What is the production budget?
The production budget can be a touchy subject. If you have numbers in mind for the sound budget, give the musician or sound designer a ballpark estimate. There’s no need to divulge privileged information – just give a rough idea. This will tell the sound artist what budget he or she will be expected to stay within and the scope and seriousness of the project. Knowing this will also help the sound creator offer solutions based on the budget and can make payment options more flexible (e.g., payment up front, payment at milestones, a royalty payment structure, and even barter agreements). We sound designers and composers are part of the development team and do not want to doom a project before it even has a chance. Flexible payment options are common with sound professionals.
