| Part of the art of managing
a budget consists of balancing overspends, and if potential overspends
can be spotted early enough, something can usually be done. There
are certain areas within budgets that are easier to cut back on than
others such as tapestock, expenses, overtime, travel and on-line editing,
should the need arise. The pressure to run over budget can be intense
on any production, however well constructed, so this is always an
area of concern in any production.
A good way of keeping costs to a minimum is to eliminate desirables
and just keep essentials in the project.
Also remember also that interviewees or actors might cancel at
short notice prior to the shoot, or locations may become inaccessible,
so it is vital that you cost a certain amount into a project to
cover the unexpected. This way you will ensure that every eventuality
is covered and that thing such as this will not be extra costs thrown
at you, leading to an overspend.
A lot of companies include a percentage in the original budget
to cover any overspends and this is generally in the region of around
2%. If you are in a position of potential overspend, try to limit
the damage and deal with the problem internally to protect yourself.
Unless an overspend it is at the client's request, you should not
approach them and ask for the figure to be increased, but above
all, address overspends before they occur.
|
