Professional Animator

Table of Contents

Are you looking to hire a professional animator but aren’t sure where to get started? Luckily, you’re in the right place! Video Igniter’s animated video production service is staffed by hundreds of professional animators that can bring your idea to life. Whether you want to create a 2D animation or a 3D animation, our professional animation team can make it happen!

This comprehensive guide has answers to all of your top questions about how to collaborate with a professional animator, including:

How do I make an animation with Video Igniter’s professional animators?
How much does it cost to hire a professional animator?
What kinds of animations can I make with Video Igniter’s production team?
How quickly can I make my animation?

Answers to all these questions and more are coming up in this guide – including tips to help you save 25% or more off your production budget! But first, let’s take a look at examples of animations that Video Igniter’s professional animation team can make for you.

Professional Animator 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.

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 To Make A Video With A Professional Animator

Video Igniter will guide you through these 7 steps so you can get your idea turned into a professionally animated video.

1). Get A Quote

To get things started, you should connect with one or more animation companies to discuss your budget, timeline and goals for the video you want to create. We recommend taking a look at each company’s animation portfolio and reach out to them for a quote. You also have the option to schedule a call to speak with Video Igniter’s production team.

After you have quotes from each company and have taken time to evaluate which company’s production style and service is best for your needs, let your preferred company know you’re ready to move forward.

If you select Video Igniter, we will send you a production agreement to sign and an invoice for 50% of your production budget.

2). Script

Now that production is underway, we’ll set you up with one of our professional animators and copywriters. They’ll work with you virtually to develop a script that conveys your key messages in a story that resonates with your target audience.

You will receive a digital copy of the first draft of the script to review with your team. Add your feedback to the document and send it to us. Our writers will revise your script and send the 2nd draft to you to review and approve. If additional edits are needed, we’ll continue to work with you to polish the script until you love it.

3). Storyboard

After the script is approved, our professional animator will work with you and our storyboard artist to turn the script into a storyboard. The storyboard functions like a blueprint for the illustrators and animators. It tells them exactly what to create for every part of your video’s script.

This is an important phase of the production process because this is where we figure out most of the production details for your animation. You will receive a digital copy of the storyboard to review with your team. Let us know what kinds of revisions you want to see and our storyboard artist will update your storyboard accordingly. You will receive the 2nd draft of the storyboard to review and sign off with your team.

4). VoiceOver

You will receive a selection of voiceover auditions to listen to. Let us know which one is your favorite and we’ll hire that person to record the full narration for your professional animation. When the recording is ready, you will get an opportunity to listen to the full recording and request edits, if needed.

5). Soundtrack

You will also receive a selection of soundtrack options for your professional animation. Give them a listen and let us know which one is your favorite. We’ll acquire the appropriate license(s) so we can legally use the music in your video.

6). Illustrations

Time for the fun to begin. Your professional animator will work with you to develop concept and the illustrations for your animation.

At first, the professional animator will review your style references and brand guidelines. Then, they’ll develop multiple pieces of concept art for you to review. Share your honest feedback with the professional animator about what you like and dislike about each concept. This way, the animator can revise and polish your favorite concept until it’s perfect.

Once the concept art is locked in, the professional animator will oversee a team of illustrators to create all of the art for your video. When the art is complete, you will get an opportunity to review all of the illustrations and request edits. After all the art gets your seal of approval, it’s time to animate your video.

7). Animation

Now’s the time for our professional animator to go heads down and animate your video. Animation takes about 1 week for each minute of video that’s being created. If you hired our professional animator to make a long video or a highly detailed video, we may add additional animators to the project to speed up the delivery time.

If you need to guarantee delivery by a specific date, ask us about rush delivery.

When the first draft of your animation is ready, you will receive a download link you can share with your team. We recommend you share the video with your internal team and members of your target audience. After you collect everyone’s feedback and send it our way. Our professional animator will revise your video and render out the final draft for you to use.

How much does it cost to hire a professional animator?

The answer to this question depends on the following factors:

Do you want to create a 2D animation or a 3D animation?
How quickly do you want the final draft of your animation?
Who is writing the script for the animation (you or us)?
How long is the animation you want us to create?

To give you a ballpark, here’s a few datapoints you can use to estimate your production budget:

It costs between $1,500-$7,500 to hire a professional animator to create a 60-second, 2D animation. If you want to create a fancier looking 2D animation that is created with ‘frame by frame’ illustrations – OR – if you want to create a 3D animation, your budget will be 2-4x higher than creating a standard 2D animation.

If you want a quote to hire a professional animator, here are 4 ways we can help:

1). Send us a message to request a quote.

2). Fill out this digital questionnaire.

3). Schedule a call with our production team.

4). Request access to our pricing page.

How quickly can a professional animator make my video?

A professional animator can create a 60-second 2D animation in about 4-5 weeks. 3D animation and high end 2D animation takes 2x-3x more time.

If you need to speed up the production process, send us a message and ask about rush delivery for your video.

Budget Saving Tips For Hiring A Professional Animator

Combine these tips to save 10% – 25% or more off the cost of hiring a professional animator:

1). Record The VoiceOver

If you record the voiceover for your animation, we’ll deduct voiceover recording and licensing costs from your production budget. Watch 1:31 in this video to see how you can record a professional quality voiceover at home for free.

2). Write The Script

If you write the script for your video, we can deduct $500 off the price of each minute of animation we produce for you. Download our script writing template for tips and guidance to help write your script.

3). Use Free, Legal Music

Do you have access to free music we can legally use in your animation? If so, send it our way and we’ll deduct music licensing costs from your production budget.

4). Create The Storyboard

Creating the storyboard for your professional animation can save you an additional $500 off the price of each minute of animation we make for you. Download our storyboard template and review the included storyboard creation guide to see how easy it is to make your own storyboard.

5). Start Production ASAP

The easiest thing you can do to save 10%-25% or more off your production budget is to start production as soon as possible. If you want to minimize or avoid paying extra for rush delivery, send us a message or schedule a call with our professional animator to start discussing your project as soon as possible.

Professional Animator Production Resources

These resources are popular among people researching and reading about hiring a professional animator:

How To Make A Video Animation

3D Animator For Hire: How To Hire & Work With A 3D Animator

2D Animator For Hire: How To Hire & Work With A 2D Animator

Still have questions about hiring a professional animator?

Do you have a question about hiring or working with a professional animator 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.

“Couldn’t be happier with Derek and his team. The quality of the work for the cost far exceeded expectations and surpasses anything in the market. Derek was patient, offered many revisions, and was overall great to work with.”

Alex Novick – Founder, Sproutly.com

“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.