Pricing motion work by the second

For years I quoted day rates. Clients hated it, because they could not see the end. I hated it, because a render that took three days of machine time looked like no work at all.

Price the finished second

Now I quote by the finished second, in three bands: simple, standard, and heavy. A simple second is a loop with one material. A heavy second has simulation, glass, or a camera that never stops. The bands are on the services page, so nobody has to ask.

What the price includes

• Two rounds of styleframes before any animation.
• One round of changes on the animatic, one on the final.
• Every format the client needs, cut from the same render.

A clear price is a kindness to both sides.

Noa Calder