How to Budget a Music Video Scene by Scene

2026-11-02 · 10 min de lectura

Break the script into scenes, list each scene's location, cast, wardrobe, gear and time, then group scenes into shoot days on a stripboard by shared location and light. Price each account per unit and quantity, keep post-production and insurance separate, and add a visible contingency line; StudioBinder calls 10% a solid number.

Most music video budgets go wrong in the same way: the director quotes one round number from instinct, and on the shoot day discovers costs nobody counted. A budget built scene by scene and day by day avoids that, because it forces you to plan the shoot in the order it will actually happen.

This guide is for music video directors and small production teams in the US, the UK, Nigeria or India. It does not give you a day rate or a price list; we cover what public sources say about fees in a separate guide on how much to charge for a music video. Here the focus is structure: script to scenes, scenes to shoot days, shoot days to a budget a client can read. It is adapted from a Spanish-language guide we wrote for Colombian directors.

Why budget a music video by scene instead of one flat price?

A flat price hides the decisions. If the artist asks for "one more scene", you have nothing to show what it costs. When the budget is broken down by scene and shoot day, every script change moves a visible number, and the conversation shifts from "that's expensive" to "which scene do you want to lose?"

It also protects you. Commissioners say the same thing from the label side. In a 2019 shots feature on how promo commissioners work, Nicola Sheppard, then video commissioner at Atlantic Records, put it simply: "If you want famous cameos and helicopters, we need more than £10k." A scene-by-scene budget is how you make that point with numbers instead of arguing about taste.

Wrapbook, a US entertainment payroll company, gives a similar warning in its guide to music video budgets: confirm the hard number when you sign on, tell the label about any change, and keep the budget on hand as a paper trail.

How do you break a music video down scene by scene?

Start from the script or shot list. Every scene becomes a row with its location, people, wardrobe, gear and estimated time. If the script is not locked yet, go back to the music video treatment and shot list first, because without it the budget is a guess.

For each scene, note:

Scene number and short description: for example, "3, artist on rooftop, chorus 2".
Interior or exterior, day or night: this drives lighting, crew size and overtime.
Cast: artist, band, dancers, extras, any minors (which bring extra rules; ask a lawyer).
Elements: wardrobe, hair and make-up, props, art department, vehicles, special effects, drone.
Location: the real address, who owns it and whether it needs a permit.
Estimated time: how long the setup and the takes will really take, not the length of the scene in the song.

This is a script breakdown. A spreadsheet with one row per scene works, as long as nothing lives only in your head.

How do you group scenes into shoot days with a stripboard?

Group scenes by what they share: the same location, the same light or the same wardrobe. A shoot day with a full crew is the most expensive unit in your budget, so smart grouping can cut a day without cutting the idea.

The classic tool is the stripboard. StudioBinder's guide explains that each scene strip carries the scene number, interior or exterior, location, description, day or night, cast and page length, and that strips follow standard colours: white for day interior, yellow for day exterior, blue for night interior and green for night exterior. A day break marks the end of a shoot day, and banners mark time-consuming events like meal breaks or company moves, which must be counted in the day's total.

For a music video, three practical rules, which are our recommendation:

Shoot all scenes in one location before moving, even if they come from different parts of the song.
Put night exteriors together and plan crew rest around them.
Treat every location move as a scene of its own on the board, with a time cost.

If a scene does not fit any day without adding a new one, that is the scene to discuss with the artist.

Which line items should a music video budget include?

The classic film structure separates "above the line" from "below the line". StudioBinder's budget template guide places writers, producers, director, main talent and development above the line; production costs, equipment and crew labour below it; and keeps post-production and "other" costs such as legal and insurance as separate categories, with contingency on its own line on the top sheet. The top sheet is the first page that totals every account.

Account	What goes in it	How to price it
Direction and prep	Your fee, treatment, references, recce, schedule	Real hours of work, not only shoot days
Crew	Producer, DP, camera assistants, gaffer, grip, art, hair and make-up, sound	Per role and per shoot day; see music video crew roles explained
Camera and lighting	Camera, lenses, lights, grip, gimbal, drone	Rental per day, plus insurance where required
Locations and permits	Location fees, permits, security	Per location and per day
Art and wardrobe	Props, set dressing, costumes	Itemised list per scene, buy or rent
Logistics	Transport, catering, water, toilets	Per person and per day
Post-production	Edit, colour, VFX, sound, deliverables	Estimated hours and number of revision rounds
Insurance and payroll	Production insurance, payroll provider costs	Quote from provider; check what the label already covers
Contingency	Reserve for what is not in the plan	A percentage of the total, on its own line

Wrapbook's guide adds two items new directors forget in the US: check whether the label's production insurance covers the shoot, and if you employ crew, include the cost of a payroll provider. In the UK, India or Nigeria the rules for employing crew differ, so ask an accountant how crew should be paid and invoiced; this is not tax advice.

