Motion graphics cost question

[David Johnson]

Yes, it is.

MoGraph obviously isn’t like buying a pre-manufactured product off the shelf so, depending on the market you’re in and the details of your project, you may or may not be able to find someone who will do it for slightly less (and may or may not do as good a job) or for slightly more (and may or may not do as good a job), but it’s not like that amount is outrageous or something. It’s understandable that it may seem outrageous from the perspective of someone who doesn’t fully know what goes into the piece, but you might consider the many hours that can go into creating all of the many individual elements that make up each second of that 30 seconds, then making them all interact fluidly and flawlessly. That’s not to mention time spent on consult, design, etc. before the mechanics of getting it done even begin. The exception would be if you weren’t talking about something comprised of original content.

I would say look at the person’s previous work, do whatever you can to confirm that it is in fact his/her work (not someone else’s or many someone elses’) and, if that work conveys that the person can in fact do what you need, pay them and get what you need. The alternative is to find a novice to convince you that he/she can do the job for half the price only to deliver some junk that leaves you disappointed and, more importantly, having to spend even more money/time to get it done right.

I hope my two pence is helpful.

[Chad Ron]

That helps a lot. Thanks!

[David Johnson]

Glad to help, Chad. One thing I said I should clarify a bit just in case … when I said “pay them and get what you need” I wasn’t implying that you should pay the full amount up front. In most cases, there is some sort of deposit and balance due upon delivery agreement. It is often to both parties benefit to have at least a basic contract with clearly defined and agreed upon terms.

[Chad Ron]

Got it, Thanks again!

[Stephen Smith]

Sounds like a great price to me….keep in mind if you love the template and only want small changes from it, it should cost less depending on the changes. Tweaking a $80 template should be easy. Based on how much you want to veer from the template or build something from scratch would dictate the price. Not sure if this is of any help but best of luck.

Stephen Smith
Utah Video Productions

Check out my Motion Training DVD

Check out my Motion Tutorials

[David Johnson]

I know it’s been a while, but I just now happened across this thread again. Only from seeing Stephen’s reply, I realized that, despite the “I want something original” wording of the initial question, you might’ve been talking about buying the template and having someone tweak it. My answer was based on building something similar from scratch but, if just tweaking a template, it should definitely be significantly cheaper. As Stephen said, how much cheaper depends on the details.