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Film Cost Calculator


Joshua Echevarria

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hey all. wanted to share this film cost calculator that I've been working on for a while.  

www.filmcostcalculator.com

Eventually I'd like to add more equations that can list out alternative results to compare various perf options.  Also working on a 1000' roll calculator.

 

Hope it helps!  Feel free to comment with any notes and ideas.

film cost.jpg

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8 minutes ago, Uli Meyer said:

Hey Joshua, this is a great idea but where do you get your pricing from? I pay a lot less than what your calculator tells me. Prices vary in different parts of the world.

I would say this is specific to the US but I’m happy to create a version that also works for Europe if you have specific numbers that you’d like to send me. I’m basing these prices off of Kodak and cinelab  price chart

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1 minute ago, Joshua Echevarria said:

I would say this is specific to the US but I’m happy to create a version that also works for Europe if you have specific numbers that you’d like to send me. I’m basing these prices off of Kodak and cinelab  price chart

The prices for neg dev and scanning can vary greatly depending on where you are. It would be great if one could add the numbers oneself.

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I think what I’ll do is create calculators for the biggest markets. I think doing the work of manually adding all the different prices sort of defeats the purpose of the tool.  It’s supposed to streamline the process and just help estimate the numbers. I did add a disclaimer at the bottom of the result page as well

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1 minute ago, Joshua Echevarria said:

I think what I’ll do is create calculators for the biggest markets. I think doing the work of manually adding all the different prices sort of defeats the purpose of the tool.  It’s supposed to streamline the process and just help estimate the numbers. I did add a disclaimer at the bottom of the result page as well

Even just within the UK the costing will vary by quite a bit depending on which one of the big labs you go to.

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So my intention was to just aggregate data and create something that gives a close estimate to what the cost will be so that productions can create a relatively realistic line item. I don’t think there is a world where 100% accuracy is possible unless there was a calculator for each lab - which would be impossible because even here in New York the labs don’t publicly share their price sheet. Some labs will tell you if you reach out but normally it’s not even listed on their website so to create something where a user inputs their own numbers wouldn’t be useful either in certain circumstances

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  • 4 weeks later...

Joshua, what you're trying to accomplish is both noble and a bit misleading, in my opinion. Production cost varies, sometimes drastically. And one production might get a very different price than another, based on a plethora of factors. You should at least encourage everyone visiting your site to actually reach out to labs and ask for pricing for their specific project and then suggest to compare two or three offerings. That is how you get the best price. 

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It's a great idea. 

Your "New York" pricing is $1.30/foot, which is very high. 

We charge $1.14 for the same thing here in So Cal. 

I usually quote $1.14 for anyone I talk to, as it's a pretty close price to what most people charge globally. Most people can get deals on stock too and maybe have a friend with a scanner. So it's tricky to do a calculator. 

But I get the intent and I think it's a good idea. Keep on it! 

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On 12/7/2022 at 5:49 PM, Ludwig Hagelstein said:

Joshua, what you're trying to accomplish is both noble and a bit misleading, in my opinion. Production cost varies, sometimes drastically. And one production might get a very different price than another, based on a plethora of factors. You should at least encourage everyone visiting your site to actually reach out to labs and ask for pricing for their specific project and then suggest to compare two or three offerings. That is how you get the best price. 

 

They Ludwig

  There are disclaimers on the main page and the result page to reach out to your local lab for best deals.  Again this is an approximation tool.  Not for exact numbers and I'm trying to be as clear about that as possible.

 

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On 12/8/2022 at 2:17 AM, Tyler Purcell said:

It's a great idea. 

Your "New York" pricing is $1.30/foot, which is very high. 

We charge $1.14 for the same thing here in So Cal. 

I usually quote $1.14 for anyone I talk to, as it's a pretty close price to what most people charge globally. Most people can get deals on stock too and maybe have a friend with a scanner. So it's tricky to do a calculator. 

But I get the intent and I think it's a good idea. Keep on it! 

Hey Tyler.  Thanks.  I'm basing the price direct from Cinelab's rate card for the east coast prices.   The kodak rate card is actually even higher.    I think the east coast prices are a bit more inflated then everywhere else.

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5 minutes ago, Joshua Echevarria said:

 

They Ludwig

  There are disclaimers on the main page and the result page to reach out to your local lab for best deals.  Again this is an approximation tool.  Not for exact numbers and I'm trying to be as clear about that as possible.

 

Problem is that if inexperienced people don’t read your disclaimer, they might be put off by the cost and decide against using film. Just a thought. 

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