Budget your crew first: a practical guide for Indian filmmakers

Atomi · 5 November 2026

Pay, food, travel and safety are not extras. They are the film.

Every film budget has a line called "crew". Behind that line are real people: a gaffer who has blocked out the month, a production assistant travelling two hours each way, a focus puller who needs to know when the money will arrive. For them, the shoot is a job. For you, their pay, food, travel and safety are the first things to plan, not the last.

This guide walks through how to do that, whether you are making a short film, a feature or an ad. It pairs with our free one-page Crew Budget Checklist.

1. Start with the people, not the number

Before you open a spreadsheet, write down who you need for each stage: before the shoot, during it, and after it.

Indian Film Institute's guide to short-film budgets groups the usual crew like this: director, cinematographer, sound recordist, gaffer and assistants, production manager, make-up and costume, art and props, and then in post an editor, sound designer and mixer, composer, colourist and VFX or titles.¹ Your film may need fewer, or more. The point is to name every job, because a job nobody has named is a job somebody ends up doing for free.

A practical way to cover this: list the departments (direction, production, camera, light, sound, art and costume, post, unit support) and ask of each one, "Who does this, on which days, and who pays them?"

2. Settle the deal with each person

There are three common ways to engage someone: a day rate, a fixed fee for the whole job, or a favour. All three can work. Each needs to be clear.

Day rate: agree how many hours make a day and what happens when the day runs long.
Fixed fee: write down exactly which days and tasks it covers, including prep and wrap.
Favour: only when the person has said yes freely. Even then, cover food and travel, give credit, and write down any promise to pay later.

Then put it in writing. A clear message is enough to start with. Include the role, the dates, the amount, overtime terms and the date you will pay.

This is not just good manners. India's four labour codes came into force on 21 November 2025, and news reports describe written appointment letters and overtime at twice the normal rate among their provisions.² How those rules apply to a particular film shoot is something to confirm with a lawyer or a film union rather than assume. What you can do today is keep a clear written record of every deal.

3. Never cut safety

If you must cut something, safety is not it. Two Indian cases show why.

In November 2016, two actors, Anil Kumar and Uday, drowned in the Tippagondanahalli reservoir near Bengaluru after jumping from a helicopter for the climax of the Kannada film Masti Gudi. Reports at the time said they had told journalists they could not swim well, that no protective gear was provided, and that a rescue boat failed to start. Police later filed a chargesheet, and the producer and director were reported to be accused of complicity in the deaths.³

In February 2020, a crane collapsed on the set of Indian 2 at a studio near Chennai. Three crew members died: an assistant director, an art assistant and a production assistant. Police booked the crane operator and the production company in connection with the deaths. The film's lead actor, Kamal Haasan, said publicly that the industry must do better for technicians and called for insurance for all of them.⁴

In 2017, a Silverscreen India report on crew safety found that insurance for crew is expected of producers but, in the words of the piece, "not in practice" on many films.⁵

So, plan and pay for the right people first:

Stunt coordinator for fights, falls, fire or vehicles
Armourer for any weapon, even a prop gun
Effects or fire specialist for smoke, sparks and flames
Safety gear and riders for heights or water
A qualified electrician for lights and generators
First-aid cover and a plan to reach a hospital fast
Rehearsal time in the schedule for any risky shot

If money is short, change the scene. A fall can be framed so no one falls. A fire can be a light. Do not remove the safety cover and keep the shot.

4. The costs people forget

Most budget gaps are not on the big lines. They are in the small, daily ones.

Food and water. Every person, every day, including prep and wrap days. In August 2026, FWICE wrote to the state food-safety (FDA) commissioner about stale and poorly cooked meals on sets, and about a lack of clean drinking water and sanitation.⁶
Travel. To set and home again, including early calls and late wraps. For outstation shoots, add tickets, stay, and the daily allowance (batta).
Overtime. Decide the rule before the shoot, not after a 14-hour day.
Days at both ends. Recce, rehearsal, fittings, gear return.
Crew-owned equipment. If someone brings their camera, lights or laptop, pay rent for it separately from their fee.
Insurance. For equipment, and for people.
Permits and permissions for locations.
Toilets, shade, a place to rest.
Taxes on payments. Ask an accountant.
A cushion. Indian Film Institute advises keeping 5% to 10% extra for emergencies.¹ Something always goes wrong.

A note on rates. We have not listed any pay figures here, because rates vary by city, craft, experience and union, and we did not find an official national rate card for Indian film crew. Ask your crew what they charge, ask your union, and get quotes.

