What 2,000+ Videos Taught Us About Timelines and What Actually Works

Making videos is probably one of the biggest investments a business can make (thousands of dollars for a minute or two). Yet, many enter the production pipeline completely blind with no idea of how the process works. The end result? A tedious production process, a blown marketing budget, and a disjointed final cut that fails to add value.

Good news? We’re here to save you from these pitfalls!

In this article, we will thoroughly explore the intricacies of the time required for an animated video, the revision process, and the essential guidelines for creating a high-quality marketing video. Plus, some important lessons that we have learned throughout our industry experience.

Let’s jump in!

What Is This Based On? Not Generic Data!

You’ll find a lot of generic information on the internet. The problem is, instead of giving answers, it leaves you guessing more than before. While we can’t speak on behalf of everyone, all the information we’re about to share is derived from our own front-line work in the industry.

Having been in the industry for 15+ years with a background of 2000+ completed projects, you can confidently use our numbers as a benchmark without feeling like you’re asking for anything extra from your production partner.

How Long a 90-Second Animated Video Really Takes

A standard 90-second explainer can take anywhere from 4 weeks to 12 weeks depending on the video format. Below is a brief breakdown of what to generally expect, along with respective costs:

The timeline stretch for each video format is pretty self-explanatory. Since 2D animation only includes flat frames without extreme detail, it requires less production efforts. On the other hand, 3D and motion graphics can get highly complex, usually taking double the time of a 2D animated video. Please note that these timelines are excluding extra rounds of revisions that sometimes a client requires. So if the revisions exceed 2-3 rounds per stage, the timeline will get extended.

Good news? You can shrink these timelines. However, it comes with a significantly high cost. That’s because in such cases, a studio often have to put extra teams on the project and work over weekends to avoid drop in quality. Our video for Nansen is actually a good example of that.

The client reached out to us to create a high-quality 2.5D, publish-ready animated video within 3 weeks; almost half of the standard production timeline. Given the complexity of the topic and the technicalities involved in creating a 2.5D animation video, this was quite a challenge. Nevertheless, we pulled it off in record time while maintaining the highest quality standards.

The Stages Behind the Timeline: A Step-by-Step Breakdown

Every polished video you see on the web goes through a standard 5-step production process, where each subsequent step builds on the previous one. As any defect at any stage can lead to countless revisions and extra costs, we allocate a dedicated time window for each step to ensure maximum attention to detail.

To give you a better idea, here’s how the whole process flows:

1. Script Writing

Scriptwriting is the first step in video production. It is the foundation on which the whole video stands, so we make sure to give it at least 6 days. Across this duration, we keep creating and adjusting drafts according to our client’s feedback, until a final, highly polished, and client-approved script takes shape.

2. Storyboarding

After script approval, we immediately move towards storyboarding. At this stage, we turn words into visuals, drawing each sequence. Since storyboarding also involves rigorous back and forth, we dedicate at least 4-7 days to it. The timeline here can be shorter or longer depending on how long it takes us to get client approval.

3. Design & Style

Design & style selection simply involves selecting the color palette of the video and locking the overall visual identity. It usually takes 2-4 days at max. However, this duration can also extend to 6 days if we’re looking forward to a full branding overhaul. That’s because we’ll be essentially building you a fresh visual identity from scratch, which involves an elaborate creative process.

4. Animation

Now comes the most important part: the animation itself! This is the most tiresome, time-consuming, and effort-intensive part of the whole production where we bring everything to life frame-by-frame. Animation usually has a dedicated time window of 10-12 days. Still, we try to conclude the early production steps as efficiently as possible to save extra time for it. This extra time helps us ensure the final cut is absolutely flawless with zero revisions required.

5. Post Production and Revisions

Once the animation is complete, we move towards postproduction. This typically includes voiceover, sound design, and final rendering. Technically and creatively, this is the easiest part of the whole production and takes 3-4 days at max. It is then followed by final submission and 3-4 revision rounds.

About the Revisions: We recommend all of our clients to make sure they’re fully satisfied with each element of the production before we jump over to the next step. Revisions in previous steps later down the production pipeline can exceed the scope of standard revisions, often requiring change in the whole project’s direction. In other words, if we move to animation and the client asks for tweaks in script, this would essentially mean restarting all the previous steps, which adds up extra costs.

How Many Revision Rounds Do You Actually Need? 

