How Much a Micro Drama Costs to Make

Quick answer: Take a 30,000-character web novel that parses into 10 episodes of about 90 seconds each. Reading the script costs about 36 credits, the ten storyboards about 90, the video at the entry tier about 9,000, and assembling the ten episodes about 900: roughly 10,026 credits in all, about $62 at the lowest credit price. Video is most of it; the rest is small. A first drama gets its sheets and its first storyboard free, and every retake is priced only for the segment you redo.

Still from “The Last Envelope”, an AI short drama generated end-to-end by SceneMixer (6 characters, 1 episode) — Sample: “The Last Envelope” — Realistic HD, 1 episode, produced end-to-end by SceneMixer from the script · watch the episodes

Where credits go in one episode is the same budget at episode scale.

The four lines

Reading the script: once per project, 4 credits per 1,000 characters (a 3,333-character English page counts as 1,000). It produces the summary, the episode split and the cast, set and prop descriptions. Sheets: 15 free per account, then 7 credits each on the default tier. Storyboards: 1 credit per 100 characters of the episode’s share of the script, once per episode; on a first drama the opening 1 episode(s) come free. Video: per second, from 10 credits on Wan 3.0 · 480P up to the higher tiers. Assembly: 1 credit per second of the episode.

The worked example

30,000 characters, 10 episodes, 90 seconds each, video at the entry tier, no retakes:

What moves the number

Total seconds: video is priced per second, so ten episodes of ninety seconds cost twice what ten of forty-five do. Shorter episodes are the cheapest lever. The tier: 720P and 1080P cost more per second than 480P; pick per segment, so a close-up can be sharp while wide shots stay on the entry tier. Which tier. Retakes: every regenerated segment is charged again, only for its own seconds. Budget one retake in three. Sheets beyond the free ones: a cast of thirty is fifteen paid sheets.

The episode timeline: every segment as a card with its thumbnail and duration — Video is the bulk of any budget: every segment is priced by its seconds.

What is free

Your first drama: 15 sheets across the account and the first episode’s storyboard. A new account starts with 50 credits. Editing text, the summary, the shot descriptions, voices: free. Watching, downloading and sharing a finished episode: free. What you get for free.

Ways to pay less per credit

Bigger packs carry a bonus of up to 15%. A paid plan grants credits monthly and takes a percentage off packs. Credits cost between $0.0090–0.0096 each depending on the pack. What a paid plan changes.

Line	Credits
Reading the script	36
Sheets	Free within 15, then 7 each
Storyboards (10 episodes)	90
Video (10 × 90 s, entry tier)	9,000
Assembly	900
Total	10,026, about $62

FAQ

What is the biggest cost?

Video. It is priced per second, so total seconds and the tier decide most of the budget.

Is the script read charged per episode?

No. Once per project, by length. Storyboards are per episode.

Does a retake cost the whole episode?

No. Only the segment you regenerate, for its own seconds.

What is free on a first drama?

The sheets within the account allowance and the first episode's storyboard. Editing is always free.

Can I mix tiers?

Yes. The tier is chosen per segment; sharp close-ups and cheap wide shots can sit in one episode.

Price your own script

Paste it on the home page; the button shows the read price before you start.

Start creating

Updated September 26, 2026