NOTE — Below, please find a general breakdown of potential costs for the series. In the end, it can most simply be broken down as 50% for team pay and care and 50% for everything else like sets, gear, platform and, of course, taxes/fees. … There’s a lot that goes into making a series or movie that gets overlooked, and so, this page also hopes to highlight all people and things involved. Finally, the outline below is made with a full season at the target scale ($250,000 per episode) in mind.


the story depts.

— The ones that most influence the storytelling.

WRITING / SCRIPTS + CONTINUITY

— The first four episodes of the series have been written, though they’re up for review after casting and location selection. Before writing the next set, we’d like to fund more writers to offer different voices on the new episodes and to help review the ones written, plus brainstorm on ideas for the future story at large.

CASTING / CASTING + DEVELOPMENT

— For Bound, we’re looking for fresh faces across the board and it could take some time to find the main and support ensembles. To help, we’d like to fund a dedicated casting director for the large cast and guest roles. We would also allot resources for the cast’s development, with funds for adequate study and rehearsal.

SETTINGS / DESIGN + CONSTRUCTION

— Creating the world for everyone to write and work within. One option is to find a space custom-build two, compact main sets, which are a hotel lobby and a cafe. Another option is to rent out a small, existing hotel and cafe that can fit the story’s objectives. Funds cover the set construction and/or property rental, plus decor pieces.

CHARACTER / COSTUME + VANITIES

— Creating total “looks” for the characters, from wardrobe to makeup and hairstyling. Over the course of a season, there will be dozens of looks for all the main and supporting characters, each of whom have a distinct style. We’ve considered allotments, per character, for wardrobe pieces and sufficient funds for hair/makeup.


Potential crew members.

* The potential crew members listed would be “full-time” over the course of multiple episodes. There would also be part-time/day players and partnering companies as well throughout a production.

  • Story Director/Editor

  • Episode Writer(s)

  • Scripty/Script Supervisor

  • Casting Director

  • Main Cast (8)

  • Support Cast (4-8)

  • Featured Guests

  • Production Designer

  • Project Manager

  • Set Decorator

  • Props Master/Wrangler

  • Key Scenic

  • Costume Designer

  • Lead Hair & Makeup

  • Makeup Artist

  • Hair Stylist

  • Stylist / Tailor


Potential line items.

  • Writing (on location)

  • In-person auditions

  • Hotel set build/rental

  • Diner set build/rental

  • Secondary sets build

  • Decor pieces

  • Prop pieces

  • Wardrobe pieces

  • Character props

  • Makeup inventory

The STYLE depts.

— The ones that most influence the presentation.

PHOTOGRAPHY / CAMERA + LIGHTING

— Our goal is to budget a little more money upfront to try to purchase some (pre-owned) professional gear, like a camera kit, rigs and maybe a lens(es). This prevents the super costly rental loop, plus it allows far more flexibility in scheduling and filming, as you’re not at the mercy of a rental house or of the potential lack of resources in a location.

EDITING / CUTTING + EFFECTS

— In addition to stitching the episodes, we’ll also include here color correction and a suite of visual elements fine-tuned in post-production. For example, we’ve got ideas for cool graphics or animations (for credits), plus sequences which may require some light, VFX love, which would be done by a partner company.

SOUND / RECORDING + MIXING

— Here we include two facets of sound: first, the recording of dialogue and sounds during filming, and second, editing and mixing those sounds, plus creating new ones, during post-production. Our goal is, again, to try to purchase some sound gear upfront, to both cut the rental loop and to be able to customize for production needs.

MUSIC / SCORE + SONGS

— In building the music team, we’ll look for crew member(s) who can both compose score and potentially facilitate music production. For score, we want to create a base “theme” sound, to be dictated by the setting’s cultural qualities. We’ve also considered a small fund for use of songs (likely by less-discovered artists) that can elevate a scene.


Potential crew members.

  • Director(s) Photography

  • Gaffer(s)

  • Camera Operator

  • Key Grip

  • 1st AC

  • DIT

  • ELT

  • General Operator

  • Chief Editor

  • Lead Colorist

  • Editor

  • Colorist

  • Editing Asst.(s)

  • Sound Director/Designer

  • Sound Recorder(s)

  • Boom Operator(s)

  • Sound Editor

  • Foley Artist

  • Sound Asst.

  • Music Director

  • 2nd Composer


Potential line items.

  • Camera(s)

  • Camera accessories

  • Rigs

  • Primary lighting

  • Power/electrical

  • Storage

  • Post software

  • VFX work

  • Recording gear

  • Post software

  • Songs (licensed)

The SCOPE Depts.

— The ones that most influence the production.

