Animation Budget
Table of Contents
Are you planning an animation project and need to figure out the animation budget before picking an animator or a studio for your project? You’re in the right place! Video Igniter’s comprehensive guide to animation budgets will break things down so you can estimate the budget for your next project.
In this guide, we’ll explain:
- How to estimate your animation budget (pay by the hour vs flat rate projects).
- What it costs to create each deliverable for your animation.
- Tips to save 10%-25% or more off your production budget.
Let’s dive in!
How To Estimate Your Animation Budget
TL;DR: Most animations cost between $1,750-$7,500 to create each minute of video. You get what you pay for – the higher the budget, the better the production quality will be.
Estimate Your Animation Budget: Pay By The Hour
Some animators and animation studios exclusively work by the hour. This payment method may save you money in the long run if you aren’t prone to asking for multiple rounds of revisions. Most 2D animators charge between $15-$50/hour. Advanced animators doing high end projects can charge between $50-$90/hour. Specialty animators that focus on 3D animation, special effects and technical animations can charge $75-$150/hour.
In general, it takes 1 animator between 25-12o hours to create a single minute of animation (2D or 3D). This includes the time to create the script, storyboard, voiceover, custom illustrations, music and animation.
Estimate Your Animation Budget: Flat Rate Projects
It’s becoming more common for animators and animation studios to calculate your animation budget as a flat rate for the whole project. Typically, 2-3 rounds of revisions are included in the price. This is a great option because it minimizes the odds of overspending on your animation budget.
Most studios charge between $1,750-$7,500 to create 60-seconds worth of 2D animation and between $5,000-$25,000 for 60-seconds worth of 3D animation.
How Much Does It Cost To Create Each Deliverable For Your Animation?
This budget breakdown will show you how much it costs to create each piece of your animation:
Script Budget
Script writing costs average out to $500 to create a script that’s 60-seconds long. If your animation is only 30-seconds long, then the animation budget for your video’s script will be somewhere around $250.
Storyboard Budget
Same story and numbers for creating the storyboard for your animation – it’s $500 to create a storyboard for a 60-second animation. If your animation is 2.5 minutes long, your storyboard will cost $1,250 to create.
Deep Dive: What is a storyboard and why do I need one?
VoiceOver Budget
Recording a voiceover for your animation can cost as little as $10 but it’s more common for a quality voiceover to cost between $50-$100 to record. In addition to recording costs, you will also need to factor licensing costs into your animation budget. If your animation is created for a commercial purposes, we will need to add a commercial license to your production budget (typically $100-$300 but it can be over $1,000 or more). If you plan to pay to broadcast your animation, we will also need to bill for a broadcast license in your production budget.
Soundtrack Budget
Stock soundtracks can cost as little as $5-$25 for your animation. Popular songs will cost thousands or tens of thousands of dollars to license. In most cases, if we need to get a commercial and broadcast license for your video, this will increase your animation budget by about $200-$400.
Illustration Budget
The animation budget for your video’s illustrations typically ranges between $750-$3,000 for 2D projects. High end forms of animation that are created by individually hand drawing each frame will cost more than $3,000 for each minute of animation we produce for you.
Animation Budget
The animation portion of your animation budget is typically +/- 10%-20% of your illustration budget, depending on the complexity of the overall animation.
How To Save 10%-25% Off Your Animation Budget?
Combine these tips to save 10%-25% or more off your animation budget:
1). Write The Script
Writing the script for your animation enables you to save $500 off the price of each minute of animation we create for you. If your video is 2 minutes long and you write the script for your animation, we’ll deduct $1,000 off your animation budget.
Download our script template for help writing your script.
2). Record The VoiceOver
Recording the voiceover for your animation is another way to save $50-$500 off your animation budget because we won’t have to hire and license someone else to record the voiceover for you. Watch 1:31 in this video for tips to see how you can record professional quality voiceovers at home or in the office for free.
3). Use Free (Legal) Music
If you own the rights to a song we can use in your animation, send it to us and we can deduct music licensing costs from your animation budget. If you don’t already have rights to a song, you can look on Facebook’s sound collection and Incompetech for free music we can legally use in your animation.
4). Create The Storyboard
Creating the storyboard for your animation enables us to give you an additional discount of $500 off the price of each minute of animation we create for you. If your video is 30 seconds long and you provide the storyboard, we will deduct $250 off your animation budget.
Download our storyboard template for help creating your storyboard.
5). Start Production ASAP
The easiest thing you can do to reduce your production budget is to start as soon as possible. Rush delivery is available if you need to speed up the production process to meet a short deadline, but it can increase your animation budget by 10%-25% or more! To minimize or avoid paying extra for rush delivery, send us a message or schedule a call with our production team.
Animation Budget Production Resources
These articles are popular among people reading and researching animation budgets:
How long does it take to animate a 1 minute video?
How to write a compelling animated video script?
What does animation cost?
Still have questions about your animation budget?
Do you have a question about your animation budget that wasn’t addressed in this FAQ? Use this form to send us your question and we’ll follow up with an answer. We’ll also post the question and answer to this page so other people can benefit from the knowledge.
What is Video Igniter Animation?
Video Igniter Animation is an online animated video production service. By working with our team online, you can get your custom animated video produced faster and for less than hiring a brick and mortar animation studio.
Watch the demo reel below for examples of the kinds of animation our team can produce for you.
Looking For An Animated Video Company In The U.S.?
Video Igniter is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.
Success Stories & Testimonials
Don’t just take our word for it – these testimonials highlight Video Igniter’s reliability, creativity, flexibility and ability to deliver animations that exceed expectations. When you choose Video Igniter Animation, you can rest assured that you are working with a trusted and reputable studio.
“I run a video production company and outsource animation. The team at Video Igniter did a great job in taking the concept I very crudely drew out and making it into a beautiful animation. The review process was easy and their turnaround time was very quick. I’d def recommend them if you’re looking for an animation project.”
Pat Henderson – Founder, Path8 Productions
“Video Igniter offered us the critical combination of creative value, clear communication, and patience with stakeholder feedback. We ended up with truly high-quality design assets for our video series largely due to the extra level of commitment — and the right balance of efficiencies with flexibility in the process when called for.”
Larry Schlessinger – Sr. Creative Program Manager, Amazon Web Services
“Video Igniter came to us with a number of creative and engaging ideas and were able to create an exciting, impactful video in a short period of time. And the best part was that it cost much less than other options of similar quality. The video they made is a great marketing tool for us.”
Alex Raymond – Founder, Kapta Systems
Get in touch!
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