Post #4192281

TESSA: A Nuka-World Story - Cost Estimate TOTAL ESTIMATED COST: Low-end $5,000 – Realistically $10,000 The production budget with PAI-Pro is centered on video generation, the heart of the series. These estimates are based on a 3x-5x buffer of raw footage to ensure every shot meets our quality standards. To manage costs effectively, we will primarily generate footage at 720p, allowing us to invest more time and iterations into perfecting the performance, with a strategic upscaling plan for the final export to 4K. This gives us the flexibility to produce a cinematic, consistent series while keeping the project financially achievable and transparent with our backers. Video Generation: (Estimated 65% – 75% of budget) This is the largest cost center. It covers generating footage for the 19 episodes with an estimated 64 minutes of final edited runtime (excluding titles, credits, and transitions). The process would require generating several times more raw footage to achieve the desired final edit. Key Pricing: generate_video costs $0.20/s for 720p and $0.44/s for 1080p, with one generation generating a clip 1-2 seconds per shot. Estimate: $2,000 – $3,000 Calculation: 64 min of final runtime × (3 to 5) raw footage multiplier = ~200 min (12,000s) to ~320 min (19,200s) of raw video. 12,000s × $0.20 = $2,400. 19,200s × $0.44 = ~$8,448. The estimate accounts for an aggressive, best-case scenario where a 3x raw footage multiplier is sufficient for a well-storyboarded production with minimal waste, at 720p. This is a very optimistic scenario; a larger buffer for re-shoots and a 1080p target would increase this to ~$8,000. Variable: $4,000 – $10,000 (More realistic for a 3x-5x raw footage, depending on the raw footage multiple, resolution, and number of iterations). Voice Generation: (Estimated 5% – 10% of budget) This covers dialogue for approximately 19 episodes (each ~22 minutes runtime). An average of 50 lines per episode at 100 characters per line is used for estimation. Key Pricing: generate_voice costs $0.01 per 500 input characters. Estimate: ~$100 – $200 Calculation: 19 episodes × 50 lines × 100 chars = 95,000 input chars. 95,000 / 500 × $0.01 = $19. This would be for a perfect first take on all lines. A generous 5–10x iteration buffer for retakes and varied deliveries would make it $100 – $200. Image Generation: (Estimated 5% – 15% of budget) This covers generating reference images, storyboard keyframes, character sheets & props. High-quality reference images are crucial for planning and building the stages. Key Pricing: generate_image_pro costs ~$0.45 for 2K resolution images. Estimate: $100 – $300 Calculation: ~40 pro images (e.g., key character poses, scene concepts, posters) for the pilot episode and marketing is a reasonable estimate for a crowdfunding campaign. 40 images × $0.45 = $18. With a 10x iteration buffer, the cost becomes ~$200. Post-Processing & Buffers: (Estimated 10% – 15% of budget) This is not a direct API cost but a critical budget reserve. It covers costs for AI upscaling, potential re-generations of problematic shots, and other post-production tasks. Key Pricing: upscaler costs $1.35 per minute to go from 1080p to 4K. Estimate: $150 – $400 Calculation: An allocation to upscale select, critical shots (e.g., a ~10-minute sequence from E01) would cost ~$15 (10 min × $1.35). This budget line is more for unforeseen expenses and a safety margin against the variable video generation costs. Key Assumptions: Pricing Source: All costs are based on the official PAI-Pro API pricing (est. $0.20/s for 720p, $0.44/s for 1080p). Video Overhead: The estimate includes a 3x–5x buffer on total final runtime to account for AI trial-and-error, character/asset consistency tests, and multiple takes for the best performance. This is standard practice in AI filmmaking. Scope: This estimate is for the full 3-season, 19-episode series. Resolution & Quality: The primary budget line assumes generation at 720p to manage costs, with the possibility of upscaling the most important scenes to 4K. This allows for a high-quality final product without overspending on the initial generation. Voice & Images: Dialogue and image generation are comparatively inexpensive. The primary cost driver is video generation.