5. Treat your crew fairly

Pay on the day you promised. Late and unpaid crew wages are a recurring dispute in the industry. In 2024, FWICE publicly said a producer owed crew over Rs 65 lakh across three films.⁷ In another case, FWICE halted a shoot until old dues were paid, which then happened.⁸ You do not want to be that story, and your crew do not deserve to be.

Never say "I'll pay after release" unless the date is agreed in writing.

Plan the day. Set a call time, a wrap time and meal breaks. When FWICE sent shooting guidelines to the Maharashtra government in May 2020, it asked for 8-hour shifts, healthy food for crew, an ambulance with a doctor and nurse on every set, and daily-wage workers to be paid daily.⁹ These were pandemic-era requests, not law, but they show what film workers themselves have asked for.

Keep the set safe for everyone. In 2022, the Kerala High Court held that a film production unit is a workplace under the POSH Act, and that units with more than ten workers should set up an Internal Complaints Committee.¹⁰ That ruling is from Kerala, and how it applies elsewhere is still discussed, but the principle is simple: crew should know where to go if something is wrong, and that they will be heard.

Give credit. Spell names correctly. Credit is part of the pay, especially for people building a career.

Keep records. Note what you promised and what you paid.

6. A last check before you lock the budget

Every role has a name, a payment type and a pay date
Safety is included and paid for
Food, travel and overtime are planned
A cushion is set aside
Everyone has their deal in writing

A budget that treats crew as people first is not a more expensive budget. It is one that is less likely to stop halfway.

This article is a general guide, not legal or financial advice.

From Atomi. atomi.works opens Dhanteras, Fri 6 Nov 2026, 6:30 PM IST.

Sources

1.Indian Film Institute, "Breaking down a film budget: how much does it cost to make a short film in India," Kartik Dutta, 14 Jul 2025. https://www.indianfilminstitute.org/post/breaking-down-a-film-budget-how-much-does-it-cost-to-make-a-short-film-in-india
2.Outlook India, "India's new labour codes take effect: all you need to know," 26 Nov 2025 (updated 27 Nov 2025). https://www.outlookindia.com/national/indias-new-labour-codes-take-effect-all-you-need-to-know
3.The News Minute, "Film stunt goes wrong: Two Kannada actors dead after jumping from copter into lake," Nov 2016; Scroll.in video report on the stunt; The News Minute, "Magadi police file chargesheet over stunt that killed two actors." https://www.thenewsminute.com/karnataka/film-stunt-goes-wrong-two-kannada-actors-dead-after-jumping-copter-lake-52520 and https://www.thenewsminute.com/amp/story/flix/magadi-police-file-chargesheet-over-stunt-killed-two-actors-masti-gudi-gears-release-61294
4.Gulf News, "Accident on the sets of Kamal Haasan's 'Indian 2', 3 dead," 20 Feb 2020; Deccan Herald, "Lyca Productions booked in connection with Indian 2 accident"; WION, Kamal Haasan on the accident. https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/south-indian/accident-on-the-sets-of-kamal-haasans-indian-2-3-dead-1.1582170952898 and https://www.deccanherald.com/entertainment/lyca-productions-booked-in-connection-with-indian-2-accident-806868.html
5.Silverscreen India, "Danger lurks on sets," Vandhana, 13 Sep 2017 (archived). https://silverscreenindia.com/movies/features/danger-lurks-sets-film-crew-protected-insured-potential-hazards/
6.Hollywood Reporter India, 12 Aug 2026. https://www.hollywoodreporterindia.com/features/insight/film-body-urges-fda-chief-tukaram-mundhe-to-raid-bollywood-film-sets-over-unhygienic-food-unsafe-working-conditions
7.The Week (wire), "Bollywood film producer Vashu Bhagnani owes over Rs 65 lakh to crew members says FWICE," 28 Jun 2024. https://www.theweek.in/wire-updates/entertainment/2024/06/28/ent15-fwice-bhagnani.html
8.Outlook India, "Ram Gopal Varma resolves Rs 1.1 crore dues after Police Company shoot interrupted." https://www.outlookindia.com/art-entertainment/ram-gopal-varma-resolves-rs-11-crore-dues-after-police-company-shoot-interrupted
9.Bollywood Hungama, "FWICE sends letter on shooting guidelines to Maharashtra CM," 26 May 2020. https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/bollywood/fwice-sends-letter-shooting-guidelines-maharashtra-cm
10.The News Minute, "Win for WCC: Malayalam film sets must have sexual harassment panel, says HC," 2022. https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/win-wcc-malayalam-film-sets-must-have-sexual-harassment-panel-says-hc-161998