Ai video production: what drives the cost and how it works

Updated October 17, 2026

Ai video production replaces the film shoot, not the work around it. There is no crew, no location and no shoot day, but someone still writes the idea, directs every scene, keeps your product exact in every frame, edits, grades, adds sound and cuts every version. That work is what you pay for when you hire an Ai video production agency. This guide explains what drives the cost of Ai video production, what Ai removes from a video budget and what stays, how a project runs and what to send. Novaia is an art studio first and an Ai studio second, and we do not publish prices, because every brief is different. So here are the drivers instead.

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Your first Ai image is on us.

What you pay for in Ai video production

A finished Ai video is a chain of decisions. Each one takes time from people, and that time, not the software, is most of the work.

Creative direction: the idea, the opening and a storyboard that you approve before anything is made.
Product build: your product rebuilt from your reference photos.
Scenes and motion: each shot directed for light, camera movement and pace, and generated again until it is right.
Frame by frame checks: shape, colour, materials, labels and logos checked through the motion, not only on the first frame. Generated motion can bend a label as a bottle turns, so this step is never skipped.
Edit and finish: cut to a rhythm, colour graded, with sound design and music cleared for advertising.
Voiceover and subtitles: in the voices and languages you need, with captions placed inside each platform's safe zones.
Versions: every format and length your media plan needs, with revisions included in the project.

What you do not pay for is the production day: the crew, the location, travel, the shoot day and reshoots. That is where an Ai video budget differs from a filmed one.

What changes the cost: length, versions, voice and languages

Two projects both called a product video can be very different jobs. These levers make a project bigger or smaller, and knowing them helps you shape the brief to your budget.

Length and number of scenes. A 6 second loop for a product page and a 30 second launch film are different jobs. More scenes mean more generation, more checks and more edit.
Number of products, and how hard they are to keep exact in motion. A plain box is simpler than a shoe with laces and stitching, a bottle with a printed label or a watch face that reflects light.
Formats and cut lengths. 9:16 for Reels, TikTok and Shorts, 4:5 or 1:1 for the feed, 16:9 for YouTube and screens, then 6, 15 and 30 second cuts of the same idea. Plan them in the brief, because a scene composed for 16:9 rarely crops well to 9:16.
Alternative openings. Every new first 3 seconds is a new hook to test, and several openings for one film are often money well spent.
Voice and languages. Voiceover, subtitles and on screen changes add work for each market. The scenes are reused.
A presenter. A person talking to camera in creator style is a different production from a product film. That is Ai UGC, quoted as its own format.
Changes and the deadline. Revisions are included. A new direction after the storyboard is approved means new scenes.

The number that pays back a video is not its cost per video but your cost per sale once it runs. For paid social, a set of openings and cuts lets your media team compare hook rate, hold rate and CTR and keep what sells. Our guide to Ai video ads covers the ad formats and how to test them.

Ai video or a film crew: what is removed and what stays

Removed: the crew, the location, travel, the shoot day and reshoots. You are not locked into what a camera saw on one day. A new angle or a new opening is new generation work and a new edit, not a new booking.

Stays: the idea, the direction, the product checks, the edit, the sound and the responsibility for the result. When an Ai video looks wrong, it is usually because one of these steps was skipped.

A production company is still the right call for a real person saying real words on camera, a live event or a documentary. Ai video fits product video in volume: launch films, versions for every market, and new cuts every few weeks to stay ahead of creative fatigue. Many brands use both: a shoot for the hero film, Ai for what has to stay fresh between shoots.

How an Ai video project runs, from brief to delivery

Brief: you send photos of your product and a short brief with the goal, the channel, the formats and any references.
Quote: we quote the project from your brief, based on the drivers above.
Idea and storyboard: we write the idea and a full storyboard, and you approve it before anything is produced.
Production: we build the product, generate the scenes and check every frame against your reference photos.
Edit and finish: we edit to a rhythm, grade, and add music, sound design, voiceover and subtitles.
Delivery: you receive the files cut for each placement, with revisions included in the project.
New versions: a version for a new market or season starts from the same material, so it takes days, not weeks.

Nothing is produced on a guess. You see the idea before the work starts and the result before delivery. If you already have approved campaign images, the film can start from them so the cast, the place and the light match, the way a lookbook video grows out of the stills.

How long Ai video production takes

Ai video takes as little as one week from brief to delivery, depending on the length and the number of versions. A new version of an approved film for a new market or season takes days.

What adds time: a storyboard that goes through several rounds, many languages at once, products that are hard to keep exact in motion, and reference photos that arrive late. If you have a launch date, put it in the first brief.

What to send for an Ai video quote

Clear photos of each product from several angles, with close ups of labels, logos and details. Phone photos are fine if the light is even.
The goal and the channel: product page, organic social, paid ads or screens in store.
The formats and lengths you need, and how many openings you want to test.
The languages for voiceover and subtitles.
Your brand guidelines, plus two or three videos or ads you like.
Your deadline.

The more of this is in the first brief, the closer the quote is to the final project. Send it with the form below and ask for a quote. If you want to judge the realism first, your first Ai image is on us: send photos of one product.

Key takeaways

You pay for direction, product accuracy, edit, sound and versions. The shoot day is what goes.
Length, scenes, products, formats, openings and languages are what move the cost.
Plan every format, cut and opening in the first brief.
Ai video takes as little as one week. New versions take days.
Judge the quality on your own product before you commit.

Questions

How much does Ai video production cost?

It depends on the length, the number of scenes and products, the formats and cut lengths, the openings you want to test, and voiceover and languages. Novaia quotes each project after a short brief, so tell us what you need in the form and ask for a quote.

Is Ai video cheaper than a traditional shoot?

For product video it removes the crew, the location, travel, the shoot day and reshoots. What stays is the creative work: the idea, the direction, the product checks, the edit and the sound. A production company is still the right call for real people speaking on camera, live events and documentaries.

What do I need to send for an Ai video?

Clear photos of the product from several angles, close ups of labels and details, the goal and the channel, the formats, lengths and languages you need, your brand guidelines and any videos you like. Phone photos are fine if the light is even.

How long does Ai video production take?

As little as one week from brief to delivery, depending on the length and the number of versions. A new version for a new market or season takes days.

Can you make the same video in several languages?

Yes. We localize voiceover, subtitles, on screen text and scenes for each market: English, Spanish, Catalan, French, Italian and more.

Do Ai videos need an Ai label?

Meta and TikTok label Ai generated content and have their own disclosure rules. In the European Union, Article 50 of the EU Ai Act sets transparency duties for Ai generated video that could pass as real, so plan to disclose it. Our Ai fashion models guide explains the platform rules and Ai labelling. Check the current platform policies and ask your legal adviser before launch.