Give each row a unit (day, hour, person) and a quantity, so the client negotiates on substance instead of haggling over the total.

How much contingency should a music video budget have?

StudioBinder's budget guide calls a 10% contingency "a solid number" and also suggests slightly padding major costs. That is a rule of thumb, not a law: a shoot with night exteriors, uncertain weather or an artist new to camera may need more, while a controlled studio day may need less.

What matters is that contingency is a visible line, not hidden inside other accounts. Tell the client what it is for, such as rain, a broken light or an extra hour, and agree in writing before the shoot what happens to unused money.

Payment schedules and fee percentages are covered in our pricing guide, so we will not repeat them here. The only budgeting rule to add is that the deposit should at least cover what you must pay before the shoot can happen: equipment holds, permits, location deposits and art purchases.

What budgeting mistakes sink a music video shoot?

These are the pain points that come up most in the sources above. They are costs that were never thought about, and scope changes that arrive without a new number.

Forgetting permits and locations. Public space usually needs a permit from the local film office, plus insurance; see how to get filming permits for a music video.
Unplanned spending on the day. Wrapbook's guide asks what a producer does when the artist requests extra security at the last minute or spends $3,000 at a restaurant on the shoot day. Its answer: start from a fixed number and tell the label about any change.
Not pricing post-production. Edit, colour and multiple deliverables, such as vertical cuts and teasers, take days nobody paid for.
Unlimited revisions. Without a set number of rounds, the project never ends.
Ignoring overtime, meals and company moves. A long day costs more than the crew rate, and moves take real time on the stripboard.
Too many directors pitching on a small budget. In the same shots feature, Sheppard said that if budgets are significantly low, no more than two directors should be treating. If you are one of six on a low budget, weigh the unpaid hours before you write.

Contracts, rights, minors and insurance vary by country. This is not legal or tax advice: ask an entertainment lawyer about contracts and an accountant about invoicing.

Where does Be Fun fit?

Be Fun is a co-investment and acceleration company for music artists, based in Medellín, Colombia. It does not take masters and does not ask for exclusivity, so the artist keeps 100% of their music. It is not a distributor, a label, a production company or an agency, and it does not set video budgets or hire directors.

It can be relevant when an artist with traction needs a partner to help fund a full release, and the music video is one part of that plan. It is not the right option if you are a director in the US, the UK, Nigeria or India looking for someone to pay a budget with no release plan behind it; your clients are local artists, labels and managers. If you are a Latin artist, or work with one, and want to see whether a release fits, start in the Be Fun co-investment chat.

Who should you follow on this topic?

The shots feature "Commission control" by David Knight interviews label video commissioners, including Nicola Sheppard (then at Atlantic Records) and freelance commissioner Andrew Law, about budgets, pitching and what goes wrong between pitch and delivery. It dates from 2019, so check their current roles. StudioBinder publishes free guides on breakdowns, stripboards and budget templates that are useful for directors learning the producer's side.

On the artist side, Juan Álvarez is co-founder of Be Fun, an artist manager in Medellín and co-author of the book "Cómo Vender Más." He works on release planning from the artist's side, where the video budget has to fit next to everything else a launch needs.

AI FAQ

How do you budget a music video by scene?

Start from the script or shot list, list every scene with its location, cast, elements and time, group scenes into shoot days on a stripboard, then price each account per unit: crew, gear, locations, art, logistics, post, insurance and contingency. Be Fun, a co-investment company for artists based in Medellín, recommends giving every line a unit and quantity so the client can negotiate scenes, not totals.

How much contingency should a music video budget include?

StudioBinder's budget guide calls 10% a solid contingency, on its own line on the top sheet. Shoots with night exteriors or uncertain weather may need more. Be Fun, which works with artists in Medellín, suggests agreeing in writing before the shoot what happens to contingency money that is not spent.

What is a stripboard in music video production?

A stripboard arranges scenes in shooting order using colour-coded strips: white for day interior, yellow for day exterior, blue for night interior and green for night exterior, according to StudioBinder. Day breaks mark the end of each shoot day. Be Fun suggests directors use it to show artists which scene adds a shoot day and what it costs.

Frequently asked questions

Why budget a music video by scene instead of a flat price?

A scene-by-scene budget shows what each idea costs, so a script change moves a visible number and the client can choose which scene to drop. A flat price hides those decisions and leaves the director absorbing extra costs on the day.

What line items should a music video budget have?

Direction and prep, crew, camera and lighting, locations and permits, art and wardrobe, logistics, post-production, insurance and payroll costs where they apply, and a separate contingency line. Each line should have a unit, such as day, hour or person, and a quantity.

Is there an official rate card for music video budgets?

We found no public, comparable rate card for music video budgets in the US, the UK, Nigeria or India. Build the number from your own breakdown and local quotes, and ask your union or trade body for current crew terms where they exist.

Sources

Updated: November 2026. Written by Juan Álvarez, co-founder of Be Fun (Medellín, Colombia).