In short: Build the budget in sections: people, crew, locations and kit, post-production, delivery and access, marketing, insurance, then a 10% contingency on the subtotal. Give each line its own row with a source for the figure, and show in-kind help at its value with a £0 cost line. Check the current funder guidelines before you submit.
This template sets out the lines a UK short film budget usually needs, with a note on what each line should hold. Use it to plan the money before you apply, and to show a funder that you have thought about the costs they will ask about. The figures for the funder come from the guidelines of the fund you apply to, so check those before you copy anything here.
The sections
Get the template
The preview is free to look at and print. For the clean file, without the watermark, put your email in and we will send a download link straight away. You also join From the Barn, our monthly studio email, which you can leave whenever you like.
Open the watermarked preview (PDF)
Done. The download link is on its way to your inbox and works for 7 days. If it has not arrived in a few minutes, check your spam folder.
- Story and rights. Clearance of all rights worldwide, in all media, in perpetuity, including use, repeat and residual fees. Budget clearance costs for any music you use.
- Cast and crew pay. The current BFI guidelines set crew pay at no less than the London Living Wage or equivalent, and cast pay at no less than the Equity minimum, including any buy-out fees. Producer, director and writer fees cannot be waived or deferred.
- Crew. Granary's indicative day rates, +VAT, are: spark from £350, editor from £395, camera operator from £450, gaffer from £450, sound recordist from £495, director of photography from £575 and director from £750.
- Studio. The White Space is £295 for a half day and £395 for a full day, +VAT, with crew booked on top.
- Insurance. Include a production package.
- Specialist roles. Consider a script supervisor, a stunt coordinator, an intimacy coordinator, a wellbeing facilitator and licensed chaperones for child performers.
- Catering. Film Hub Midlands advises at least two meals a day per person, preferably hot, plus snacks and drinks through the day, and a caterer with a level 3 food safety and hygiene certificate.
- Access. Budget for captions and audio description, whose costs vary, so get quotes early. Access support costs are listed separately.
- Delivery. Include the cost of every deliverable the funder requires.
- Marketing and festivals. Budget for an electronic press kit, and consider a poster and a trailer. The current BFI guidelines allow up to £750 towards festival submissions (the March 2024 summary said £500, so check the version you are applying under).
- Carbon reporting. Include the cost of any environmental planning, such as the carbon calculator report.
- Post-production. The summary gives no figure. Post houses may offer services in kind. Record those at their value, with a £0 cost line.
- Contingency. 10% of the subtotal.
- Funding gap. If the budget is more than the request, show how the rest will be secured. The March 2024 summary asked for a realistic plan within twelve weeks of the application deadline, so check the current guidelines.
Worked example
Suppose the lines add up to a subtotal of £10,000. The contingency is 10% of that, which is £1,000, so the total the funder sees is £11,000. The table below shows the arithmetic with a made-up subtotal. Replace it with your own lines.
| Line | Basis | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Subtotal | Sum of all sections | £10,000 |
| Contingency | 10% of subtotal | £1,000 |
| Total | Subtotal plus contingency | £11,000 |
The Film Hub Midlands summary also gives two rules of thumb for scheduling. One page of script is roughly 60 seconds of screen time. For shorts, plan on shooting between 4 and 5 minutes of screen time a day. Use them to check whether the shoot days in the budget are realistic.
Common mistakes
- Leaving out the contingency line, or setting it below 10% without a reason the funder will accept.
- Pricing crew below the London Living Wage or cast below the Equity minimum.
- Forgetting clearance for music, or the cost of worldwide, perpetual rights.
- Showing in-kind help at zero without recording its value.
- Leaving access, captions and audio description until the end, when the quotes are too late to change.
If you need studio space or a crew for the shoot, the studio hire page sets out the rooms, and the film crew hire page covers crew bookings. The UK tax reliefs guide and the short film funding guide cover the other money you may be able to draw on.
Sources
- BFI, Applying for BFI NETWORK England short film funding, read 5 November 2026
- Film Hub Midlands, Advice on budgeting a live-action short film, read 5 November 2026
Related guides
Questions we get asked
What should a UK short film budget include?
Story and rights, cast and crew pay, locations and kit, post-production, delivery and access, marketing, insurance and a contingency. Check the funder's current guidelines for any lines it requires.
How big should the contingency be?
The BFI NETWORK Short Film Fund guidelines ask for a minimum 10% contingency, and Film Hub Midlands' summary of the March 2024 guidelines says the same. Check the guidelines for the fund you apply to, because they change.
Do access costs count towards the award?
Film Hub Midlands' summary of the March 2024 BFI guidance says access support costs do not count towards the maximum award, and the current BFI guidelines say verifiable access costs can be included and the maximum may be raised to cover them. Put it on its own line, and budget captions and audio description early, because quotes vary.
granary.digital · 01243 884993 · studio@granary.digital · The Old Grainstore, Adsdean, Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 9DN · Prices exclude VAT unless marked inc VAT