The Old Army Budget
How many budgets can a production have? Not to say that studios are playing the old "two books" game, but it is not uncommon for there to be the "established" and signed off budget and the "real" budget. This is one of the toughest games for new producers to play.

Sometimes this happens due to a last minute decision by someone higher up. You are initially shown the budget and a discussion takes place between you, accounting, execs and such. The figures are locked in and the budget is then sent around for signatures showing that everyone has agreed. Folks often sign the cover sheet without looking inside. The savvy producer will always re-check the interior.

More than once I have found that a number inside the budget has been altered. The final total is the same, but suddenly money has been shifted from say, storyboarding to music (perhaps due to the desire for a big name composer). Frequently there is nothing to do at this point, but it is always better going in knowing where your monies are.

Much like the oft-reported company buyout, some of the actual money may not exist. For example, it is easy to find stories in the financial section of company "a" buying company "b" for a million dollars. When you read the article, you discover what is really being exchanged is $500 plus all sorts of shares, rights, property and such. Similarly, there are some budgets that promise a million dollars. Upon closer look, you can see that the actual cash for production is much less. The remaining "money" is in the form of licensing agreements, broadcast rights and such.

Since one cannot pay a layout artist with a toy, the producer must stick with the actual money involved. This can be a tough sell when talking to a crew that believes there is more money in the project than exists. And since such deals are usually fairly "private," it sometimes cannot be passed on to the crew who will just assume something "funny" is going on.

Producers must study budgets carefully and not allow outside influences to sway decisions. Urban legends are in fact legends. © 2000 Animation Budget Builder.

The Budget Box
Most common today is the "budget box." Like running a gauntlet, this is where a project must be done for X dollars. No haggling. No complaining. Take it or leave it. No matter the amount, it is almost always less than desired. While it might be tempting to reject the project, often these are brought in by folks with a great deal of prominence in the business: an award winning director, a big star or even a major network. A chance to work on something that could be a major production is very tempting to a studio.

Sometimes the figure is created by the client, who has little idea of the price of animation. At best they might "know" that Flash or CG is cheaper than hand animation. Sometimes a studio exec comes up with the figure. I recall at one studio an exec called us in to state we were doing a half-hour animated special for $100,000. At the time, that amount was half of what we were doing our half hour shows. I asked how the figure was derived. "It just popped into my head," stated the exec, "and the client liked it."

In this scenario the producer must look at all divisions like a massive checkerboard and figure where to place the funds available. Usually the answer is to crunch one place or another. This is where a knowledgeable line producer is golden. Perhaps shave some money off the board by keeping them rough. Maybe doubling up some voice talent can help. You may need to look at recording talent in Canada. If you have good production people, perhaps you can do with only an assistant instead of a coordinator. If you are using an outside studio (Flash, overseas, CG, whatever), see if they will do it for a bit less. Or, find a studio that will.

In the end, a good producer will find a way to make the numbers work. But doing so will take a lot of creativity on the producer's side... and a lot of sweat from their crew. It is never impossible. And sometimes, the challenge can make it fun for everyone. There is still something to be said for an occasional "guerrilla" production.

Winning The Games
Again, the best way to keep on top of these and other games is to study budgets carefully. No matter what folks say, only the money used for the production will get into the production. Do not allow outsiders, executives or creatives to push urban legends on you. Crews do not get faster and cheaper as the production goes on. You will not make up money or time wasted up front. You cannot "fix" things in animation. The client will not be impressed and give you more money in mid-production.

A producer who understands actual production, realistic budgets and honest schedules is a production's most valuable player. The result could be the production and its team winning the Gold.

John Cawley is a producer of animation whose résumé includes Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, New World/Marvel, Film Roman and Sullivan-Bluth. John, an author of several books on animation, has also written for comics and animation. He is a lecturer on animation production and an established mascot performer.