What big-budget projects can afford that small-budgets cannot.

This week, I was asked to bid on a $20 Million and a $2 million animated film. Bidding two projects with very different budgets opened my understanding of what a bigger budget can afford and how a smaller budget project must adapt to be successful. What I realized surprised me.

The "big" budget: Higher budget means higher expectations

With a bigger budget, clients will be more demanding, and we will find more layers of approvals, which need to be accounted for in the budget. This will require adding more time (and money) to accommodate the many changes required for production. Basically, what a higher budget allows is the capacity to re-do. The higher the budget, the more re-dos are possible.

A less personal experience

On a personal level, a higher-budget project makes a personal connection between the producers/director and the animation team more difficult. The high stakes and often heavier hierarchy create a sense of separation between people involved. This can lead to the feeling of a work-for-hire relationship. "We will do what we are told," knowing we may have little room for suggestions.

 

The "small" budget: Keeping your thinking cap screwed on tight

A small budget does not mean low expectations but rather more openness and willingness to look for and find solutions to "make it happen." A small budget will not allow us the luxury to "get it wrong and re-do," so it forces us to create a lean plan, making the best of every resource available. But production is unpredictable, and mistakes and problems will happen, so how can we plan for a contingency when we have no room for it in the budget?

The power of teamwork to the rescue
 

This is where things get interesting, where a big budget project will have difficulty creating personal connection between the layers of the production hierarchy, the small budget production cannot thrive without a solid bond, and a high level of trust and collaboration between everyone involved. Because the budget cannot allow re-dos, it is up to the team, from the producers, the director, and the animation team, to keep their thinking cap on all the time and be able to react in the face of challenges. The stronger the trust between everyone, the more elegantly these challenges will be faced.

I will dare to affirm the following:

In light of the scandals surrounding the work conditions leading to the delivery of Inside Out 2, can we suppose that a big budget allows the capacity to not rely on the personal bond between people to warrant a good delivery? Can I imagine a larger budget is not forced to create good human conditions because the "quality" does not depend on it?

But if what I say is true about how a small budget can be successful thanks to a solid team spirit, what does this mean in the context of a high-budget project? Can I presume that if a high-budget project invested time in improving working conditions, building a stronger team spirit, and increasing and nurturing collaboration, wouldn't we save millions in "re-dos"? Millions we could re-invest on and behind the screen.

 

Are toxic working conditions a luxury item?

Maybe this is what a big budget can afford: paying the high cost of inefficiency caused by a lack of attention to the team's fundamental needs.

Small-budget projects have a lot of teaching to offer to large budgets. Maybe it is time we stop valuing projects by the size of their budget but rather by the willingness to support a team's fundamental needs. Hence, everyone becomes essential to the success of a common objective: to tell the best story possible.

*To learn how to bid on projects regardless of their budget size and with attention to building strong relationships without compromising quality, check out my course, Bidding Winning Animation Projects.