FAQ´s .....or the 101 of 3D motiondesign & animation

1) I want to order an animated video / VFX shots / other video products for my service, product or movie!

Q) How much is it?

A) Without any specifics it´s like: how much is a car? This cannot be answered cleary without any briefings, infos or needs from you as a client. You should at least know what you are looking for and what the animation should be about or be used for. (market a product, image for corporate, sell a message, explain a process, etc.).
Depending on your needs I can then offer you either a full service with creative development/art direction and production or just the production if you are already sure about your storytelling, looks and final media formats (storyboards, moodboards, timings and reference files should be provided then).


Q) What parameters are involved in a price calculation, and why can they be so high?

A) A good 3d artist/generalist gained alot of experience over years, is in need of high performance computer hardware, deals with expensive software licenses and works through a complex workflow that involves mostly 5 to 8 jobs normally each done by an individual person in big companies.So daily rates may vary due to those factors above at different artists.

The budget itself calculates from following individual parameters by a daily rate or fixed price:

- style and quality (2D, 3D, cartoony, photorealistic, handdrawn, etc)
- complexity and materials of the animated objects/environments (organic characters or a static object)
- length of shots or full animation (based on 25 frames per second)
- do objects needed have to be modeled & textured or can we use/buy ready models from libraries?
- size and length of the final render process & compositing (HD, 4k, 6k,...)
- what media is it used for and how high is the production quality (online, tv, advertising, film, etc)


Q) How specific can we get with the price calculations and time frame?

A) Either way chosen, a first personal chat is necessary to hear your wishes and consult you before a written non-binding offer will be created for you to estimate the approximate cost of your project and a time frame that seems possible related to the expense of the project. Nevertheless this still may vary as there are many creative processes involved that often open new paths for the project.
So things can change while working out a creative progress and during production. Depending on the complexity of a project time frames may range from a few days to months!

The acual price of the final animation partly comes in hand with the length of the animation. A shorter video with complex solutions can still cost more than a simple animation that is like 3 times that length. The content and look mostly define the time needed to produce the final product!

As a 3d artist we build/animate/simulate things from scratch, we are digital engineers dealing with problem solving and machines that often face with problems in hard - and software. So a process can be interupted by unforseen factors and budgets may drop or increase as a matter of fact - please always keep that in mind.


Q) I need a project done urgently and high quality, can you do that?

A) Generally yes, but creativity and animation always takes time and you should consider that the price will increase a lot. Shorter time frames can only be compensated with involving more artists, hiring render farms to render the final frames. A day only hast 24 hours and a human body still needs some sleep to work well.


Q) I really have no clue at all what my video should come out like, can you do that creative conception and writing process for me?

A) Of course we can, but for consultation, creative develpment / art direction and conception no fixed prices can be offered, only daily rates apply as this process cannot be pre-calculated by a certain time frame. Also be aware that there will be audio design, voice overs and other services involved that are not calculated within the animation project yet if not ordered.


Q) So can you provide a video shoot, voice over and audiodesign too?

A) For external services not provided by myself, we can organize partners and other artist working with us. A seperated external offer will be included in our calculations, you don´t have to deal with that if you wish so.


Q) Can I change my mind about already locked ideas, concepts, looks and produced animations?

A) You can for sure, but this can change the whole process and workflow we had already calculated. If you really want to change directions completely the calculation will be billed until the present state and will lead to a new project calculation offered to the client. Small changes that do not influence the complete production process can be compensated in correction phases that might increase the budget and time frame a bit. In such cases please always step in contact with me and let us talk about it.


Q) How about the usage rights of the final products - who owns them finally?

A) Every project finished and fully paid will belong to the client for a lifetime without paying royalties or fees to me. You don´t have to worry about your rights and you can use them whereever and how often you like. However only final videos will be delivered (no software files or workfiles!) if not specified otherwise in our contract.
Nevertheless workfiles can be purchased later by the client for a fee of +50% of the final budget! Unique limitations may apply if we work with 3rd party content or producers but those arrangements will be stated in our first offer before signing a projects contract.


Q) When do payments happen?

