Why Frizzon Productions cooks dal-chawal in-house every day and what a simple team lunch taught us about building production culture in Mumbai

There is one word that has started appearing far too often in production requirements.

Cheap.

“Need a cheap DOP.”

“Looking for a cheap editor.”

“Need a cheap production team.”

Spend enough time in WhatsApp groups where production requirements get forwarded and you start noticing it everywhere. The industry has quietly changed the way it talks about hiring people. Somewhere along the way, the first filter stopped being experience, suitability or even availability.

It became price. Budgets matter. Every producer knows that. But there is a difference between having a limited budget and calling someone cheap.

Nobody Working in Production Is “Cheap”

A person is not cheap. They have a price.

That price might come from years of experience. It might account for the equipment they own, the assistants they bring, the size of their team or the complexity of the work they can handle.

Sometimes, you're paying for something that is much harder to put into a quotation: reliability. Anyone who has spent enough time on a film set knows how valuable that becomes when something goes wrong.

A location changes. Equipment fails. The schedule slips. A shot that looked straightforward on paper suddenly isn't.

The person who can solve that problem without derailing the production has value. Their quote reflects more than the number of hours they will spend on set. Calling them “cheap” or “expensive” removes all of that context.

Production Budgets Are Real

This doesn't mean every project should hire the most experienced person available. That isn't how production works.

At Frizzon Productions, we understand that every project has a different budget. Sometimes there is room to bring in a larger crew. Sometimes there isn't.

A ₹10 lakh production cannot be crewed like a ₹1 crore production. That isn't disrespectful. It's simply production planning.

The problem begins when the requirement becomes:

“Find someone cheap.”

Because cheap doesn't actually tell a producer what they're looking for.

Cheap compared to whom? For what scope? With what equipment? For how many hours? With how much responsibility?

A quote without context tells you very little.

Ask for Someone Who Fits the Budget

There is a much more useful way to have the same conversation.

Instead of:

“Can you find me a cheap DOP?”

Ask:

“Can you find me a good DOP within this budget?”

Instead of:

“We need a cheap editor.”

Ask:

“Who gives us good value within this editing budget?”

Instead of looking for the cheapest production crew available, ask:

“Who is right for this project at the budget we have?”

It sounds like a small linguistic difference. Operationally, it changes the brief. Now the producer can actually evaluate people against the requirements of the project.

Price and Value Are Not the Same Thing

This distinction matters particularly in film and advertising production because two people with the same job title may be offering completely different things. Two cinematographers can quote different amounts.

One may own equipment that would otherwise need to be rented. Another may work with a regular camera team. One may have experience with the specific kind of shoot you're planning.

Two production designers may quote differently because the way they staff, source, fabricate and execute a set is different. Two editors may have completely different levels of experience dealing with demanding timelines or complex feedback.

The lower quote can absolutely be the right choice. But it should be the right choice because the person fits the requirements and the budget—not simply because they cost less.

We Don't Talk This Way About Every Profession

There's a simple comparison I keep coming back to.

We rarely say:

“Find me a cheap doctor.”

Or:

“I need a cheap lawyer.”

You might have a budget for either service. You might compare fees. You might decide that the most experienced person is outside what you can afford.

But the question tends to be about finding someone competent within your range. Creative and production professionals deserve the same framing.

A cinematographer, director, production designer, editor, sound engineer, stylist or crew member is providing professional expertise. Their price is part of evaluating them. It shouldn't become their identity.

Budget Transparency Makes Production Easier

There is also a practical reason to change this language. Being clear about the budget saves time.

If you know you have a particular amount available for a role, say it. Now people can decide whether the project makes sense for them.

A producer can recommend people who realistically fit the range. And professionals who charge more aren't forced into conversations that were never going to work financially.

At Frizzon, we've found that thinking in terms of budget fit is simply more useful than thinking in terms of cheap versus expensive. The question isn't whether someone costs less. It's whether what they bring makes sense for this production.

The Language We Use Eventually Becomes the Culture

Production is an industry built largely on people. We rely on networks, recommendations, WhatsApp groups and relationships built across years of working together.

That makes the language we use about those people important. One WhatsApp forward asking for a “cheap DOP” might seem harmless.

But when that becomes normal language across an industry, it starts influencing how we think about people's work.

Budgets will always exist. Negotiations will always exist. Some projects will pay more. Some will pay less. None of that needs to change.

What can change is the question.

Don't ask:

Who is cheap?

Ask:

Who fits this budget?

Who gives us good value in this range?

Who is right for this project?

The words are different. The budget can stay exactly the same. And sometimes, that small difference is where a better production culture begins.

So the next time someone asks you to find someone “cheap,” how do you respond?