Negative cost is the net expense to
produce and shoot a
film
A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...
, excluding such expenditures as
distribution and
promotion.
Low-budget movies, for example ''
The Blair Witch Project'', can have promotional expenses that are much larger than the negative cost.
[''IMDb Explanation for differences in reported budget'' https://www.imdb.com/help/show_leaf?boxofficedifferentRetrieved 2007-02-12 ]
The term comes from the costs up to the production of the final
negative.
References
External links
'We call it martian accounting' Gary Susman, ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', 31 August 2001
IMDb Glossary - N
Film production
Film and video terminology
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