How To Work With An Animation House To Create Your Video

Do you want to hire an animation house to create a custom animated video but aren’t sure how or where to get started?

Video Igniter’s guide to animation houses has answers to all of your questions including:

How do you hire an animation house?
What’s the difference between an animation house and an animation studio?
What does it cost to hire an animation house?
How do you make a video with an animation house?
How long does it take to create an animation?

All that, plus tips to help you save hundreds or thousands of dollars off your production budget!

But first, let’s take a look at production examples that Video Igniter’s Animation House can create for you:

Animation House Video Examples

Video Igniter can make any kind of 2D or 3D animation for you. Check out our animation portfolio and request access to our price sheet.

To start making your animation, contact us or schedule a call with our production team.

Are you looking for a different type of animation example? Send us a message to let us know what kind of production example you want to see and we will follow up with relevant production samples.

How do you hire an animation house?

This topic could take up an entire article… so we wrote one: “How To Hire An Animator.”

In the article, you’ll learn:

Where to find animators and animation houses you can hire.
What to look for before you hire an animation house.
Tips to negotiate a lower production budget.

And a whole lot more. Check out the full article now.

What’s the difference between an animation house and an animation studio?

The terms “animation studio” and “animation house” are used interchangeably. However, there once was a subtle distinction between the two terms.

An “animation studio” typically refers to an animated video production company that specializes in large projects like TV shows, movies or video games. Animation studios tend to have all of their resources together under one roof. Sometimes they exclusively work on their own in-house projects (movies, TV shows, etc) but most take on projects for clients.

An “animation house” could mean the same thing, but the term has more flexibility. Animation houses tend to work on smaller ad hoc projects and may be comprised of an animation studio, freelancers or a mix of the two. Animation houses tend to work on projects for other clients as opposed to developing and promoting their own animation projects.

What does it cost to hire an animation house?

Different styles of animation have different production costs associated with them. Here’s a breakdown of the most popular styles of animation and their typical budget ranges:

2D Animation: $1,500-$15,000 for 60-seconds of animation.
3D Animation: 2-4x more than 2D animation.
Cel Animation: +$10,000 for 60-seconds of animation.

How do you make a video with an animation house?

Let’s give you an overview of the production process so that you have an understanding of what it will be like to work with Video Igniter Animation or another animation house of your choosing.

Step 1: Get A Quote

Start the production process by reaching out to different animation houses to get a quote for your project. Feel free to with the animation house if you want to get to know them more and learn about their experience & production process before committing to the project.

When you’re ready to go, notify the animation house you want to start production. They will send you an invoice for the first 50% of your production budget to get things started.

Step 2: Create The Script

Now that production is underway, we will spend some time learning about the key messages you want to convey in your animation. We will also spend time learning about your target audience and their needs.

Our writing team will review the first draft of the script with you, collect your feedback and make revisions as needed. You will get a chance to review the updated script before approving it for production.

Step 3: Create The Storyboard

Next, we turn your script into a storyboard. The storyboard acts as a visual blueprint for your animation so that our illustrators and animators understand what to create for every part of your script.

Our team will review the storyboard with you to make sure we are accurately conveying what you want to show in each scene.

Step 4: Create Concept Art

After your storyboard is approved, we will start to create concept art for your animation. Video Igniter’s art director will review your brand guidelines and develop multiple custom concepts for your animation.

Give them a review and let us know which concept you like best. If you want to modify any of the designs, let us know – we’re happy to work with you refine the visual details until everything is perfect.

Step 5: Create Illustrations

Once the concept art is approved, our team will create all of the custom illustrations for your animation. You will get a chance to review all of the art and request revisions before approving the designs for production

Step 6: Record The VoiceOver

You will receive multiple voiceover auditions from our team. Give them a listen and let us know which voice you like best. We’ll hire that person to record the full voiceover and acquire the license to use their voice in your video project. You will get an opportunity to review the full recording and request revisions before approving the audio for production.

Step 7: Select Music

Our team will also send you several soundtracks that we can use for your animation. Give them a listen and let us know which one is your favorite. We will take care of purchasing the broadcast rights for the music so that we can legally use it in your animation.

Step 8: Animate Your Video

Now that everything is approved, our animation house can animate your video! As soon as the first draft is ready we’ll send you a downloadable copy of your animation to review with your team and members of your target audience.

Collect everyone’s feedback and let us know if you want us to make any minor revisions. We’ll incorporate your edits and render out a final animation for you to use.

Step 9: Post Production

After your video is approved, there may be some additional work that goes on before your project is finalized, including:

Translating your video to other languages.
Resizing your content for social media.
Creating a shorter version of your existing video.
Creating alternate intros/endings for your video to see which version converts more viewers.
Adding additional sound effects and mastering the audio for broadcast production.

How long does it take to create an animation?

That depends on the length and visual style that’s used to create your animation. Most animation houses can create a short 1-2 minute 2D animation in 4-8 weeks. 3D animation and cel animation takes 2-4x more time to create.

Need to speed up production? Video Igniter’s animation house offers rush delivery animation to guarantee delivery in 4 weeks or less.

Tips to Save You Money When You Hire An Animation House

Combine these tips to save hundreds or thousands of dollars off your production budget when you hire an animation house to create a custom animated video for you.

1). Write The Script For Your Animation

Video Igniter’s animation house is happy to help you write the script for your video. However, if you write the script yourself, you can save $500 off the price of each minute of content we create for you.

Not sure how to write a script for an animated video? Download our free script writing template to help you get started. Our team will happily review your script and provide feedback before we create your animated video.

2). Create The Storyboard

You can save an additional $500 off the cost of each minute of content we create for you by creating the storyboard for your animation. Download our free storyboard template and review the included storyboard creation guide to learn how to make a storyboard.

We’ll happily review your storyboard and provide feedback before we create your animation.

3). Record The VoiceOver

Professional voiceovers cost $50-$500 for most commercial projects but you can skip this production cost by recording your own voiceover at home. Watch 1:31 in this video to learn how you can record professional quality voiceovers for free!

4). Use Free Music

Stock soundtrack licenses cost between $19-$399. Popular songs cost thousands or tens of thousands of dollars to license for a commercial video project. If you want to skip this production cost, you can source free, legal music from Incompetech or Facebook’s sound collection.

5). Start Production ASAP

This is the biggest budget saver of them all. Start production as soon as possible. You can pay extra to speed up production for your deadline, but rush delivery can increase your production budget by 25%-50% or more! Avoid rush delivery costs by starting production today!

Still have questions about animation houses?

Do you have a question about animation houses 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.

We can help you create any kind of 2D animated video or 3D animation you can imagine. Check out our animated video portfolio!

Need help syndicating your animated video? Ask us about video promotion!

Watch our explainer video on our home page to learn more about how we can help you create an animated video. For examples of the kinds of animation our team can produce, check out the demo reel below:

Looking For An Animation House In The U.S.?

Video Igniter is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.

Animation House 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.

“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

“Video Igniter were very easy to work with and the entire process for creating and suggesting edits was seamless and stress-free. I would work with them again and would recommend to others looking to create a modern and stylish explainer video.”

Clair Simpson – VP Marketing, Repool.com

“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

Get in touch!

Schedule a call to discuss your animated video project.

Get a quote for us to create your animated video.

Request access to our newest price sheet.

Create your Video Igniter account, fill out a creative brief for your video and we’ll begin production as soon as we receive your production deposit.