How much a video ad costs in the UK depends less on the length of the ad than on how it is made. A 30 second ad can be filmed with a crew, animated at a desk or generated with AI, and each route spends the budget on different things. This guide sets out what you are paying for in each case, so a quote makes sense when you see one.

The three ways a video ad gets made

  • Filmed: a crew, a location or studio, people on camera, then an edit.
  • Animated: motion graphics or character animation, built frame by frame in software such as After Effects.
  • AI-generated: shots created with video models from a script and reference photos, then edited and finished by hand.

Many ads now mix two of these. The method should follow the idea, and we explain how we choose in AI ad or real shoot?

What you pay for with a filmed ad

A shoot has fixed costs before a single frame is recorded:

  • Pre-production: script, storyboard, casting and location scouting.
  • The shoot day: director, camera operator, lighting, sound, kit hire and often a studio or location fee.
  • People on camera: actors or models, with usage fees for where and how long the ad will run.
  • Travel, catering and insurance.
  • Post-production: edit, colour grade, sound mix, music licence and captions.

As a rough guide, a simple filmed social ad from a small UK team tends to start in the low thousands of pounds, and a commercial with a full crew, cast and locations usually runs well beyond that. Quotes vary a great deal, so treat any range as a starting point and ask what is included.

What you pay for with animation

Animation has no shoot day, so the cost is almost all time. It is usually priced by the finished minute or by the project, and the price moves with the style: clean type and UI motion is quicker than illustrated characters, and 3D takes longer than both. Script, storyboard, voiceover, music and sound design are normally part of the quote, so check they are.

Animation suits software, apps and services that are hard to film. There is more on that choice in motion graphics or live action?

What you pay for with an AI video ad

An AI ad removes the crew, the studio, the travel and the model day rate. What is left is the part that decides whether the ad works: the idea, the script, the design of the characters and sets, and the edit. A good AI ad still takes skilled hours, because someone has to lock the product and the faces, choose the best takes, rebuild logos and packaging by hand, and finish it like a commercial.

That is why AI ads cost a fraction of a shoot, and why the very cheapest ones often look like AI. Every ZR Media format has a fixed starting price on the pricing page, with the turnaround listed next to it.

What pushes a quote up

  • Length: a 60 second story needs more shots than a 15 second one.
  • Versions: each extra format, cutdown or language adds work, though far less than making a new ad.
  • People: actors, presenters and voice artists, and the usage rights that come with them.
  • Where it runs: TV, cinema and outdoor screens need broadcast licensing and stricter technical delivery.
  • Revisions: rounds beyond the ones included.
  • Speed: a rush job usually carries a premium.

How to keep the cost down without a worse ad

  • Decide where the ad will run before you ask for a quote. One platform done well beats five done thinly.
  • Send a clear brief and good product photos. Most wasted budget comes from changing the idea halfway through.
  • Ask for one master ad plus cutdowns, not several separate ads.
  • Test cheap versions first. A few AI UGC ads can show which message sells before you pay for the big spot.
  • Reuse what you have. Footage you already own can be recut, captioned and regraded for far less than a new shoot.

Do not forget the media budget

Making the ad is only one of the two costs. Showing it to people on Meta, TikTok or YouTube is the other, and it is paid to the platform, not to the studio. A sensible plan sets aside money for both. An expensive ad with nothing left to promote it will be seen by almost nobody.

Questions to ask about any quote

  • Is the script included, and who writes it?
  • How many revision rounds are included, and what does an extra one cost?
  • Is the music licensed for paid advertising?
  • Which formats and lengths will I receive?
  • Who owns the final files, and where can I run them?
  • How long until the first cut?

These are the same questions we suggest for choosing a video agency in London.

Getting a price for your ad

The quickest way to a real number is a short conversation about the product, the audience and where the ad will run. On a free 15 minute call we will tell you which method fits, what it would cost with us, and when a shoot would serve you better.