For motion designers & animators
Changes are cheap at the storyboard. Write that into the proposal.
Animation has a cruel cost curve: a change to the script costs a sentence, a change to a styleframe costs an afternoon, and a change once animation is underway can cost days. Clients don't see that curve. They approve a script, approve a look, and then want a different character or a new scene after the animatic — because nothing they signed told them each approval mattered.
ApeiroCraft sends the project as a link with sign-off gates — script, styleframes, storyboard, animatic, animation — the running time, the versions and formats delivered, and the revision rounds at each gate. You see when it's opened and reopened, it's signed in the browser, and each stage is invoiced from the accepted proposal.
Where animation budgets break.
Late changes to early decisions
A new voice-over line after animation, a brand colour change after render. Each is a re-animate. If the proposal doesn't say approvals close a stage, you're expected to absorb it.
The versions nobody quoted
A 60-second explainer is followed by requests for a 15-second cut, a square version, subtitles and three languages. Each is real work.
Assets that never arrived
The client's logo files, brand fonts and final script are late, and the deadline doesn't move. Without dependencies written in, the slip is yours.
Gate by gate, from script to final render.
Sign-off gates as sections
Each stage — script, styleframes, storyboard, animatic, animation, sound — has its own deliverable and revision count, so the client sees why approvals matter.
See when it's in front of the client
Opens and re-opens are recorded on the link. A proposal reopened by an agency producer before their client meeting is a cue to send a short note.
Signed before the script
The signature records name, email, IP address and a UTC timestamp and can't be altered. The gates and revision limits are on record before work starts.
Invoice at each gate
Convert the accepted proposal to a draft invoice, set it to the deposit, and send. Convert again after the animatic and on final delivery.
What an animation proposal has to include.
Most animation disputes are about when a decision was final. Say it in writing.
Running time and style
If it's left vague
'An explainer' could be 30 seconds of kinetic type or 2 minutes of character animation.
With ApeiroCraft
State the running time, the style (2D, 3D, mixed), and reference examples.
Approval gates
If it's left vague
Approved scripts and styleframes are reopened mid-animation.
With ApeiroCraft
List each gate and that changes to an approved stage are quoted as additional work.
Versions and formats
If it's left vague
Cut-downs, aspect ratios and subtitles are expected for free.
With ApeiroCraft
List each version, aspect ratio, format and language included.
Voice-over, music and assets
If it's left vague
Nobody budgeted for VO talent or music licensing, or the client's files are late.
With ApeiroCraft
Say who supplies and pays for VO and music, and the date client assets are due.
Project files and usage
If it's left vague
The client asks for your project files and uses the animation in paid ads.
With ApeiroCraft
State whether source files are included, and the usage the client is licensed for.
- Gate invoices from one accepted proposal.
- Kanban tasks per scene or stage.
- Invoice currency set per invoice for agency and overseas clients.
Common questions.
How do animators and motion designers usually price work?
Common models are a fixed project price based on running time and complexity, a day rate for agency or studio bookings, and per-version pricing for cut-downs. Project work is often paid in stages tied to gates — a deposit, after the animatic, and on delivery. ApeiroCraft holds the structure you use; it doesn't recommend rates.
What does a 60-second explainer proposal look like?
Brief and audience; a script round with two revisions; three styleframes with one round; a storyboard and animatic with one round each; 2D animation with sound design; voice-over from the client's chosen talent, paid by the client; deliverables of a 16:9 master, a 9:16 cut-down and subtitles; usage for owned channels; payments at signing, after the animatic and on delivery. The producer reopens it twice, signs, and you invoice the deposit.
When is ApeiroCraft not the right fit for motion work?
It isn't a review tool — there's no frame-accurate commenting or version comparison — and it doesn't track hours or manage render queues. If you work on day-rate bookings through studios that issue their own purchase orders, you may only need invoicing. ApeiroCraft fits direct client projects that need gates agreed up front.
Can I quote a white-label job for an agency?
Yes. Address the proposal to the agency, note that you're working white-label, and say whether you can show the work later. The agency signs; you invoice them.
Which template should I start from?
The video production template: it has a treatment, an unambiguous cut list and a usage-rights section. Replace the shoot plan with your gates.
Make every approval count.
Write your gates once and send them with every animation proposal.
Start freeStill deciding? Talk to the founder
Keep reading
Free template
Video production proposal template
Creative treatment, cut list, shoot schedule, usage rights, and staged production payments.
Solution
ApeiroCraft for freelance designers
See when the client opens your proposal, get it signed, and bill the deposit from it.
Solution
Proposal tracking, explained
Timestamped opens on the proposal itself — not an email pixel, not a guess.