Industry prices for scientific animations can range anywhere from $5,000 to $90,000+ per minute of final animation. At Elucida Communications, we fit the small to mid-sized studio niche, and have priced our animations affordably at $8,000 to $28,000 per minute of final animation.
The cost of your animation will depend largely on the complexity and amount of content being communicated. A focused animation that explains a single concept in one continuous scene will generally cost less than a story that covers multiple subjects across several different environments. Our team works with you to craft a compelling scientific narrative that fits both your budget and your vision.
Our company is unique in that we also function as an active research laboratory under the name Elucida Research. This provides our team with a unique familiarity with the internal workings and needs of our clients, whether they are in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, academia, or other healthcare industries.
Another distinction is our up-to-date and streamlined workflow, which allows us to use the latest software technologies to increase production speeds while lowering costs. Our rate of $8,000 - $28,000 per minute of finished animation is highly competitive for the level of quality and reputability we offer.
Timelines can vary, as they are dependent on the length and complexity of the animation. A standard two and a half minute animation usually takes approximately two months (depending on timeliness of client feedback for revisions and approval), with a timeline as follows:
Scriptwriting and revisions: approximately 1-2 weeks
Storyboarding and revisions: approximately 3 weeks
Video production and revisions: approximately 3 weeks.
Project Initiation: We begin by collaborating with you to understand and define your goals and target audience. We use these to create a plan of how we can communicate effectively through animation.
Script development: We combine your communication goals, the latest scientific research, and our approach towards effective storytelling into a narration script – the backbone of the animation. This script will undergo several rounds of revisions, both from our PhD-level scientists and from you, to hone the story of the animation to best suit your needs.
Storyboard creation: We create a detailed visual plan for the animation by combining the script with still images scenes and graphic overlays in a storyboard. Once again this will be revised from within Elucida’s team and from you, the client.
Video production: We create, refine, and weave together all of the visual and auditory elements of the animation to produce a cohesive, stunning video. This undergoes final revisions to become the final product.
Elucida’s team is committed to providing the highest level of scientific integrity at every point of production. Each step in the production process is led and checked by PhD-level scientists, who have over 40 total years of scientific research and have authored or co-authored a total of more than 500 scientific publications.
Upon full payment and project completion, the client is granted a non-exclusive, perpetual, worldwide license to use the final animation for any lawful purpose, including but not limited to scientific presentations, internal training, investor communications, websites, social media, and public outreach.
Elucida Communications (legally a part of Elucida Research LLC) retains the right to display the final animation or excerpts thereof in its promotional materials, website portfolio, and social channels, unless otherwise agreed in writing. This right is exercised solely for the purpose of demonstrating our capabilities and does not extend to the use or disclosure of proprietary or unpublished scientific data.
We treat all project content, materials, and communications with strict confidentiality. If your project involves sensitive, proprietary, or embargoed information, we are happy to incorporate specific confidentiality terms into the project contract and execute a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) if needed. Upon request, we will withhold any public display of the animation in accordance with the agreed-upon terms.
We reserve all rights to the underlying project files, source assets, techniques, and tools used in the creation of the animation. These may be reused, modified, or repurposed for future projects, provided they do not contain or reveal any client-specific, confidential, or proprietary information.