SceneBudget

SceneBudget is a web app (with optional desktop companion) that estimates production cost and complexity while you outline and draft. You tag a scene with basics—location type, time of day, cast count, stunts/VFX, vehicles, animals, crowd size, props, and special requirements—and it generates a rough cost band and a “pain score” that flags expensive choices early. It’s not a studio-grade budgeting tool; it’s a reality check for writers and indie producers who keep writing themselves into impossible shoots. The app keeps a running “budget trajectory” across the script, highlights the top 10 cost drivers, and suggests cheaper alternatives (e.g., combine locations, swap night exterior to dusk, reduce company moves) without rewriting your voice. Export a one-page feasibility report for pitching, grants, or producer conversations. Brutal truth: the estimates won’t be perfect, but being directionally right is massively useful.