Top 5 Elements To Consider When Budgeting For Set Design

Whether you are investing in TV production for a series or an advert, you will need to carefully budget for your project. 

There is a wide range of costs associated with any TV production, ranging from post-production and studio space hire to equipment rental and professional costs for the likes of camera operators, actors, sound engineers and so on.

However, for the purposes of this blog, we’re going to focus on budgeting for set design, because this can easily trip you up, especially if you’re relatively new to TV production.

The following are five important elements you need to factor in when creating your budget for set design.

1. How many studio sets do you need?

This might sound like an obvious question but it’s an important one to answer before you begin any further planning. You’ll need the storyboard for your advert or your broader series to be able to answer this question with any certainty.

If you realise that you need to have multiple studio sets, don’t panic, because there are likely ways you can reuse elements of different sets to create new environments. 

The most obvious question to answer is whether you can manage by creating a single “room” that can be decorated in different ways or kitted out with different furniture to create the various scenes you need for your production. 

If the answer is yes, then you will be able to reduce your set building costs by reducing the amount of materials you need for constructing the likes of floors and walls. 

2. What construction materials will you use?

Sourcing accurate costs for the base construction materials is important. More broadly, the price of construction materials in the UK has been fluctuating significantly in recent years. 

This means you need to be prepared for pricing changes if you are planning several months in advance – although of course these could work in your favour as well as making your set build more expensive. 

As well as the main materials, such as wood, consider also the cost of paints, wallpaper and any specific flooring finish that you might prefer. These items often feel like add-ons, but when you create your budget they can add considerable amounts to your outgoings. 

3. How long will your set build take?

How long it takes to build your set can impact your budget in two ways. The first is in how many days of labour you will need to pay your set builders to construct your vision. The second is how many days of studio hire you’ll need. 

Again, it can sound obvious but it can be easy to think of studio hire in terms of filming days. Don’t forget to allocate time at the beginning and end of your shoot to both build and then dismantle your set. 

4. Could you use a green screen?

Depending on the complexity of the set you want to use, a green screen environment may prove to be more appropriate. This is certainly easier to set up and therefore means you will need to spend less on hiring a studio space and on your set build costs.

However, a green screen naturally leads to additional expenses in post-production. You’ll need to weigh up not only the cost differences, but also the pros and cons of each approach when making your decision.

If you need multiple, very different indoor sets, a green screen could be the way to go though, because it is generally easier to make significant adjustments to background scenery in post-production than it is to build multiple sets. 

5. What furniture or props do you need?

Set design and construction isn’t only about the background for your scenes. It also encompasses the furniture and any other props that your actors will interact with on screen. 

While props are a separate consideration when it comes to budgeting, the likes of furniture will normally be part of the set design and build budget. 

Explore your options for hiring furniture, as this will often be more cost effective, not to mention more sustainable, than purchasing items. Of course, this depends on whether you are shooting a single TV advert or a multi-episode series. 

In the latter case, it may be beneficial to buy certain core pieces of furniture if they will feature in multiple scenes throughout the show – much like the iconic orange sofa in Central Perk in Friends. 

These are some of the main considerations when it comes to set building and design that you need to factor into your production budget. But this is not an exhaustive list. 

When you source your production studios, like the ones we have at CHIEF, ask us for our advice if you are unsure about any part of this process. We’ve worked on dozens of TV series, adverts and movies and are always happy to share our insights.