There isn’t a useful price without a brief
A thirty-second film can be a few carefully timed graphic elements or a fully realised world with several characters, detailed environments and a camera travelling through it. Both are animation. They ask very different things of a production team. That is why a price based only on running time rarely tells you enough.
The useful starting point is what the film needs to achieve. Are you explaining a service, introducing a character, launching a campaign or making something people can interact with? At Move, the creative idea and the production approach need to support that purpose together. A budget is part of that conversation, rather than a separate test at the end.
What changes the scope?
Design is one part: how many characters, locations and visual assets need creating? Animation is another: a simple camera move is different from a complex performance with several interacting characters. Sound, scripts, voice-over, delivery formats and the number of versions also need to be included. A short main film with ten adaptations may be a bigger assignment than one longer film.
Existing assets can help, but they still need checking. A logo file is not a ready-made animation system, and a 3D model is not necessarily ready to rig or render. Share what you already have, then ask which elements can genuinely be reused and which need development.
Protect the idea, simplify the production
When a budget is tight, the best question is often “What can we simplify without losing the point?” Fewer locations, a more focused script or a graphic approach may preserve the emotional or explanatory core. Reducing every element a little can leave a film feeling compromised; making a few clear choices can give it a stronger identity.
Our Toyota Lexus project uses character-led 2D animation to explain mobility and leasing. It is a useful example of how an everyday situation can carry a complex message. It is not a public price benchmark: each commission has its own scope, and we do not publish a client’s production budget as a guide to someone else’s brief.
Compare what is included
When comparing quotes, check that you are comparing the same deliverables. Ask about creative development, review stages, sound, revisions, aspect ratios and final files. Check who is supplying the script and how a change after approval will be handled. A clear proposal makes those assumptions visible.
To start a useful budget conversation, send your objective, audience, approximate running time, deadline, reference work and an honest budget range. If the brief is still taking shape, say so. That gives a studio enough information to recommend an approach rather than guess at a number.
