FIXED-BRIEF PLANNING EXAMPLE
AI video production cost worksheet
Count failed attempts, labor, revisions and rights before comparing costs. These editable values are assumptions. No production run, measured savings or human approval is claimed.
One brief, one cost boundary
30-second captioned 1080x1920 text-and-shape explainer. Audience: small business owner planning a content pilot. Message: Agree the brief and review each version before publishing. No external footage, face, voice, music or logo is supplied.
Assumed total: $182.00 USD
Generation $12.00 · Initial labor $100.00 · Revisions $50.00 · Rights $0.00 · Delivery $5.00 · Overhead $15.00.
Every attempt is charged in this model, whether accepted or rejected. Monetary line items are rounded to cents. Taxes, advertising/distribution spend and revenue are excluded. Actual provider charges may differ between attempts; use an itemized ledger for the real study. A quote needs your scope and current commercial terms.
Approval example: remove unsupported claims
Hypothetical draft: Create everything instantly. Guaranteed results. Start now.
Illustrative revision: Start with a clear brief. Choose the format and audience. Review the first draft. Correct captions and unsupported claims. Approve the final version before you publish.
The revision removes guarantees and adds review steps. It still needs an actual render, rights check and named human approval. Changing the approved output invalidates its prior approval.
Reproduce the arithmetic and record the real run
Download example.json, cost-model.mjs and verify.mjs into one folder. Run node verify.mjs with Node.js 22 or later. The example totals $182. This verifies arithmetic only.
Download the brief, rights, cost ledger and approval workflow instructions
What counts as a reviewed production example?
A completed example needs the actual output, its exact version, all attempt costs and an identified human decision owner. Passing the arithmetic check does not approve a video. Use the record below to distinguish assumed costs, rendered candidates and approved deliverables.
- Freeze the brief and compare outputs against the same acceptance criteria.
- Log each attempt, failed output, provider charge, edit and active labor period. Use actual itemized charges when they differ.
- Attach the permissioned output and version hash. Review factuality, rights, captions, readability, timing and format against that version.
- Record each criterion and the human approval date. Publish a case study only after permission and final approval; retain rejected attempts in its cost.
Download the production, localization and approval record
The public example remains illustrative. No finished render, measured savings, client result or human production review has been recorded here.
Prepare a brief for review
Include your audience, deliverables, quantity, timeline, budget, available rights and decision owner. A received form is not a qualified lead; the team must review feasibility and fit.
Send your project brief for review