Set Building cost ballpark figure

[Gabor D.]

Hey everyone,

I know... It depends on... So please....

I have a short chase scene set in a narrow dirty alley, containers, rubbish etc... Two man chases one. They turn, then run some more, turn etc... (I guess the turning thing can be done with other angles trick, so the audience thinks it's an other street...).

So basically I just need "walls" which make a nice narrow corridor like alley for some chase on foot.

Just some ballpark figures does it....

Thanks...

 

[Jason Comparetto]

How long do you need the alley? What material do you want the walls to look like? How wide will your shot be?

 

[Nikolai Pigarev]

Wouldt it be easier to find an alley i mean this one thing US has plenty of dirty allies with rubbish bins

 

[Gabor D.]

Hey,
I'm not in the US

Brick walls. Probably for a 1-2 minute scene, one or max two days of shooting. Some talk, then run, jump on to containers etc...

Just curious about ballpark figures to put it into a perspective...

 

[David W. Jones]

How long is a ball of string?

We have no idea where you are located, or the cost of labor there. If you are planning to build a set on a sound stage, why not ask the folks you are renting the stage from?

If it were me, I would likely hire a location scout to find 3 or 4 locations that could work, and then select the best for looks/logistics.

Good Luck!

Dave

 

[Lliam Worthington]

Yeah, lot of variables to that question, and even once you've filled in the blanks, it's still how long is a piece of string really, depending on what you want, who you know, and your resources, so how can you answer? Anyway, if it was me, and I absolutely couldn't find an alleyway. (To which personally I'd say still try and find a way) Then I'd first look to see if I could rewrite it and set it somewhere else. I actually don't mind this. Problems can often make for better dramatic choices when solved creatively. I hate to imagine JAWS without the awesome - floating drums/boat being dragged by the harpooned JAWS sequence - which all came about as they couldn't get the blood shark to work consistently.

But "IF" said alley was absolutely pivotal to my piece, (in which case you'd imagine your sets would need to be pretty elaborate?) And i couldn't find a location, then before building, I'd probably look to shoot against a one wall location and Greenscreen the other side. Or worse case, try and find and shoot an establishing shot of an alley I could access for a couple of minutes, (travelling to one if required), preferably with a main character entering it then shooting/cheating the actors against one wall with some alleyway set dressing.

Good luck with it Gabor,

Best

Lliam

EDIT: Posted same time as David, ball of string indeed

 

[Gabor D.]

Thanks both of you, but...

I still want answers, I don't think it's that impossible.... Give me some ballpark figures for example, it's a couple thousand dollars, or it's in the tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands... Just to give me some perspective on the subject.

 

[Lliam Worthington]

Thanks both of you, but...

Give me some ballpark figures for example, it's a couple thousand dollars, or it's in the tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands... Just to give me some perspective on the subject.

Sure.

...it's a couple thousand dollars, or it's in the tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands...

Depending on what you need, what you want and what your resources are.

That's not being difficult. (Though with maybe a little bit of a tongue poke) It's just the way it is. There are almost infinite versions to any shot, scene or story, and what you "need" to build is entirely dependant on that, and so therefore are your costs.

If you are shooting at night, hand held, Bourne identity come Collateral approach, and happy for your coverage to be up close and personal with telephotos and shallow DOF, you could pull a "version" off for under 2k if you had the know how. Or you could recreate a 300m authentic alleyway from Sao Paulo in perfect detail for hundreds of thousands. Both are valid versions.

 

[Jason DeSimone]

Thanks both of you, but...

I still want answers, I don't think it's that impossible.... Give me some ballpark figures for example, it's a couple thousand dollars, or it's in the tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands... Just to give me some perspective on the subject.

:emote_headwall:

 

[Ketch Rossi]

Cheapest way to build a wall is always to do a back frame in Wood, then cover it with sheets of plywood and paint with various materials till you get the look you want for on camera, this can be done for Brick walls, to any type of wall look, any.

Total cost will depend only on costs of material at your location, and labor.

Needs to take in consideration first quantities of each, as to begin with, what the length and hight of this wall needs to be, which in turn will determine the amount of material needed, and the amount of Labor needed to build it.


I would not consider anything less then about $100 per Square Meter for high quality work.