What Does a Line Producer Budget Include?

A line producer’s budget is built from four main sections: above-the-line, below-the-line, post-production, and contingency. Each has its own logic, its own rate structures, and its own set of questions. A solid budget does not hide the assumptions — it shows them, so anyone reading the top sheet can see where every number came from.

This guide walks through the four sections and explains what belongs where. Use it alongside a budgeting tool like BudgetBuilder that shows the source of every rate.

1. Above-the-line

Above-the-line covers the creative and rights side of the production: the story, the director, the producer, and the principal cast. These are often negotiated as flat fees or deferred payments rather than day rates. In a line producer budget, above-the-line categories typically include:

• Story / Rights — script acquisition, option payments, or writer’s fee
• Producer — the producer’s fee (often deferred on low-budget work)
• Director — the director’s fee
• Cast — principal performers, including any SAG-AFTRA or equity minimums if applicable

Above-the-line costs are typically the smallest category in a low-budget production and the largest in a studio feature. For an indie short or feature, expect above-the-line to be 10–25% of the total budget, often deferred or heavily discounted.

2. Below-the-line

Below-the-line is the production crew and everything needed to actually shoot. This is where the bulk of a line producer’s budget lives. The categories are standard across the industry:

• Crew — camera, sound, lighting, grip, make-up & hair, art department, costume, AD/PA, and production office. Each role has a day rate and a quantity (number of people in that role).
• Locations — location fees, permissions, parking, and any location damage deposits
• Catering & Craft — meals, craft services, and water for the crew. A standard line is a per-head per-day cost.
• Transport & Travel — petrol, van hire, mileage, crew travel, and accommodation if the shoot is away from base
• Equipment — camera, lighting, grip, and sound kit hire. Often a package deal from a hire house.
• Insurance — production insurance, liability, equipment cover, and any required union insurance

Below-the-line typically accounts for 50–70% of a production budget. Every line should have a rate with a source — a hire house quote, a published schedule, or a rate the producer has agreed with the crew.

3. Post-production

Post-production costs are often quoted as a flat project fee rather than day rates, but a good budget still breaks them down:

• Editing — editor’s fee, often by the week or by the project
• Colour grading — grade and online conform
• Sound — dialogue edit, sound design, mix, and any foley or ADR
• Music — composer fee, rights clearance, or library music licences
• VFX & Titles — visual effects, motion graphics, and main/end titles

Post-production for a short film typically runs 15–25% of the total budget. For a feature, the proportion is similar but the absolute numbers are much higher.

4. Contingency

Contingency is a percentage of the total of all the above categories (above + below + post). Industry standard is 10–15%. Critically, the budget must show both the percentage and the base it is calculated on. A contingency listed as a lump sum with no stated base is not transparent — no one can reproduce it.

Contingency is not profit. It covers genuine unknowns: a location falls through, a rate changes at the last minute, a piece of equipment needs a last-minute replacement. A line producer who does not budget contingency is budgeting a plan that will break on day one.

How the sections fit together

A line producer’s top sheet presents these four sections in a fixed order: above-the-line first, then below-the-line, then post, then contingency. Every category subtotal reconciles to the section total, and every section total reconciles to the grand total. If the subtotals do not add up, the budget is wrong.

The value of a tool like BudgetBuilder is that it enforces this structure: you enter the production parameters, and the top sheet appears with each category broken out, each rate sourced, and every line reconcilable. You can argue with any line because its assumptions are visible.

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