https://storiara.com/blog/kit-rentals-and-box-rentals).

Rates for department heads vary a lot by city. The [crew rate lookup](https://storiara.com/tools/crew-rate-lookup) is a sanity check before you send offers.

## 3600: locations and meals

| Line | Math | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Location manager | 7 weeks x $2,000, plus 18% fringe ($2,520) | $16,520 |
| Site fees | 20 days x $2,000 average | $40,000 |
| Permits | Allowance across 3 jurisdictions | $6,000 |
| Catering | 20 days x 60 people x $30 | $36,000 |
| Craft services | 20 days x $300 | $6,000 |
| Security and police | Allowance | $8,000 |
| **Account total** | | **$112,520** |

Sixty people is cast, crew, and an average day of background. If the busiest days have 40 background actors, they eat too, so check catering against the heaviest days on the schedule, not the average.

## Post and general costs

Editorial is an editor at 16 weeks x $2,500 ($40,000) and an assistant editor at 12 weeks x $1,300 ($15,600), with $10,008 in fringe and $8,000 for the edit system. The rest of post is priced as packages: $45,000 for sound design and mix, $25,000 for color and DI, $20,000 for a composer package, $15,000 for song licensing, $15,000 for VFX cleanup, $3,000 for titles, and $20,000 for deliverables. Deliverables are the line most often underbudgeted, because the list comes from a sales agent or distributor after the budget is locked; see [deliverables](https://storiara.com/glossary/deliverables).

General costs are $30,000 for the insurance package including [E&O](https://storiara.com/glossary/errors-and-omissions-insurance), $35,000 for production legal, $5,000 for stills and publicity, $12,000 for office and supplies, and a production accountant on payroll at 14 weeks x $2,000 ($28,000) with $5,040 in fringe.

## Contingency and the cap

Contingency is 10% of $1,345,304, or $134,530.40, taking the grand total to $1,479,834.40. That leaves $520,165.60 of headroom under the Low Budget Agreement's $2,000,000 limit, which is real room. If the budget ever crept toward the limit, the cast line would be the first thing to recheck, because moving up an agreement changes performer minimums on every role. The [film budget contingency](https://storiara.com/blog/film-budget-contingency) post covers how to set the percentage and what counts against it.

## Building this budget without retyping the schedule

The fastest way to get a first pass is to price from data you already have. Storiara's budget module takes cast paid days from the day out of days, fills line items from the rates entered on cast, crew, equipment, assets, and locations, and fills gaps from tier tables chosen in the setup wizard. It groups accounts into above the line, below the line production, post, and other, shows a fringe column, and exports to Excel, where you'd finish the detail.

If you prefer to start in a spreadsheet, the [indie film budget template](https://storiara.com/templates/indie-film-budget) uses this account layout, and [film budget top sheet explained](https://storiara.com/blog/film-budget-top-sheet-explained) shows how the summary above should be read by an investor.

## Frequently asked questions

### How much does an independent feature film cost?

The range is huge. The example here, a 20-day shoot with a paid non-union crew, SAG-AFTRA actors on the Low Budget Agreement, and a DGA director, comes to about $1.48 million including contingency. A micro-budget feature with deferred fees can be done for a small fraction of that, and a feature with name cast and union crew can cost several times more.

### What is the biggest line in an indie feature budget?

Labor. In this example, wages plus fringes are $692,604, just over half of the $1,345,304 before contingency, and that doesn't count flat fees to the producers, director, and casting director.

### Which SAG-AFTRA agreement covers a $1.5 million feature?

SAG-AFTRA's Low Budget Agreement applies to films shot entirely in the US with a total budget under $2,000,000, or up to $3,000,000 if the production qualifies for the Diversity-in-Casting Incentive. SAG-AFTRA decides the agreement when you apply.

### Do DGA directors get paid scale on a low budget feature?

Not necessarily. Under the DGA's Low Budget Sideletter, on films budgeted at $3,000,000 or less, the director's initial compensation, daily rate, and prep time are negotiated. The employer still pays DGA pension, health, and parental leave contributions on the fee.

## Sources

- [SAG-AFTRA Help Center: What is Low Budget?](https://servicesagaftra.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1004)
- [DGA Minimum Salary Schedule, July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 (Theatrical Low Budget Sideletter, pension and health)](https://edge.sitecorecloud.io/directorsguf4d4-dga2c79-dgaprod1615-f6e3/media/Files/Contracts/Rate-Cards-2026-thru-2027/DGA260722Rates2026thru2027.pdf)
- [IRS Topic no. 751, Social Security and Medicare withholding rates](https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc751)
- [IRS Topic no. 759, Form 940 Employer's Annual Federal Unemployment (FUTA) Tax Return](https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc759)