At SIGNS Films, a 2-minute AI-generated video usually costs around €2,000. But prices swing a lot: when the expected result has to be spectacular, we combine AI with 3D, visual effects, a storyboard and a very elaborate edit, and we go past €50,000 for the same 2 minutes. What makes the difference between the two is the number of iterations and the talent of the team, not the tool.
I want to try to explain why the gap is so wide, because that is often where an AI film quote gets misunderstood. There are two reasons, and neither of them comes down to the software.
The first reason: iteration
Iteration is the big question. A model does not produce the right shot on the first try. You generate, you look, you fix a line, you run it again, and you keep going until you get the perfect result you expect. For the launch of FULLCUT, an editing assistant and AI studio software, the first film of the campaign is an edit of two takes of the same prompt, because neither was good all the way through. I told the whole story in the making-of of the FULLCUT films. Every extra round is director’s time, and that is mostly what weighs on the price.
The good news is that this side has become simpler. AI models improved enormously in early September. Shots come out more accurate, and it takes fewer rounds to reach the same result. That does not mean zero rounds: we still see mistakes here and there, and a failed shot gets redone, it cannot be saved in the grade.
The second reason: talent
It is not just the AI. A very good director will go very far with AI. It is always the same thing: you pay for talent. The talent of the director, who writes the film shot by shot before generating anything, and of the team behind, who pick the takes, edit, grade, do the sound and set the on-screen text by hand. Two people with the same tool and the same budget will not deliver the same film, exactly like on a shoot with the same camera.
That is also why, at our studio, nothing gets generated without a film written first. The prompt is our storyboard. And an AI film is edited in DaVinci Resolve, just like a filmed one.
What takes you from €2,000 to more than €50,000
Usually, a 2-minute AI video comes in at around €2,000. Here we are talking about a film where AI does most of the image work, without 3D or visual effects.
But if the expected result is spectacular and stunning, then we combine AI with 3D, visual effects, a refined and elaborate edit, and a full storyboard upfront. Each layer needs its own specialists and its own rounds of feedback, and the budget goes past €50,000 for 2 minutes. It is the same 2 minutes on screen, but not the same film at all.
Between those two limits, there is everything else. As with everything, we adapt to the client, their constraints and their needs. It all depends on the project, really.
And compared with a shoot?
For comparison, our shooting rates are public: an institutional film of about 2 minutes costs between €1,700 and €5,000, and a high-end ARRI Alexa 35 production with an established director of photography starts at €3,500. The breakdown is in our article on quotes. So a simple AI video is not necessarily much cheaper than a small shoot. What it mostly allows is showing what could not be filmed, or not on that budget.
And often, the right answer is to mix the two. We shoot what needs to be real, and AI fills in the rest, up to 30% of a luxury film without it showing.
My take
I would be wary of any price given before the project has been discussed. An AI video at €2,000 can be very good, and one at €50,000 too, they simply do not answer the same expectations. The right move is to say what you want to see on screen, and let the director tell you what it takes. If you want to know what we agree to do with AI and what we turn down, it is here.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a 2-minute AI video cost in 2026?
At SIGNS Films, a 2-minute AI-generated video usually comes in at around €2,000. The price goes past €50,000 when the project calls for a spectacular result: AI is then combined with 3D, visual effects, a full storyboard and a very elaborate edit. Every project is priced according to its constraints and needs.
Why does the price of an AI-generated video vary so much?
For two reasons. First, iteration: a model does not give the right shot on the first try, and every round of generation and correction takes time. Second, the talent of the director and their team, who write the film, pick the takes, edit and grade. The tool matters far less than the people using it.
Do you need a storyboard for an AI-generated video?
Yes. At SIGNS Films, nothing is generated without a film written shot by shot: duration, framing, camera movement and action for each shot. For the most ambitious projects, a full storyboard is added, because AI is combined with 3D and visual effects there, and every layer has to fit with the others.
Can you mix AI and filmed footage in the same video?
Yes, and it is often the right answer. We shoot what needs to be real, such as faces and speech, and AI fills in the rest, for example a shot that cannot be filmed or a set extension. In a luxury film, AI can account for up to 30% of the images without it showing on screen.
An AI or hybrid film project? Write to us: we reply within 24 hours, and we will tell you honestly what your project takes.
