Why Video Costs So Much More Than Sheets and Storyboards

Quick answer: One second of generated video costs about as much as one whole character sheet: the default tier is 10 credits a second, a sheet 7. A 12-second segment is therefore a dozen sheets’ worth, and a ten-segment episode is a hundred-odd. That is the shape of the underlying cost: a video model computes every frame of every second, an image model computes one frame, a text model computes a few pages. The way to spend less is not a cheaper button but fewer regenerated seconds — draft at 480P, fix the storyboard, finish once.

Still from “Rocket Pup”, an AI short drama generated end-to-end by SceneMixer (7 characters, 1 episode) — Sample: “Rocket Pup” — Feature 3D Animation, 1 episode, produced end-to-end by SceneMixer from the script · watch the episodes

Change one segment from 8 to 16 seconds and watch the price tag double before you press anything.

The four prices in one episode

Parse: 4 credits per 1,000 characters of the script, once. Sheets: 7 credits each at the default tier, after the free ones. Storyboard: 1 credit per 100 characters of the episode’s share of the script. Video: per second of the tier — 10 at 480P, 19 at 720P, 38 at 1080P — plus the composite at 1 per second. In a typical episode the video lines are more than nine-tenths of the bill. Line by line: Where Your Credits Go in One Episode.

The SceneMixer episode editor: asset library on the left, the storyboard in the middle, the video preview on the right, and every segment along the bottom timeline — Every timeline card shows its price before you press generate; video is the only per-second item.

Why a second of video costs a whole image

An image model draws one frame. A video model draws twenty-four or more frames for every second, keeps them consistent with each other, and on the tiers used here also generates the voices and the sound in the same pass. Text models read and write a few pages. The provider prices follow that work, and the credit prices follow the provider prices, tier by tier. How tiers map to prices: How Model Tiers Work.

Where the credits really go: retakes

The seconds you keep are a small part of the seconds you generate. A segment regenerated three times at 720P costs three segments. That is why the site pushes the fix upstream: a wrong face is a sheet problem, a wrong action is a storyboard problem, and both are cheap to fix compared with one more take. The draft-then-final routine turns most retakes into 480P retakes: Draft at 480P, Finish at 1080P.

Seconds you can trim

Every shot in the storyboard has seconds; reaction shots and establishing shots often carry more than they need. Trimming a second from six shots saves six seconds of video across every take of that segment. Spoken shots have a floor (the line must fit); everything else is yours to shorten. Shot Seconds and Timing.

What does not help

A lower tier does not lower the price of a mistake by much if you then regenerate at a higher one anyway; skipping the storyboard fix and hoping the next take is right is the expensive habit. A membership changes how many credits you get each month, not how many seconds a clip needs: What a Paid Plan Changes.

Item	Priced per	Default price
Parse	1,000 characters of script	4 credits
Character / scene / prop sheet	Sheet	7 credits
Storyboard	100 characters of the episode	1 credit
Video segment	Second, by tier	10 credits at 480P
Composite	Second of the episode	1 credit

FAQ

Is there a flat price per episode?

No. Video is per second, so a longer or retaken episode costs more. The card prices add up in front of you.

Why is 1080P almost four times 480P?

It follows the provider's price for the higher resolution. Draft at 480P and pay 1080P once.

Does the free preview count?

No; it is free and holds nothing.

Is dialogue extra?

No. Voices and sound come with the seconds on every tier used here.

Does a shorter storyboard make video cheaper?

Fewer seconds do. Cut shot seconds you do not need; the storyboard fee itself is small.

Fewer regenerated seconds

The price is per second; the savings are in not generating the same second twice.

Open the editor

Updated September 27, 2026