Reputed video production agencies allow 2-4 revision rounds at each stage of the production process before moving on to the next one. If the revision rounds go beyond that, it usually points towards one of three things:

• Your brief is not thorough enough.
• Your feedback isn’t detailed and focused.
• You aren’t working with a good agency.

As you hire a video production agency, we highly recommend preparing a thorough brief beforehand that lays out your requirements clearly. This enables your production partner to execute your vision flawlessly, minimizing the need for any significant revisions later down the production pipeline.

What Clients Ask for: A Brief Breakdown of in-Demand Video Types

Recently, we have been seeing a very interesting trend among our clients that is redefining how brands balance their budget-to-goals equation. But before we get to that, let’s break down what clients generally demand from us:

As you can see, 2D still leads despite being the oldest format. What the table doesn’t show is the shift happening inside that 50%: more of those briefs now ask specifically for 2.5D, which is steadily taking work that would once have gone to flat 2D or full 3D. That brings us back to the trend mentioned earlier.

As 2.5D animation sits somewhere at the intersection between 2D and 3D, it incorporates the signature elements of both. It captures the nostalgic, simple vibe of 2D while borrowing the realism and details from 3D.

This makes 2.5D desirable for two types of clients: Those who originally want 2D but want the video to be more visually appealing. And those who originally want 3D but realize a full-scale 3D is probably overkill for their timeline, budget, and goals.

2.5D animation serves as a viable option for both without stretching their budget, earning its place as a more practical choice.

What Makes a Quality Video: 4 Lessons From Our Experience

At this point, we have made more than 2000+ videos for clients across almost every industry. One thing we learned along our journey? There’s no “secret sauce” to making your video an ultimate marketing hit. It’s all about getting the basics right. That said, here are some lessons that’ll help:

1. Script is Everything

No matter who you’re working with, pay special attention to the script. Check and recheck it as many times as you can to ensure it perfectly aligns with your brand voice, message, and audience preferences. No matter how flashy the visuals are, a video with poor script is destined to fail.

2. Rushing Production is Never a Good Idea

Video production is a labor of passion and strategy where every word, every frame, and every visual element is carefully crafted to deliver maximum impact. If any step of the production is rushed, you’ll either end up with a poor script, clunky visuals, or awkward pacing that fails to engage your audience.

3. Short and Sweet is the Way to Go

When making a video, keep in mind you are dealing with an algorithmic shopper that has a rapidly shrinking attention span. If your video doesn’t have a great hook or it extends beyond a certain duration, it’s going to get skipped. We always recommend our clients keep their marketing videos within the 90-second mark for maximum results. Anything beyond that is just a waste of investment.

4. Likeability Matters More than Sales

People hate being sold to. However, what they love is a good story. Wrapping your value preposition in a compelling narrative almost always works over hard-sell. Your audience needs to trust you before they decide to buy your services or products. A good story helps you build this trust effectively.

How to Get the Most Out of Your Studio

Getting the most out of your marketing studio isn’t hard when you choose the right partner. You just have to get a few things right from your side and leave the rest to their expertise. That being said, here are a few things that will almost guarantee a smooth project without excessive revisions and overhead costs:

A. Writing the Most Detailed Brief You Can.

When we say write a detailed brief, we mean this literally. A detailed brief outlines a few key things including your target audience, the core video message, and the tone. Of course you can include more information if you want, but these are the absolute foundations on which the whole script is built. And as you know, it’s the script that decides the whole direction of the video.

B. Avoiding Mid-Project Changes

As we mentioned earlier, if you demand to change the script when the agency is already in the middle of animating, you are basically demanding to restart the whole production process. This will not only make the process painfully long but also result in added costs;  two things no one wants.

C. Trusting the Creative and Art Directors.

Just tell us the “what,” and let us handle the “how.” This is the mantra all reputable video production studios live by. What we need from you is your core message and goals. Once those are locked, you simply have to trust the abilities of creative and art directors. While your feedback at key stages is absolutely vital, the best work happens when experts handle things without unnecessary interruptions. Imagine you want a software and when in meeting with software engineers, you tell them how to connect a database to the app. They must decide how it is done, not you. You are not the software engineer with sufficient knowledge and experience to make the right decision.

Bringing It All Together

Video production is a complex process that can get unnecessarily long and expensive if you enter it with false information, wrong expectations, or poor preparation. The main idea of this article was to give you enough valuable insights into how video production actually unfolds, and what to keep in mind beforehand. With that being said, we hope this piece has been helpful.

If you need high-quality video production services, contact our team to discuss your needs and get a customized quote.