How To Work With The Best Animation Studio For Your Project
Table of Contents
If you’re looking for the best animation studio for your video project, you’re in the right place! Video Igniter’s guide to finding and hiring the best animation studio for your project has answers to all of your top questions including:
- How do I find & hire the best animation studio for my project?
- What does it cost to hire the best animation studio?
- How quickly can an animation studio make my video?
- What is the production process to create my video?
All that, plus tips to help you save $1,000 or more off the cost of hiring the best animation studio for your project!
But first, let’s take a look at examples of animations that Video Igniter’s production team can create for you:
Best Animation Studio Video Examples
Video Igniter can make any kind of 2D or 3D animation for you. You can see some of our favorite example videos below. For additional production samples, check out our animation portfolio or request access to our demo reels and price sheet.
Contact us or schedule a call to start making your video.
Character Animation Demo Reel
Premium Design Demo Reel
Main Demo Reel
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 some relevant production samples.
How do I find the best animation studio for my project?
Video Igniter provides top tier animated video production services to clients all over the world. If you’re looking for other animators to compare your options to, we recommend looking for animators on the following sites:
- Behance
- Dribbble
How do I hire the best animation studio for my project?
The answer to this question is long enough to fill an entire article… So we wrote one!
In the article, you’ll learn:
- What to look for before you hire an animator
- How to evaluate different animation studios / freelancers
- Tips to negotiate a lower production budget
And so much more! Check out the guide for help hiring an animator.
What does it cost to hire the best animation studio for my project?
The answer to this question depends on the following criteria:
- How long will your animation be? (30 seconds-2 minutes? Or is it a feature length movie?)
- When do you need the final draft of your animation?
- Are you going to create the script and storyboard? (Or do you want our animation studio’s best storytellers to create them for you?)
- What style of animation do you want us to create? (2D? 3D? Cel-Animation?)
If you want to produce a feature-length film like your favorite PIXAR animated movie, the total budget will be over $100,000,000 (over $1,000,000 for each minute of the movie).
On the other hand, if you want to create a short animation that’s only a few minutes long and uses 2D animation, your production budget will likely be between $1,500 and $10,000 for each minute of video we create for you.
Get a quote for your animation.
How do I work with the best animation studio to create my video?
Now that you know how to find the best animation studio for your project, let’s do a quick overview of the production process. This way, you’ll have a solid understanding about how to get your idea for a video out of your head and into reality.
Step 1: Get a Quote
Start by contacting each studio you are interested in hiring and ask for a quote for your video project. It’s helpful to provide the following information when you request a quote:
- Describe the full scope of the project.
- How long will the video be?
- What kind of visual style do you want your video to use?
- How soon do you need the final draft?
After you receive all of your production quotes, we recommend evaluating them while you review each studio’s animated video portfolio. Once you select the best animation studio, send them a message to let them know you are ready to move forward with production. You will receive a production agreement to sign and an invoice for the first 50% of your production budget.
Step 2: Write The Script
Now that production is underway, it’s time to write your script. The world’s best animation studio will ask you the following types of questions to help create your script:
- Who is the target audience for your video?
- What key messages do you want to convey in your animation?
- What do you want viewers to do or feel when they’re done watching your animation?
Our studio’s best script writers will use this information to develop the first draft of the script for your animation. You will receive a link to review your script with your team. Have everyone add their comments & revision notes to the doc. Then, our writers will work with you revise and polish your script until it is perfect.
Step 3: Create The Storyboard
After your script is approved, our team will turn your script into a storyboard. The storyboard acts like a blueprint for your animation. It tells our animators exactly what to create for every part of your script.
You will receive a digital copy of the storyboard to review with your team. Add your comments to the doc and we’ll integrate all of your revisions. If something needs to look a specific way in your video, let us know so we can add photos, sketches, 3D models or links to videos to show exactly what you want to present in your video.
Step 4: Create The Art
Once your storyboard is approved, the best art director from our animation studio will begin creating concept art for your video. The art director will review your brand guidelines and style references before creating one or more visual concepts for you to review.
Give the concepts a good look over and let the art director know which concept you like best. If you like, you can spend some time revising your favorite concept with the art director.
When the concept is locked in, our illustrators will create all of the illustrations for your animation based off the approved visual concept. You get an opportunity to review all of the illustrations and request edits before approving the art for production.
Step 5: Record The VoiceOver
You will receive several voiceover auditions to listen to. Let us know which narrator is your favorite and we’ll hire them to record the narration for your animation. You will get an opportunity to listen to the full recording and request edits (if needed).
Step 6: Select Music
Our animation studio will select several soundtracks for your video. Give them a listen and let us know which soundtrack has the best fit for your animation. We’ll take care of acquiring the appropriate license(s) to use the music in your video.
Step 7: Animate
Now that everything is approved, it’s time to animate your video! As soon as the first draft is ready, you will receive a link to download a watermarked copy of your animation. Give it a detailed review with your internal team and members of your target audience. Collect everyone’s feedback and send it our way. We’ll integrate your revisions and share an updated copy of your video with you.
After you mark the final draft as approved, we’ll send you the final invoice for your animation. You will receive the unwatermarked version of your video after payment is complete.
How long does it take to work with the world’s best animation studios to create a video?
The answer to this question depends on what kind of animation you want to produce. If you want to hire the world’s best animation studio to create an animated film… the average PIXAR movie takes over 5 years to go from idea to release in movie theaters.
On the other hand, if you want to hire one of the world’s best animation studios to help you create a short 1-2 minute video, it will only take 4-12 weeks to make your video.
Want to figure out how long it will take to create your animation? Send us a message, schedule a call or fill out this questionnaire.
Best Animation Studio Budget Saving Tips
Combine these tips to save $1,000 or more off the cost of hiring the best animation studio for your project:
1). Write The Script
If you decide to write the script for your video project, you can save $500 off the cost of each minute of video we create for you. Download our free script writing template to get started.
2). Record The VoiceOver
Each English voiceover we need to produce for your animation will cost between $50-$500. Non-English voiceovers can cost even more. If you record your own voiceover(s) for your video, we can deduct that cost from your production budget. Watch 1:31 in this video to learn how to record professional quality voiceovers at home for free.
3). Find Free, Legal Music
Music licensing costs range between $19-$10,000 – or more! Popular songs will cost thousands of dollars to license. Stock music usually costs under $500 to license for commercial projects. If you want to avoid music licensing costs to keep your budget low, you can find free, legal music from sites like Facebook’s Sound Collection and Incompetech.
(Note: Music on Facebook’s Sound Collection is only approved for content that is published on Meta’s platforms).
4). Create The Storyboard
If you decide to create the storyboard for your video project, you can save an additional $500 off the cost of each minute of video we create for you. Download our free storyboard template to get started.
5). Start Production ASAP
The easiest thing you can do to keep your production budget low is to start production as soon as possible. If you need to speed up production for your deadline, Video Igniter offers rush delivery animation. Rush delivery can increase your production budget by 10%-50% or more. We recommend starting production as soon as possible so that you don’t need to pay extra for rush delivery.
Schedule a call with our production team or send us a message to get the conversation started about your video project.
Still have questions about finding and hiring the best animation studio?
Do you have a question about finding and hiring the best animation studio 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 The Best Animation Studio In The U.S.?
Video Igniter is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.
Best Animation Studio Production Resources
People interested in finding and hiring the best animation studio for their project also find these popular resources useful:
How To Hire & Work With An Explainer Video Studio?
How To Hire & Work With An Animation Studio?
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 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
“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!
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.