Research Animations 101, Part 2: How much does one cost?
The second part in our series answering the most common questions that we’re asked about making an animation to communicate research
Hello!
Before we dive into the main topic of this newsletter I want to let you all know that the first episode of Research Unravelled Extra went live today!
These bonus podcast episodes will be released monthly, in between my main guest interviews, and I’ll be joined each time by my colleague - and now co-host - Bianca Winter.
It’s a chance for us to hear from our listeners, field your comments and questions, and to discuss what’s going on in the wider world of research communications.
Take a listen here: https://bit.ly/3Uw86SW
Now, welcome back to our ‘Research Animation 101’ series, in which we cover the basics of what’s involved in commissioning an animation to communicate research.
Here’s what we’re covering in this series:
‘How much do they cost?’
‘How can you make sure your animation gets seen by the right people?’
‘How can you get funding for animations?’
Webinar: Using animation to boost engagement with research
This newsletter series is adapted from a webinar that we have designed to help people understand how they can use animations to share research with new audiences.
This 30 minute presentation, by Orinoco’s Peter Barker, covers everything you need to know about the process of creating an animation, from initial idea to delivery and beyond.
Our next session is on Tue 5 Nov at 12.30pm GMT.
It’s open to all and free to attend.
In the creative industries money is often a bit of a taboo subject.
Communications agencies like ours are discouraged from being too public about how much they charge for their services because, the advice goes, it might restrict what you can charge in the future.
And those considering commissioning a piece of content, like an animation, are usually hesitant to reveal their budget, thinking they might get a better deal by withholding this information.
At Orinoco Communications, however, we believe that it’s to everyone’s benefit if we’re all a little more upfront about money.
Knowing how much an animation might cost to produce is obviously useful for the research groups who are thinking of commissioning one.
And understanding what a group’s budget is helps an animation company know whether they’re able to help, and allows them to tailor their proposal and quote accordingly.
So, that’s why I’m devoting this newsletter to the question of cost.
How much does an animation cost?
Having said all that about being upfront, there is actually no way of providing an accurate, universal answer to that question - sorry!
It depends on a number of factors:
How long is the animation?
Is it 3D or 2D?
How complex is the design?
What type of animation processes are used?
How extensive is the research and development phase?
Who’s making it?
What’s your budget?
Because costs vary, we always aim for an honest discussion about money right from the start.
During our initial call with a potential client, one of the key questions we’ll always ask is: What’s your budget?
That question is often met with guarded suspicion.
“If we tell them how much we’ve got, will they just give us a quote that’s at the top end of that budget?”
“If we don’t tell them, might the quote be lower than we were expecting, saving us money?”
Both are understandable reactions. It’s an approach I’d personally take if, for example, I were talking to a mechanic about servicing my car.
To reassure you, we ask that question not to take advantage of your budget limit, but so that we can:
a) quickly assess whether we’re able to help, and
b) put together a realistic proposal and quote.
If you’d rather not give a maximum figure, try offering a range, e.g. ‘We’re looking to spend between £X and £Y but there are other things we’d like to achieve within that budget so we’re hoping keep costs closer to the lower end of that range.’
Ballpark figure
Each project is different but I can say that a ballpark figure for what we would usually charge for a single animation such as this is around £10,000 + VAT
It could cost a bit less, it could cost a whole lot more.
But £10,000 is a useful starting point.
Does that sound like a lot?
If you haven’t commissioned an animation before then the answer is probably ‘yes’.
But if you have, or if you’ve read the first newsletter in this series (‘Animation 101: How long does it take?’), you’ll appreciate how much work is involved in creating a custom animation.
Especially considering that the animations we make aren’t off-the-shelf products, stitched together using generic design assets.
They are bespoke creations, designed to reflect our clients’ goals and align with the values of their audience. As a result, they take months to produce.
What if I don’t have that much?
We’ll cover how to seek funding for animations in grant applications later in this series. For now, though, if you don’t have £10,000 available for dissemination, it’s still worth reaching out to see what can be done with the budget you do have.
Some parts of the process are non-negotiable for us - in particular the Discovery Phase, where we dig into a client’s goals and its target audience. This phase drives the direction of the project as a whole and informs all the creative decisions that we make.
However, choices can be made around design and animation style that can help reduce costs.
Freelancer Route
If your budget is too low for an animation company or creative agency to take on the project, consider working with a freelance motion designer instead, as that can be a cheaper way of doing it.
There are some phenomenal animators out there who visually explain your research effectively, but before you opt for this route, here are some things you need to consider when choosing a freelancer to work with.
Do they write?
As you’ll know from part 1 of this series, all animations start with a script.
Writing an effective script is one of the most challenging parts of the process. It needs to explain your research clearly and engagingly, pitched at the right level for your audience, and succinct enough for a two-minute animation. But it shouldn’t feel dense or rushed.
So, unless you have somebody on your team who is confident at writing video scripts, you’ll need your creative partner to do some of the heavy lifting.
Freelancers who are skilled writers/communicators and designers/animators do exist but you might need to do some hunting around to find the right person.
Do they understand your audience?
It’s definitely worth asking about their discovery process to understand your target audience.
This phase is critical for us, as it ensures the animation is created with your audience in mind.
So, make sure whoever you’re working with (the same goes for an animation company as individual freelancers) has budgeted enough time to do this properly. If not, then you’re likely to end up with a generic animation that’s been designed with someone else’s audience in mind.
Can they project manage?
Producing an animation involves many moving parts across distinct phases, each needing to run smoothly to avoid delays and budget issues.
Within those phases, multiple points of review and feedback are needed to make sure you’re fully happy with how things are going.
We have a dedicated project manager to keep things on track, allowing our creative team to focus exclusively on crafting the animations themselves.
Freelancers don’t have that luxury, so make sure you’re confident that they’re equipped to handle the project management on top of their creative work.
You could, for example, ask to see their production schedule to get a sense of how they juggle multiple projects.
So, although I’ve not been able to provide a definitive, single answer to the question, ‘How much does it cost to create a research animation?’, I hope this has been a useful introduction to the topic.
If you’d like to know more about how you can use animation to boost engagement with your research, please do register for our webinar: next Tuesday 5th Nov at 12.30pm GMT: https://bit.ly/3NtJsyo
Or if you think that the research community at your organisation would benefit from learning about this kind of stuff then you can schedule a session just for them by getting in touch with me at peter@orinococomms.com
Until next time!
Peter