For a motion design video, two options come up most often: an independent motion designer, or a studio. There is no right choice in the abstract. There is the right choice for your project, depending on what you already have and what you expect from the provider.
What a freelancer does very well
A good independent motion designer is often an excellent animator. They work directly with you, with no middleman, with flexibility and often a lower rate than a studio.
It is a very good choice when:
- you already have the script, approved internally, and only the animation remains;
- you have an art direction: brand guidelines, illustrations, examples;
- the project is simple, with a single approver and a flexible date;
- you are used to managing a video production.
What a studio adds
A studio takes the project from end to end: the message, the script, the art direction, the voice-over, the sound, the schedule and the approvals. What you buy is not just animation, it is the project being held together.
It is the right choice when:
- the message is still to be written, or to be settled between several departments;
- several people must approve: marketing, legal, compliance, leadership;
- the release date cannot move;
- you want a single contact for script, image and sound.
A comparison
| Freelancer | Studio | |
|---|---|---|
| Strength | Animation, flexibility | The whole project, from message to delivery |
| Script | Often yours to provide | Written and approved in writing |
| Voice-over and sound | Sometimes extra or subcontracted | Included |
| Multiple approvers | Yours to manage | Planned in the schedule |
| Price | Often lower | Higher, but more complete |
Questions to ask either one
- Is the script included, and approved in writing before animation?
- Are voice-over and music included, and usable on all your channels?
- How many rounds of revisions, and at which stage?
- Who owns the rights and source files at the end?
- Are the price and the delivery time written in the quote?
- What happens if the person animating becomes unavailable mid-project?
Our approach
We are a studio of motion designers, with a team sized to each project: we write the script, draw, animate, produce the voice-over and sound, and manage the schedule and approvals, with a single contact. Each format has a fixed price written before we start, like our presentation video at €2,250 excl. VAT, delivered in 28 days. The detail is in our article on motion design video pricing.
If you already have an approved script and an art direction, a good freelancer may be the simplest choice. If the message is still to be built and approved, that is where a studio makes the difference.
In short
A freelancer animates a well-scoped project very well; a studio takes on the whole project, from the message to the approvals. Choose based on what remains to be done, not only on price. For the big picture, read our guide to corporate motion design video.