STAGING / LOCATION + (PRACTICAL) EFFECTS

— Staging includes a coalition of actions like scouting and securing filming locations; set up for practical effects; sourcing props or gear and cultivating municipal or business relationships. For Bound, we want to film on-location in a city/area authentic to the story and then feature real locations and build up partnerships within it.

LOGISTICS / SCHEDULE + TRANSPORTATION

— This is where the master and block schedules get made and where inventory is handled. It’s where production progress is facilitated by persistently ensuring teams are on the same page and that movement of people and pieces are on point. Every day can bring an obstacle, or a switch up, so it’s really important to fund proper coverage here.

MANAGEMENT / ACCOUNTING + COMPLIANCE

— This is where overall and block budgets get crafted and/or enforced. Management also addresses HR structures, plus efficient (footprint) practices by all. We’ve budgeted for insurances and supplies and considered more complex sequences in the scripts which may require the addition of security or medical personnel.

SERVICE / TRAVEL + CARE

— Any way you spin it, people are going to have to travel for Bound. We’ll work to keep support crew local to mitigate cost, but the main cast and department heads will likely be spread out. So, flights and housing are budgeted for them. We’ve also included funds for grocery and/or meals for crew who will be on-location for extended periods.


Potential crew members.

  • Chief Coordinator/Producer

  • Deputy Coordinator

  • Background Coordinator

  • AD/Field Director(s)

  • Lead Driver

  • Driver(s)/Loader(s)

  • Production Manager/Producer

  • Set Marshal

  • Office Asst.

  • Service Director/Coordinator

  • Chef / Caterer

  • Asst. Chef / Crafty

  • Set Attendant


Potential line items.

  • Location permits/rentals

  • Location set ups/retrofits

  • Background extras

  • Stunt work

  • Team software

  • Base camp/office space

  • Work vehicles/vans

  • Ground transportation

  • Payroll structures

  • Filming insurance(s)

  • Security personnel

  • Medical personnel/supplies

  • Flights

  • Housing (Cast, Dept. Heads)

  • Food/Stipends

  • Misc. (household) supplies

The SCALE Depts.

— The ones that most influence the sustainability.

PLATFORM / STREAMING + ENGAGEMENT

— For an independent production, it’s important to consider the totality of a series. Not just the episode production but also the environment in which they can play. So, we’ve included funds to build and maintain a lean, mean, custom website which can be used for streaming, if needed, plus other engagement with the series.

MARKET / PRODUCTS + FEATURES

— In the future this could involve cultivating sponsors or other, financial partnerships for the series, but for now, it’s finding creative ways to deliver and sustain the series financially, like with campaigns, select merchandise and website features. Funds raised will help develop such items or ventures for supplementary income.

BRANDING / ART + ADVERTISING

— You do judge a book by its cover. Here, we considered funds for art and copy on just about anything - from themed art that accompanies an episode, to promotional campaigns, to continually updating work for the website. We also considered funds for digital advertising space and select, physical installations in locations.

PUBLICITY / MEDIA + EVENTS

— We’d like to produce material like team profiles, behind-the-scenes documentation, short/social videos, plus a screening or two, all to help spread the word on the series and the people within it. Because when you really believe in and enjoy something, you want to try to tell as many people as you can.


Potential crew members.

  • Platform Director/Developer

  • Translations Coordinator

  • Producer/Modeler

  • Features Coordinator

  • Art Director

  • Artist(s)

  • Animator

  • Social Coordinator

  • Video/Photographer

  • Copy Editor/Writer


Potential line items.

  • Custom website

  • Site features

  • Episode translations

  • Manufacturing partners

  • Contest (trip) rewards

  • Digital + print advertising

  • Art installations

  • Screenings

  • Bookings/partnerships

The SHAPE Depts.

— Turns out there’s a lot of five-letter words that start with the letter “S.” These are the ones that have a hand in molding everything.

STRATEGY / COORDINATION + SUPPORT

— More of a person (or persons) than department, with focus on a myriad of elements from fundraising, to securing locations, to helping find key cast and crew and wrangling gear inventory. In production, they’re the go-to for support, from bottom to top. Finally, they’ll play a big role in setting up the series for distribution.

DIRECTION / COMPOSITION + PERFORMANCE

— Again, more of a person or persons than a department. In the case of a full season, we’d look to have at least four directors, with each ideally taking charge over a themed block of episodes.


Potential crew members.

  • [Executive] Producer(s)

  • Series Accountant

  • Senior Director

  • Episode Director(s)


Potential line items.

  • Taxes — You know it! A large portion of the budget and thus funding goal goes to taxes. The series Producer will try for municipal partnerships to ease the amount, but of course it has to be listed into the cost.

The budget and plan for Bound has really been in mind for years. In fact, the first, real attempt at it was back in 2020 as soon as COVID hit. Looking back, I can see that if something were made way back then, it would have been much lesser, and after years of more life and industry lessons, the series is now more built to last.