Today I think I'm going to remake Elbow because he was the first puppet I had ever made and he is a bit rough around the edges and he is waaaaaaaaay too small. I will post pictures tomorrow.

Also, one more thing, how much money do you think i ???t will cost? I already have sound gear, editing software, and a HD camera as well as lighting supplies, but I will need to make about 25 more puppets and a few stop motion models, as well as all of the sets. I will also probably want some money to get my own domain name for a web site. My actors will mainly be me and my friends, who I honestly don't think will make me pay anything. I've taken an average and I can make a puppet anywhere from $0.00 to $30.00 depending on the puppet. I already have some supplies, like hot glue and a sewing machine, as well as plenty of foam rubber and about 6 yards of good puppet fabric. The bad thing though is that the movie fund is aprox. $1 to $1.50 right now so, yeah, that might be a problem, but I can probably bring in some more money.

As I said, our film is going to come in around the $1000 mark.  I think I spent about $200 of that on building puppets (we have 11 of them for this film), including clothing them.  On top of that we had to pick up bits and pieces at thrift stores so we could have fairly realistic-looking sets, we paid $100 to use a location overnight.  And don't forget, as stated earlier, you really should feed your cast and crew.  They are doing you a favour, which sometimes means they don't feel bad by saying things like "Oh yeah, we can't make it tomorrow" or "I got a new job so I don't think I can do it".  Trust me, it happens.  So offer them something - food and drink.  Pizza and Cokes are cheap and easy and will usually keep people content.  Also, pay attention to dietary needs - get gluten free crust if you have to.  People, even close friends, are more apt to remain invested if there's something in it for them.

We had a fundraising campaign, which helped with the costs, and to add incentive we offered swag for repayment of donations.  We made posters which we'll all sign, someone donated some custom buttons, and we're going to make coffee mugs -- all for the investors.  Again, people will be more likely to contribute if you offer something in return.  On top of that, we'll give every contributor and each cast/crew member a copy of the final DVD. 

So to answer your question - there's no way for an outside source to determine the cost of your film.  Take the time to itemize your 'haves' and your 'needs' and estimate those costs.  That should give you a ballpark idea.  Then, once you have that figure, count on more.  All number of things can happen - I had to rebuild an entire puppet because it started to fall apart before film even rolled. 

Only you can determine your budget. The first thing I would think about is your puppet cost. You mentioned you need to make about 25 puppets and that your top cost is $30.00. So first calculate 25 x $30.00 and you come up with $750.00. I realize that you said you already have things like foam and fabric but as mentioned you must always over estimate your cost.

Hard to say what your sets are going to cost you since you have not given us any idea of what type of sets you are going to use. Are you going to look for recycled cardboard boxes you can cut and paint or are you going to make wood flats covered in canvas and painted?  Big cost difference.

Your friends may not insist on you paying them but how are you going to keep them interested in the project?  Will you be buying pizza or other food for them while they work on the movie?

Bottom line.... I don't think $1.50 is going to cut it.  Even on a shoe string budget you are going to end up spending hundreds of dollars I would bet.  

Seems Poorfishy and I where composing at the same time.  Same thing different words but I think you get the idea.

Personally...do some YouTube shorties (2-4 minutes) get use to using puppets on the camera and what you can do with the camera as well as setting up shots to accommodate actors and puppets...see how people respond to your work...maybe then you can gain some fanfare from family or friends who like what your doing and will give you some funds towards your movie project.  Doing shorts will help you understand the costs that build up quickly as well as not trying to learn the craft while doing a movie which will slow things down a lot and u might lose interest, your actors for taking so long to set up your shots, editing ect...the movie can then be looked at later on.

Just my two cents...

StiqPuppets

Quite right PoorFishy and Shawn. The more money you have  the more and faster you can go. I'm 12 minutes into ours (one version in Spanish and one in English = 24 mins total) I think I have spent $25 so far. I am like you TheAmazingRando, I have most of the technical setup already. I have no actors so far except me, and my daughter helped out on a few shots so far, and we feed her anyway, so she won't get pizza unless I decide we have it for dinner . I have some cave scenes coming up. I did a whole room for $1. Never let budget stop you... but the less you have, the harder you have to work to do something that will work.

I'm building a cave right now too.  I was inspired by a YouTube vid posted here a few days ago.  Changed an entire scene location (and added a few days work) just because it was such a cool idea.

I'm building a cave right now too.  I was inspired by a YouTube vid posted here a few days ago.  Changed an entire scene location (and added a few days work) just because it was such a cool idea.

That would be pagestep007 aka Philip that created those videos.   In fact if you are looking to do the film on a shoestring then I would suggest popping over to his YT page and checking out all his videos.  http://www.youtube.com/user/philipstephens007

Way ahead of ya.  Great stuff!