A seven-step walk through how a studio turns a client's brief into a price for AI video work. Drag the sliders, hit Next to move through each chapter, and watch the running totals build along the bottom of the screen. The last chapter turns the whole thing around, so you can work backwards from a budget.
Every story begins with an ask. Whether it's historical reconstruction, AI VFX or just pickups, the reality in the edit is the same: roughly ten shots to a finished minute.
So how many minutes does the client want?
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Before we get on to the cost
Let's talk about the anatomy of one shot.
Picture a theoretical job where all you had to do was make and deliver a single shot to a paying client from start to finish. Everything below is what would be involved.
If you started the job at 09:00 you might be fortunate enough to get it locked and out the door by 17:00 (assuming you skipped lunch).
It's the reason the AI baseline lands at roughly one shot per day.
Without a detailed script, an AI shot is almost impossible to call easy or hard up front. So, we try to estimate the per shot time/cost average across the whole production instead.
The effort inside a single shot
09:0010:1011:1512:0014:0015:2516:2017:00
Look-devSet the visual language
Build stillCraft the source frame
ApprovalsSign-off checkpoints
Gen attemptsGenerate & re-roll
Notes & feedbackClient revisions
Fixes / cleanupPolish & corrections
UpscaleFinish at 4K
Caveat: Truthfully, no single shot plays out exactly like this. Look-dev is front-loaded across the whole job, image generation can swallow 60% of a shot, and some shots turn around in minutes — but they're balanced out by the ones that take days. The average is what holds the quote together.
Chapter two
How long will the AI shots take?
We already know it's around a shot a day, so it should be easy to calculate, right? Not quite — we haven't considered the client.
Client temperament is the second biggest time factor.
AI shots are relatively quick to create but hard to change. Script updates, multiple rounds of notes and last-minute 'can you just' requests are going to slow the process down, and a client who isn't paying attention in the image stages can derail smooth video generation later on.
But only you know the client. That factor is yours to build in. Drag the slider right from hands-off to peak fuckaboutery — and watch the shot day fill, slice by slice.
For one AI artist we predict it will take — weeks. But let's be honest, no-one is going to wait — weeks. So we squeeze the deadline…
The good news, though, is that as the crew goes up — the price doesn't move. On an average-per-shot basis, two people can do the job in half the time.
— wks
A working week = 5 days. Drag left to shorten the schedule.
Day rate / artist (£)
AI artist rates are comparable to VFX artist rates.
Same artist-days, stacked in parallel. More crew = less calendar, identical cost.
Artists needed
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Chapter four
The cost of compute.
Anyone who thinks AI generation is cheap is in for a rude awakening. At 'market rates' a single generation (around 10 seconds long) can now cost around $5. Image generation remains relatively cheap, but video generation could choke a production if left unchecked.
Everyone wants the top video models (the ones at the top of the menu). But they are, inevitably, also the most expensive.
It's also worth remembering that AI generation has to factor in failure. A newer model might take 5 attempts to get the shot, an older (and cheaper) one nearer 10. The experience and knowledge of a seasoned AI artist is your best chance of keeping these attempts — and costs — down.
Video model
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Compute per shot
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Chapter five
Now make it a business.
We're trying to run a business. So that means contingencies, admin overheads and — hopefully — a reasonable margin.
Add these on top…
Margin %
Admin %
Contingency %
USD→GBP
Cost to make (labour + compute)
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+ admin & contingency
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+ margin
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Client price / shot
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Client price / shot
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cost + overheads + margin
Chapter six
There's the quote.
In the ideal world our story ends here. You quote a cost for an AI film and the client agrees to pay the tariff. But we all know that's not how production works.
Move to the next tab to start the negotiation…
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Chapter seven
Start with the budget this time and attempt to make it fit.
Occasionally client expectations of how much AI costs can be overly optimistic. Drag the “we were thinking closer to” budget down and attempt to rebalance your levers until the gauge turns green.
Compromises you might both have to make:
How many minutes of AI is in the production.
How 'hands-off' the client is prepared to be.
What models are used.
How much you pay your artists.
How much you pay yourself.
With any luck you'll reach a compromise… and still be able to keep the lights on!
£50k
UNDER BUDGET—
Balance the job
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— wks
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Day rate (£)
Margin %
Project cost at these settings
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Scope
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Headroom vs budget
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Drag the budget down and rebalance until the gauge turns green.