Bang for your buck:
how to find an animation studio that fits your budget

Video this, video that. It seems everywhere you turn, video is reigning supreme. Video helps your Google ranking, it helps people to stay on your landing page, it helps conversion rates. Yes, video does that and more. So yeah, you want your own.

But how do you get one? Do you go with the best explainer video company Melbourne has to offer and its corresponding price tag or do you go with a studio that has more favorable geolocation? If you go for the latter, how do you know they’re the right one?

Well, good thing this article helps you with all that and more.

Why animated explainer videos are effective?

By this time, you don’t need any convincing as to why it’s a good idea to get an animated explainer video for your business. You already know all the reasons: they’re catchy and visually appealing. And since people process visuals faster, they’ll respond to it more, increasing the chances of interaction. They’re able to boil down complicated ideas fast, which means that whether you’re talking about blockchain or the inner workings of the mind, 2D explainer videos are a great way to get people to understand what you’re all about.

There’s a reason why TikTok has taken off the way it did. Easily digestible video content is fantastic for hooking an audience and keeping them interested. Now you’d want to harness that same power for your business. However, there’s one thing that’s holding you back.

Videos look expensive.

But are they really?

Factors affecting explainer video cost

Let’s be honest, with many things in this world, you get what you pay for. You can’t expect something that takes multiple people weeks to make to cost you a hundred bucks. Trust me, you wouldn’t want what costs a hundred bucks representing the entirety of your brand anyway. So being realistic about costs is something you need to face right away when setting your budget for an explainer video. On the other hand, does it really need to cost you an arm and a leg, and perhaps your eldest child to get an amazing video? Well, that depends.

Monthly budget planningHere are some factors can help you find an explainer video animation studio that’s well within your budget:

  • Geolocation
  • Video length
  • Video complexity

 

Geolocation

When they say it’s all about location, location, location, they weren’t lying. Geolocation is a big factor that affects budget. Because while we all want Hollywood-level studios, we don’t all have Hollywood-level budgets. And yes, even the most affordable explainer video company Melbourne has to offer is still sometimes just a tad out of reach. That’s why looking at other countries for your video needs is a great way of making your budget work just a little bit harder.

The great thing is, countries like the Philippines where English is spoken as a second language ensures that communication is never a problem. And with big international companies having a huge presence in the country, people from the Philippines are used to working with people from all over the world.

Video length

The longer it is, the more you can expect for it to cost. The good thing is, when it comes to animated explainer video production, longer doesn’t necessarily mean better. The different social media platforms on which video is so heavily used have varying optimal video lengths, but none of them are overly long.

Check out the recommended video length for each platform:

  • Instagram: 30 seconds
  • Twitter: 45 seconds
  • Facebook: 1 minute
  • YouTube: 2 minutes

 

As you can see, none of them exceed the two-minute mark. That means for a video to hold your audience’s attention for the optimal amount of time, they all need to be short and sweet. Otherwise, they’ll bounce.

If you already have a script and would like to see how long a video it will translate to, check out our script timer. Just copy-paste your script there and it’ll tell you how long the video will be.

Complexity

Complex things take more time and more manpower. So heavily complex 3D and even 2D videos can cost a lot. But the good thing is, you don’t necessarily need an overly complex visualization. A strong script that sticks to the essentials coupled with amazing visual direction goes a long way in making simpler graphics go a long way.

If you need help with your script, check out our blog post which talks about tips and tricks for writing an animated explainer video script.

Who do you go with?

So now you know what sort of video you’ll go with that help you make the most out of your budget. So who do you go with? There are a lot of studios out in the market. Here are a few tips in helping you choose the best studio to go with:

Look for organization

The last thing you want in any project is getting confused and lost about what’s happening. Find a studio that has a streamlined process that will ensure you always know which stage you’re at and what’s expected of you and them.

Look for communication

This is an important one. You need to find a studio who assigns a project manager to you, a point person to whom you can turn to if ever you have any questions regarding the project. The last thing you want to be stressing about is not knowing who to ask to get something done, so check if the studio you’re eyeing is responsive and attentive to your questions.

Look for track record

Past work speaks volumes when it comes to the quality you can expect out of your videos. A lot of people will say they can do things, but have they actually done something similar to it in the past? Look at their portfolio and see whether they have original work that takes the company’s branding into account.  This will help you decide whether they’ll make work that helps your company stand out from the crowd.

Male hand Video Editor Working on graphic tablet

In conclusion

Videos are fantastic for catching and keeping the attention of your customers. However, they have a reputation for being expensive. There are ways of making your budget go a long way, such as looking for animation studios in other geolocations such as the Philippines where the people have great communication skills in English.

You can also tweak the video length so that it’s not so long that it’ll bore your audiences, with the added benefit of it helping your budget. And lastly, the complexity of a video can affect your budget, with 3D or complex 2D possibly stretching it to its limit or beyond. However, focusing on the strength of the script and concept will help in ensuring simpler 2D animation be as strong as overly complex counterparts.

When it comes to choosing the studio, look for organization, communication, and track record. These three things will help ensure that the studio you go for has tried-and-tested methods of delivering original and creative content to their clients.

If you’re unsure of what type of video best suits your budget or need some expert guidance on how to go about creating an animated explainer video, contact us today or simply book a free consultation call.