How much does an Animation cost?
How long is a piece of string?
An age-old question since the dawn of… time …. well, when we realised, we could show pictures one after another to form a sequence of time anyway.
It’s also a question often met with another age-old adage… how long is a piece of string?
That isn’t an animator being obtuse, sucking through their teeth like a car mechanic asked to quote on a new exhaust. Think about how many ways there are to create a picture. Paint, draw. Collage, print, using a brush, a finger or even a Potato. The list is nearly endless. Now imagine a similar list of techniques to make that endless list of image styles move.
Endless list + endless list = even longer endless list. OK slight exaggeration but you get the point.
So to make it easier to quote, we break it down into a few key metrics...
SCOPE
How grand is the idea. Is it a series of strong, simple graphics to illustrate a message, or the creation of a world full of characters, rules, realms, and boundless opportunities?
STYLE
Are you looking for stylised quirky 2D animations or highly detailed 3D figures? Is it to be in a painstakingly crafted hand drawn cel frame aesthetic or a hyper realistic rendering? Or simple flat coloured icons and graphics?
LENGTH
Much like our proverbial string – how long is the animation[s]?
More minutes mean more work.
DELIVERY
How many animations are required. Does it require additional materials like posters, booklets, websites? Do you want to own the creative rights and source files afterwards [ trust me the last one is very expensive and never ‘included’]?
SCHEDULE
How soon is delivery expected? More time allows us to space production in and around other projects, with a smaller more focussed team. The less time we have means more hands to the pump – hands that need paying.
A final metric that we use to cost all the above, is time. How long will it take to do? How many artists will it take to do it? How long did it take our artists to learn the skill set to achieve the results expected?
Our currency is always time, which we then convert into dollars, pounds, rubbles or any other “ legitimate” currency [ hint: ‘a great portfolio piece’ isn’t one of them ].
Triangles and Strings
If you think of your length of string as your budget, the longer the string the bigger the budget. Want multiple 3D characters? Lengthen your string. Have no immediate deadline? Shorten it a little. Want accompanying illustrations with the animation? Lengthen it.
The project management triangle is another great way to visualise your budget versus the quality of what you will receive. The triangle is the quality of the final product. The three edges are time, budget and scope. If you shorten one [ like budget for example ], to maintain quality [ in this case the size of the triangle ], scope and / or time must increase. If they can’t [ the studio will not increase scope for less money or the client cannot extend the deadline ], then the sides get smaller and therefore the triangle does, meaning the quality is reduced.
Lastly, one more thing is to consider the ROI potential. A slightly higher upfront cost could net you big bucks in revenue. Video is now regarded as the most powerful format to engage audiences & cut through the noise. It may cost several thousand to create that dynamic and original animated film for your brand.
But how many new customers [and their wallets] did it engage, inform, and encourage. How many people who would have scrolled past a stock image photo are now on your website, signing up and increasing your income? How many people have they shared your new animation with? Before you know it – you have recouped your cost and some – and you still have a cool new animation to boot!
Tell us your budget
We can’t solve a problem we don't know exists...
One thing we don’t like admitting often though is animation is often ‘cheating’. After all, none of these things ‘exist’. We created them. We are in control. So, there are tricks and techniques to creating something wonderful for a budget. But to do that, the animator or studio need to know what they are working with. We can’t problem solve until we know what the problem is. So, if you have a budget in mind, just be upfront and let the animator or studio know. Trust me, we are a passionate bunch and we all just want to create fab work, not get away with the bare minimum [ we wouldn’t have chosen animation as a career if we did! ]. So, you will invariably end up getting way more than you paid for.
So there you have it. The answer is – it all depends on what’s on your animation shopping list. A list that has a lot of variables. This is why we don’t have a price list, because nothing comes off a conveyor belt here. What we craft is unique and original to you and your audience.
Therefore, in conclusion, there's really only one way to find out what your animation could cost, by getting in touch and having a conversation. And the best part is, a conversation is free!