A) The goal is to provide you with the best output, so I kindly ask to pay in 2 -3 steps depending on the size of the project:
- 1st payment of 30% when the contract is signed
- 2nd payment of 20% when the creative process / previz is finished, locked by the client and before we start animation production.
- 3rd payment when the project is finished and completely delivered to our happy client.

2) I want to know a little more about the steps of animation and how the lack of information or the changing of locked processes can increase my budget a lot if things were not worked out in detail at the beginning of a project!

For a 3d artist information and planning is the most valueable part of the game, without spending much time in the creative process it can lead to multiple repetitions of production states, prices go up and moods go down.

A creative process is very complex and mostly takes more than half of the time of a project (steps may vary depending due to the complexity of a project).
Here a short summary how I handle projects - this process can be layed out to nearly every creative production process that involves 2D/3D animation and graphics:


1) BRIEFING

To start off with a project request the client needs to come up with a basic IDEA, a brief STORY and a STYLE. We would appreciate if you already send us references, moods or links that correspond with the desired product you are looking for! At this stage I can only estimate a vague budget range for you.


2) ANALYZE & CONSULTING

We should then have a first personal meeting to develope some further ideas together and talk about some details, looks, the content and storytelling and grab your input/wishes and ask you for some details like:

- what length were you thinking of for that video?
- what is the main goal / statement of the videos impact on people?
- who is your target group / which group of people do you want to reach?
- where do you plan to pubslish this video?
- is there a fixed budget involved that cannot be exceeded -please let me know first!
- a fixed deadline would be awesome to know too!
Collaboration and open communication are crucial during the creative process. I understand that ideas and requirements may evolve, and I'm here to provide guidance and make adjustments based on your target group, purpose, and desired impact. Ultimately, you, as the customer, have the final say in how your product should look, and I will ensure that your needs are met.


3) OFFER STATE

Regarding the offer, once we have worked out the details and requirements, I will provide you with a binding offer that outlines the estimated price for the project based on the briefing. Until the offer is accepted, no charges will be incurred. However, it's important to note that any creative output or deliverables cannot be provided for free during the pre-offer stage. Once the offer is accepted, we can proceed with the production process and bring your vision to life.


4) CONCEPTION & ART DIRECTION, DESIGN

If our offer was accepted we start writing and developing a script and detailed storytelling that needs to be approved and locked by the client before producing a rough unanimated storyboard, content moods and develope the designs in consultation together with you. We are ready to provide a more detailed storyboard for timing that already includes a rough audio layer to lock timings and content looks. Content now can be produced and gets roughly animated and rendered in low qualitiy to be presented in a final animated previz that gets locked before the final production will start.


5) PRODUCTION

The production stages of a A to Z 3D workflow include:

- Research & development
- Modelling
- Texturing/Shading & Painting
- Rigging
- Animation
- Simulation
- Lighting & Look
- Rendering
The locked state of the animated previz will be produced and animated in detail and will permanently be sent to the client for approval. In this state a lot of fine details will be involved that mostly cannot be foreseen in the conception stage - so clients and producer might come up with new paths and ideas to add or kick out of the concept. Changing decisions in this stage can have a massive impact on time frames and budgets, as I have to go back to art direction and rework already locked decisions.

If all ends well a final animated previz with low rendered quality will be delivered and locked before the final production rendering process starts. Rendering for final state can take days or weeks, please consider a time range only for the rendering part too (which can of course be accelerated by paid renderfarms).


6) POST PRODUCTION & COMPOSITING

A final render does not mean that we are done - depending on the complexity of scenes these renders come in different render passes that have to be combined in a compositing software to achieve their desirde look and feel. Also effects are added here and visual effects applied. An animated short for example has to be cut, dubbed and sound design has to be added before we can finalize it with color correction to gain a certain look.


7) FINALIZE

The approved final product is now ready for export to the desired format and codec/container for TV, Cinema, Online, etc. and can be shipped digitally (free) via FTP, Cloud, Upload, etc. or physically (extra costs may apply) via HDD, USB stick, Data DVD/Bluray, etc. I hope things are more clearly now - if you still have further question or need more detailed infos don´t hesitate to contact me via:

office@vizzuamedia.com
+43 (0)699 15085222
Skype:vizzuamedia