How much money can you make from a documentary?

How much money can you make from a documentary?

That said, those baseline estimates - $1,000 to $10,000 per finished video - will give you something approaching an idea of how much a documentary will cost to make. A public television documentary may cost several hundred thousand dollars, even upward of $1 million to make.

How do you make money from a documentary?

My Top 10 Tips For Making A Living With Documentary Filmmaking

1. Make the commitment. ...
2. Become a great fundraiser (or hire one) ...
3. Learn DIY Distribution. ...
4. Monetize Old Projects. ...
5. Pay Yourself. ...
6. Work with Established Production Companies. ...
7. Learn production skills. ...
8. Be Flexible.

How much do Docuseries pay?

The salaries of Documentary Film Producers in the US range from $41,600 to $62,400 , with a median salary of $52,000 .

Do you get paid for being in a documentary?

If you are a documentary filmmaker, you NEVER pay anyone for participating. ... But a documentary takes us into the world of journalism, and journalism has certain rules and standards. One of these rules is, you never pay people to participate.

How much is a documentary worth?

For documentary film-making at the lowest-budget level, '$1000 per finished minute' is the cheapest starting point for costing. We recommend using $2000 – $4000 per finished minute as a beginning point or ball park. And you should expect that even a 'simple film' may cost more.

How do I sell my documentary?

5 Tips for Selling Your Indie Documentary

1. From day one, Know your audience and build awareness. ...
2. Apply for a doc grant or program, and/or attach a notable executive producer. ...
3. Get a sales agent. ...
4. Find the Festival where you can stand out. ...
5. Go with the distributor you can trust.

How do I sell a documentary on Netflix?

Netflix only accepts submissions through a licensed literary agent, or from a producer, attorney, manager, or entertainment executive with whom we have a preexisting relationship. Any idea that is submitted by other means is considered an “unsolicited submission.”

How much do networks pay for documentaries?

A high-end documentary can cost from $100,000 to $2 million to make, and the top price a network will pay is in the high six figures to $1 million (HBO is rumored to have paid well above that rate for “The Jinx,” an exception.) Networks typically pay $1.9 million to $2.5 million for an hourlong scripted TV drama.

How much does Netflix pay for a series?

Netflix doesn't publicly disclose its deals, but from what we managed to gather around the Internet, Netflix is currently paying between $100 and $250 million for blockbuster movies, while popular TV shows with multiple seasons have budgets that range from $300 to $500 million.

How much should I charge for a documentary?

By industry standards, a documentary costs between $750 -1250 per minute of the duration. However, you can easily make a low-budget documentary under $15000. A big-budget documentary can run beyond $2 million in production.