You've done it.
Finally, you have a script
that might be the greatest story ever told.
It has it all.
Explosions, visual effects, Oscar-winning roles.
Now, it's time to do a breakdown to see what it will all cost.
A script breakdown is basically when you review a scene
and identify the necessary elements to produce that scene.
From cast to props, costumes,
special effects, greenery, unique equipment, really anything.
So in this video,
we're going to show you how to make the breakdown work for any budget
while still keeping your vision intact.
To get an idea of how a breakdown works
on both a creative and financial level,
let's take a look at Wes Anderson's "The Grand Budapest Hotel."
The production team didn't stick to the script as written.
In a world of a hundred million dollar budgets,
Grand Budapest had a comparatively meager budget of 25 million dollars.
That means they couldn't possibly produce a film
using the usual standards of the Hollywood machine.
But Anderson and his team were scrappy
and made use of miniatures and matte paintings
to create an imaginative, visually stunning world
for a budget much lower than most studio pictures.
Let's look even closer
at how Wes Anderson and his team did it.
When breaking down a scene
ask yourself 3 questions.
Question 1.
What does the scene need?
In this scene, the script requires a period-specific train
traveling through the picturesque middle european countryside in the winter.
"Why are we stopping at a barley field?"
Question 2.
If the budget was not a concern,
how would you want to shoot to scene?
So let's say we want to shoot an actual moving train in Europe in the winter.
But to do so,
we need find and secure location.
Hire train service.
Deal with lots of government red tape.
Purchase a lot of insurance.
Hire a local crew that knows the terrain.
Get special gear for shooting in a cold climate.
And since available sunlight is limited during the winter months,
schedule extra days to shoot.
In other words,
we need to spend lots of money.
But then, there's the third and most important question.
How can I shoot this scene if I have a near-zero budget?
Well, we could block the action outside a static train,
and simplify the scene logistically.
Or we could shoot using green screens, matte paintings, and miniatures,
all of which would be more cost-effective.
In Anderson's case,
the train you see is made of cardboard
with three guys pushing it.
No red tape. No insurance.
And the end effect,
something actually pretty unique and memorable.
"Well, hello there, chaps."
And speaking of memorable.
Ah, yes the star of the movie The Grand Hotel,
but grand-specific hotels aren't so common.
What they are is really expensive.
So instead Wes Anderson found an old department store.
And a talented art director to transform it into the Grand Budapest Hotel.
And the art director.
Well, he would go on to win the Oscar.
And the Oscar goes to
"The Grand Budapest Hotel."
So you can see how important a script breakdown is.
And it goes beyond just logistics.
It gets you thinking deeper about what you want
and really need to tell the story.
So here's an exercise of a stretch those lateral thinking muscles.
Take any scene from a movie you love.
Now, break it down as if you have near zero budget.
How would you make it happen?
How would you shoot it differently?
Using software, like StudioBinder,
makes it easier to break down each scene into its elements
and collaborate with your team.
For more tips on making your breakdowns work for you,
make sure you subscribe to our channel
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that will help you streamline your pre-production process.
See you in the next one.