For many companies – especially two of our favorite groups to partner with, small businesses and nonprofits – cost is a major consideration. How much does an explainer video cost? And why?
We know pricing can feel like a gamble cloaked in a mystery wrapped in industry jargon every time. We’re here to demystify explainer video costs for you! We have some thoughts on how to maximize the ROI of your explainer video. And we’re happy to share what goes into the animation cost.
Generally animation studios fall into one of three camps.
Outrageously Expensive
These kinds of studios charge $30,000 as their base rate. You’re essentially hiring Pixar to create your marketing deus ex machina. You’ll get something fabulous… but also might not be able to afford next month’s rent.
Ludicrously Low Budget
These studios have incredible turnaround times and cost a mere hundred or so dollars. How can that be? Formulaic scripts, reused drawings, underpaid workers, and the ability to pause time are all possible suspects. Still, you’ll come out of the situation with video!
Happy Middle Ground
These tend to be around $3,000 to $6,000 for a minute and can deliver innovative scripts, custom artwork, inspiring voice overs, and a fun, supportive creative team. Not to brag, but this is where Next Day Animations magic happens.
But what exactly are you paying for? Why is there such a big range in pricing?
There’s a lot that goes into making a video––distilling the message, scripting, recording voice over, drawing your fabulous characters, animating, a couple rounds of edits to make your video absolutely PERFECT, and final rendering and file delivery.
So when you’re paying more, it’s because you want a higher level of artistry––aka more hours that illustrators, animators, and writers are spending on your video.
That’s why we have a conversation to figure out what best suits your needs and goals before giving an exact quote.
What goes into an animation quote?
- Length: The longer the video, the more hours involved for illustrators and animators.
- Timeline: Tighter turnarounds mean more resources are required. On average, animations take four weeks to produce.
- Style: More complex characters and more complicated animation (like stop motion or 3D) call for more time and attention.
- Quantity: Discounts apply for projects that require several videos to tell their story.
We like to keep pricing simple, inclusive, and transparent. And we love creating excellent explainer videos at a fair cost (just like the explainer below, where we explain the concepts covered in this blog post!)
Any more questions about animation pricing and process? Give us a call at (202) 747-0404.
