What AI Video Production Costs
Most studios will not put a number on this page. We will. “Request a quote” wastes everyone’s time — ours and yours — and if the budget and the work do not match, both of us would rather know now than after three emails. So here is how we price, what moves the number, and what a real project costs.
How pricing works
Price follows the size of the job, not a fixed rate card. Two things sit at opposite ends of the scale:
- Short, single-scene pieces — a quick visual, a single shot, fast turnaround — start from around $25.
- Full productions — a consistent character carried across multiple scenes, weeks of design, generation and post, like our reference music video and biography film — run $2,500 to $5,000.
Everything else falls between those two, and where a specific project lands is decided by the factors below. That is the honest version: a fifteen-second visual and a four-minute film with one character across six scenes are not the same job, and pricing them the same would be dishonest to one of you.
What changes the price
This is the part almost no one writes down. These are the things that actually move a quote up or down — worth understanding before you brief anyone, us included.
| Factor | Why it moves the price |
|---|---|
| Runtime | The base multiplier. More finished seconds, more work. |
| Number of distinct scenes | Each environment is built separately. Six scenes cost more than one, even at the same runtime. |
| Number of characters | One consistent character is locked once. Every additional character is another lock to hold across every scene. |
| 4K resolution | Adds about 40% over 1080p — four times the pixels to generate and finish. |
| AI voice & sound | Narration, voice and sound design are extra work most studios charge separately — as on our St. Nicholas film. |
| Live-action integration | Dropping AI into real footage — matching camera movement and continuity, as on Zarafel — is more exacting than building a scene from nothing. |
| Revision rounds | Up to ten are included on a full production. A change of direction after the character is locked is rebuild work. |
| Extra delivery formats | One master is included. Additional aspect ratios for social are a re-edit, not a re-render. |
| Rush timelines | Compressing the schedule costs more, because the work — design, generation, direction — does not compress. |
Real project pricing
Our reference full productions — MIDIVOXX’s Pearl In The Shell, a 3:50 music video across six scenes with one consistent character, and the St. Nicholas biography film — sit in the $2,500 to $5,000 range: weeks of work, character locked and carried throughout, finished to a release-ready master.
Shorter, simpler pieces cost far less and turn around in days rather than weeks. The quickest way to know where your project sits is to tell us the runtime, the number of scenes, and whether it carries a character — those three answers get you most of the way to a number.
Compared to traditional production
A conventionally-shot indie music video runs $5,000 to $10,000 internationally — a small crew, a single location, one shooting day and basic post — and starts around ₺20,000 in Turkey. A full AI production of similar ambition sits at roughly half that, and the reason is structural, not a discount.
- Where AI genuinely costs less: no location fees, no crew day rates, no equipment rental, no travel, no weather contingency, no reshoot budget. A scene on a coastline at sunset costs the same as one in a room.
- Where it does not: the time. A full production takes weeks, not a shooting day — often longer than a conventional shoot. The work moved from a set to weeks of design and direction; it did not disappear. Anyone selling AI video as instant is selling raw model output.
- Where traditional still wins: a real performer’s face, a real location the audience recognises, anything where the viewer needs to believe a camera was physically present.
What is not included
- Music licensing — you supply the track and the right to use it.
- Voiceover and original score — quoted separately when needed.
- Distribution — we deliver the master; uploading and campaign work is yours.
- Unlimited revisions — ten rounds is generous, and it is a real limit.
- Direction changes after character lock — everything is built around that decision, so changing it late is quoted as new work.
Saying this plainly up front is cheaper for both of us than discovering it in week three.
Pricing — common questions
How much does a full AI music video or film cost?
A full production — a consistent character across multiple scenes, weeks of work, finished to a release-ready master — runs 2,500 to 5,000 US dollars. That is what our reference projects, MIDIVOXX and St. Nicholas, cost. Shorter single-scene pieces start from around 25 dollars and turn around in days.
Why is the range so wide?
Because a fifteen-second single-scene visual and a four-minute film carrying one character across six scenes are completely different amounts of work. Runtime, scene count, number of characters, resolution and revisions all move the number, so we price the actual job rather than an average.
Does 4K cost more than 1080p?
Yes, about 40 percent more. It is four times the pixels to generate and to finish, so it is priced accordingly.
Is AI production cheaper than a traditional shoot?
On budget, usually yes. A conventionally-shot indie music video runs 5,000 to 10,000 dollars internationally; a full AI production of similar ambition is roughly half. There are no location, crew, equipment, travel or reshoot costs. On time, no — a full production takes weeks, not a shooting day.
What do I need to supply for an accurate quote?
The runtime, the number of scenes, whether it carries a character, and whether you need 4K. Those four answers get us most of the way to a firm number. The track and the right to use it are yours to provide.
How many revisions are included?
Up to ten rounds on a full production. Changing creative direction after the character is locked is rebuild work and is quoted separately.
Get a real number
Send the runtime, the scene count and what you have in mind. You will get a price, not a discovery call.