# motion-pricing

Prices animation work: picks a billing model, works out your day rate, and returns a line-itemed quote.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 587 installs · ★ 6
- Author: iart-ai
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/iart-ai/freelance-motion-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/motion-pricing/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-06-22
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/motion-pricing

## What it does

The skill kicks in when you need to quote a motion project or check a number someone gave you. It walks a decision tree: day rate for a loose brief, fixed per-project for a locked one, per-finished-minute for series work, value-based when the deliverable sits behind a big media spend. The default path is to estimate in days and show the client a fixed price with a revision cap.

Then comes the rate math. Target annual income plus business costs, divided by billable days. The skill points out that a year holds roughly 260 weekdays but solo designers bill 120–150 of them, since holidays, admin and gaps eat the rest. From there it walks the cost drivers: duration, style complexity, asset creation, revision rounds, rush, and usage rights.

The output is a quote with separate lines for concept, storyboard, design, 3D, animation, sound, revisions, project management, plus rush and licensing uplifts, a total and payment terms. The worked example in the skill uses a £600 day rate. Treat that as an anchor for calibration, not a price you can paste into an invoice — localise the numbers before you send anything.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add iart-ai/freelance-motion-skills --skill motion-pricing -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/motion-pricing/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/motion-pricing/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add iart-ai/freelance-motion-skills --skill motion-pricing -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/motion-pricing/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add iart-ai/freelance-motion-skills --skill motion-pricing -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/motion-pricing/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install iart-ai/freelance-motion-skills motion-pricing
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/motion-pricing/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add iart-ai/freelance-motion-skills --skill motion-pricing -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/iart-ai/freelance-motion-skills --path skills/motion-pricing
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/motion-pricing/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add iart-ai/freelance-motion-skills --skill motion-pricing -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/iart-ai/freelance-motion-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/motion-pricing/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- quote a 30-second explainer from scratch
- derive a day rate from income and overhead targets
- sanity-check a number a client already proposed
- break a project fee into lines the client can approve
- price in rush work and usage rights

## Example prompts
- build a fixed quote for a 30s flat-2D explainer
- work out my day rate from £55,000 income and £20,000 costs
- check this estimate for a series of six 6s social bumpers

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: 4bf9385a40836454.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 4bf9385a40836454
````text
---
name: motion-pricing
description: This skill should be used when the user asks to "quote a motion project", "estimate this animation job", "how much should I charge for this video", "what's my day rate", "build a quote", "price a 30-second explainer", or "is this estimate fair". It explains motion-design pricing models, the day-rate math, the cost drivers, and outputs a line-itemed quote with a worked example.
version: 0.1.0
---

# Motion Pricing

Produce a defensible quote for a motion design project: choose a pricing model, run the day-rate math, account for the real cost drivers, and output a clean line-itemed estimate the client can approve.

## When to use

Use when pricing any motion/animation project, sanity-checking an existing number, setting or revisiting a day rate, or explaining to a client why a price is what it is. The output is a structured quote plus the reasoning behind each line.

## Decision tree — which pricing model

```
Is the brief locked (scope, deliverables, revision cap all defined)?
├─ NO  → bill DAY RATE (or refuse to fix-quote until the brief is locked).
│        Exploratory/discovery/retainer work is day-rate by nature.
└─ YES → Is the work a repeatable style or a series (many similar units)?
         ├─ YES → estimate in days, sanity-check PER-FINISHED-MINUTE,
         │        present as fixed per-project.
         └─ NO  → Is it tied to large campaign / broadcast / paid spend
                  where the deliverable's value >> its production cost?
                  ├─ YES → estimate in days for the floor, then apply
                  │        VALUE-BASED usage uplift on top.
                  └─ NO  → estimate in days, present FIXED PER-PROJECT
                           with a revision cap. ← the default path.
```

Always estimate internally in **days** (the only honest unit of effort), whatever you bill on. The model above only decides what the *client sees*.

## Step 1 — Pick a pricing model

| Model | Bill on | Best for | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Day rate** | Days of work | Open-ended, exploratory, or retainer work | Penalises speed; client may haggle days |
| **Per-project (fixed)** | Whole deliverable | Well-scoped jobs with a locked brief | Scope creep eats margin — needs a revision cap |
| **Per-finished-minute** | Final runtime | Explainers, series, repeatable style | Ignores complexity differences minute-to-minute |
| **Value-based** | Outcome/usage to client | High-leverage brand/ad work | Requires knowing the client's stakes |
````
END THIRD-PARTY FILE 4bf9385a40836454

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